NOVEMBER 5, 2009 ISSUE
Brewer’s Briefs
Since I first moved to the High Country nearly a decade ago, I’ve gotten to know several of the finest folks around town at the doors of bars. Yes, I’m talking about the much maligned and often unsung bar heroes that you hassle every time they ask to see your I.D. and charge you a cover to hear music.
I’d like to issue a quick reminder to those who take personal offense to being forced to give up three seconds of their lives to remove their license from their wallet, as well as one to people who act like the door guy is taking your cash and stuffing it into his pocket for their own personal gain: these people are just doing their jobs.
While not always true, it could often be said that door guys appear as though they just returned from a few hours at the gym and spend lots of time admiring their muscles in the mirror. Instead of getting a job at a bar to enjoy more live music, they’re really just waiting for their next chance to flex while tossing some hapless drunk out the door.
But there are plenty of other folks who quietly sit at the door quietly doing their jobs, while having to watch dozens of bar patrons (often co-workers) have a big time drinking their cares (not to mention common sense and motor skills) away for hours on end. Aside from not hoping to deter drunken behavior with their physical appearance, these are genuinely nice folks.
Door people are also ultimately responsible for collecting the money that will pay the band at the end of the night. And let me tell you, they love to be hassled by people who have some crazed notion that bands should play for free.
Consider this next time you encounter a door guy: You have chosen to be at this particular music event. Theoretically, this is music you want to hear. On the other hand, the door guy might be enduring three-plus hours of music he wouldn’t wish his worse enemy to suffer through.
Next time you’re at the door of a bar, remove your ID without having to be asked and try your best not to be a jerk.
This Week…
-It’s kind of ironic for a band’s fans to be called “moe.rons,” but moe. is still a pretty damn good rock and roll band when they want to be. With an unabashed love for classic guitar rock and a penchant for long, exploratory jams, the Buffalo-based veterans will return to the High Country for a show at Legends this Thursday, November 5.
-While the vast majority of students that made them the toughest ticket in town during the earlier part of this decade have since moved down the mountain, Acoustic Syndicate still draws big numbers with their patented blend of progressive, bluegrass-informed mountain soul. The band will be at Dragonfly Theater & Pub for a double header this Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7.
-Organ-and-drum rockers The Benevento Russo Duo can jazz it up like Jimmy Smith and rock out like Led Zeppelin, all while sounding like no one but themselves. The versatile and funky partners will be at Boone Saloon this coming Monday, November 9.
Next Week…
-Since parting ways with Sam Quinn, Jill Andrews, the fairer half of the everybodyfields, has been doing what she does best: exploring the sensitive country folk that everybody loved her for in the first place. The Knoxville-based singer-songwriter will return to Boone Saloon on Thursday, November 12.
-Former Boonies Union County will return to local action when they take the stage at Flipside on Friday, November 13. Sporting the tried and true recipe of catchy, acoustic-based pop tunes and sunny harmonies, the band is developing a growing local following.
-On Saturday, November 14, Asheville-based gypsy jazz outfit One Leg Up (featuring acclaimed bassist and songwriter Cary Fridley) will provide the backdrop for the annual Peabody’s Wine Expo. While not exactly a concert setting, the Expo, which takes place at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center, is still a great chance to hear good music while wining and dining.
On The Horizon…
-The Holmes Convocation Center will host its biggest show in months when modern rock darlings Taking Back Sunday, All-American Rejects and Anberlinconverge on the High Country. The show is slated for Thursday, November 19, and Seth Sullivan is stoked out of his mind.
-Low down dirty blues rockers WSNB have been absent from the High Country for most of the fall. Fortunately, the award-winning band will be back in action at Canyons on Saturday, December 5. If you haven’t heard this quartet’s brand of greasy, swampy blues-rock, you’re missing out. For real.
-I did a double take when I saw the sign in the window at 641rpm for a show by gritty folk phenom Malcolm Holcombe. The performance, slated for Thursday, December 10, could arguably be the first time that the iconic tunesmith will have the luxury of performing in Boone without having to overcome the din of clanking glass and drunken bar conversations. FINALLY!!
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