I think I was 19
when I experienced my first Grateful Dead lot scene. At that time in my life I was an avid music
fan, but quite different than how I am today.
I had no idea of the “local music scene” in Atlanta at that age. This is pretty weird since two of my favorite
bands at the time, Follow for Now and Drivin and Cryin were both Atlanta
bands. Later on in my in that 19th
year of life I moved to Athens, Ga. It
was not until then did I truly learn about the local music scene concept. Twenty years have gone by now since the day I
moved to Athens and how I feel about music is the same today, just with a lot
more depth. Today I have spent a good
bit of time reflecting on how my love, obsession, understanding, and desire for
rock n roll has grown and changed over the years. The conclusion I came to after all the
reflection was that my geographical locations over the years have played a huge
part in the relationship I have with music.
This is a brief part of the story of where I have lived and how the
music in those times and places have shaped this faithful relationship I have
with my one true love.
I had the
wonderful experience of turning twenty one in the beautiful city of Athens,
Ga. I bought my first drink at DT’s Down
Under. This was also the same night I
discovered the High Hat Jazz Club. I can
remember seeing bands like Squat and Day by the River there. I remember Dave Schools use to sit at the
door and keep the bouncer company. This
too, was about the same time I was getting into Widespread Panic. I wish I could remember more of the bands
that I use to love to see. The nights at
the Georgia Theatre seeing Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit,
Bloodkin, Five Eight, along with several others were the beginning of my
education. This was also my first live experience with Widespread Panic. I can
still remember what the River Walk Amphitheater looks like to this day. 1995 was the year I saw the Grateful Dead. It was the last show the Grateful Dead every
played in Atlanta, Jerry died that August.
I even had the pleasure of seeing Merl Saunders play at the Theatre
shortly after Jerry died. Now I was
really hooked. There was no turning back. I had crossed the line of no return. Side bar: My ex at the time ended up with the tickets to the first
Panic show at the Classic Center. I
have yet to see my favorite band in Athens, Ga.
A few years later
after a short stint in the Coast Guard, if found myself working as a chef on
Grand Cayman Island. For those of you that do not know, Grand Cayman sits right
smack in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.
Surely, I thought to myself this will be a great opportunity to get my
fill of the local music. I was so
excited about hearing the reggae, dance hall, and dub bands right on the
beach. Wow, was I sorely mistaken. Somehow this little twenty seven mile long
and nine mile wide island was passed over by such music. Now to make things even worse, I was the only
single person, the youngest person, and the only American at my restaurant. This meant I was on my own. No one I worked with was interested in
showing me the ropes of the island and where to get what I needed.
After a few weeks of going straight home after
work, I found a little place called XTC.
The crowd was full of people in the service industry and the music that
was playing in the bar was good enough.
Well it was not long before I was drinking here every night and learning
the ways of Grand Cayman. This consisted
of three things. There was no live music
on the island, well at least not outside of the Hyatt. The big thing was techno.. DJs! This
plays a very important part of this story I will get to in a minute. To top it all off Monday nights was the big
bar night and they stayed open to 1:00 AM.
I was very confused. Now, I could
have just gave in and gone home or get in where I fit in. It is amazing what you can learn to love when
you live in paradise. Evidently Grand
Cayman is a hot spot on the DJ circuit.
This meant a lot of private parties all over the island. I have to admit this was pretty cool. DJs flew in from all over the world to play
these parties. When in Rome is what I
thought! Trance and Techno is really not
that bad on a private beach, surrounded by hot women with accents and a head
full of Ecstasy. I got to be a regular
in this crowd and became friends with the owners of XTC, who were responsible
for bringing in a lot of the talent on the island. You see if you are white and are a Cayman citizen
you are pretty freaking wealthy. I came
to find out later that one of the owners of the bar, Chris, had gone to Miami
and ate the love drug once, and immediately came back and opened a bar called
XTC a week later. I will save the rest
of this story for another time, but I eventually had enough and came back
stateside. I saw the first New Years Eve
Widespread Panic shows at Phillips Arena two weeks later. The year was 1999!
Jump forward to 2008,
and I have recently moved to Denver, Colorado.
The summer before I saw Widespread Panic on a three night run at Red
Rocks and fell in love. A year later I
was where I wanted to be. Once again,
however, I was on my own in a new city, trying to find my way. The only friend I had in Denver at the time was
married with a young daughter and one on the way so she was no help. I asked where I should go drink in an online Widespread
Panic discussion forum. Someone
suggested that I belly up to the bar at the Highland Pacific, and I would be
taken care of and find what I was looking for.
This could not be further from the truth. Looking back, that first night was the spark
that lit the fuse in my life with rock n roll.
Soon I was on a first name basis with some of the local Denver heroes. These guys were not only fantastic musicians
but genuine and kind. They played in
bands like Polytoxic, Bloodkin, and Henry Parsons Project. Just to put things in a local music scene
perspective, there are at least fifteen music venues in a ten mile radius. In the three years I was there, I think I saw
well over one hundred shows. Bands like
Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, and the Drive by Truckers, to name a few were
there several times a year. This somehow
influenced the local music scene. In 2010 I met a new friend from Nashville,
and soon after started an online music magazine called Colfax Radio. This was a game changer. I guess the sun and moon were all aligned at
that time. I was working as a door man
at Pete’s Monkey Bar, which opened a ton of doors for me and my business
partner, Little Mikey Colfax. Our little
pod cast had the pleasure of interviewing musicians such as Tori Pater, Eric
Martinez, Damon Wood, The Fox Street All Stars, Dorian Vibe, Eric Hood, Mark Brut, Whiskey
Tango, The Longest Day of the Year, HOME and so many more. There were open mic nights around the city
were full of fantastic music on any given night. The city is had everything from honky tonk,
jam bands, metal bluegrass, and everything else under the sun. Being able to be a part of such great music
with so many great people is a time in my life I will never forget. It is a warm memory that puts a smile on my
face a year and a half later.
Today, I am
living back down south, licking my wounds and healing from all those late
nights over the years. When I work on my
plan for the next step, I think about these three points in my life. I think about what I want, what I need, and
what I just cannot have, no matter how hard I try. These past experiences have all played a part
in my walk with rock n roll. And today,
I know I cannot be a part of it like I was in Denver, and I don’t ever want to
go to see another DJ as long as I live, but I do know that I need my local
music. It is now a part of me and has
shaped me forever. Athens, Ga is
starting to sound really good about right now.
Who knows, I will only be able to tell you when I get there.
GO SEE LIVE MUSIC AND PAY YOUR COVER WITH A SMILE AND SOME
GRATITUDE!
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