Written by Greg Slattery
Chris McLane is Columbia born and bred. His mom got him guitar lessons when he was 12. He’s played in countless bands since he was 15. You may not know Chris McLane by name, but there is a good chance you’ve heard of his band Stretch Arm Strong.
Now McLane works for All-In Entertainment, booking shows at Headliners and New Brookland Tavern in Columbia, the Music Farm in Charleston, Amos Southend in Charlotte and occasionally at venues in Hilton Head, Raleigh, and other cities in the Southeast.
“I was doing a lot of shows for other bands and I wanted to start doing it myself as the real deal,” McLane says. “I wanted to do it full time as the band (Stretch Arm Strong) was slowing down because there are a lot of good things going on in this state.”
Originally McLane started his own company called Push Entertainment, mainly focusing on shows at New Brookland Tavern and Ground Zero in Spartanburg. He recently joined the All-In Entertainment company, giving him the liberty of working with a team of people he can bounce ideas off of. “I had a person here and there to help with Push,” he says, “but it was always my own money on the line and my own contacts.”
McLane has been able to harness the contacts he built from being on the road and it has helped him book everything from Norma Jean and Alkaline Trio to Good Charlotte and New Found Glory. But his favorite show of all he’s had the privilege to book was none other than the Bouncing Souls. The tour in particular was with Hot Water Music. “Great bands, great vibe, and a sold out show,” he recalls. “ Everything went smoothly, and that is what I love.”
