I love this place and thanks to Jon Noe, a local DJ and music lover, it has been offering quality music and good clean fun of late. Tonight held the promise of both.
Joe Jabon was mixing the sound tonight. Joe of Banzai Surf fame, we don't get to see them nearly enough.
I had yet to see my friend Marieke play with her new band and she was now in my neighborhood. I didn't have any more excuses. One of my favorite bands was also on the bill so this was going to be fun.
We met Amanda on our way in. She made this hand-embroidered dress herself.
Here is Marieke doing her thing:
Just before the music started a whole group of young folks showed up en-mass. They were ordering Rainier bottles by the truckload. Apparently they were playing a little puzzle on the inside of the cap. It kept a couple of them very busy for the longest time.
First up was The Western Bluebirds, a marvelous local group that plays western swing. They are Kevin Campion, Liam Fitzgerald, Nick Streeter, Dave Bush, Tony Laborie and Bill Jones.
I have seen them several times and love them the more I see them. Liam is a FB buddy and I see him in some of his other bands often.
Nick is another great musician that I love to see up there strumming away, he kinda looks like something out of the 20's here.
Kevin is the lead singer and plays a lovely steel guitar.
Tony Laborie is another local pro, I have seen him many times and always playing an amazing stand-up bass.
Dave is in the back keeping the band on beat.
I used to play the trumpet. I love a good horn. Thanks to Bill who buzzed his lips tonight.
They played all of my favorites and then some. They have a CD that is filled with hits from the past played in the Bluebirds' wonderful style.
You can connect with The Western Bluebirds here: https://www.facebook.com/westernbluebirds/timeline
They had the whole crowd up and the dancers were filling the dance floor.
Good stuff tonight from The Western Bluebirds.
They added a lovely voice in the middle of the set. Kate Voss has a killer voice, it matched perfectly with the band. She sang beautifully and the combination was marvelous.
She added a lot to an already great experience.
I love the new/old fashion. Ah, bare midriff, that takes me back.
Marieke and The Go Get 'Em Boys were up next. I knew 3 of the members of this band from their other adventures. I was looking forward to this as they have been getting rave reviews for months.
I have known Marieke for a few years. She has been singing here and there, adding a voice when asked. It was so nice to see her fronting her own band with some of the best rockabilly/swing musicians in the area.
Johnny 7 plays guitar.
Wesley plays bass.
And Joe plays the drums.
They play a marvelous version of swing and rockabilly. Marieke and the band make a powerful statement. I have always loved these musicians in other bands. The new combo was great.
She is striking as she belts out the standards. She is totally in her element here.
I love Johnny's guitar, since hearing him for the first time with The Black Crabs.
Johnny and Marieke performed a lovely tune before they were joined by the rest of the band.
There were a lot of dancers swinging on the dance floor and I was having a hard time finding a safe spot to take pics. My feet were flattened the last time I left the dance floor.
Thanks to The Shanty for offering such great local music, you can see them here: https://www.facebook.com/TheShantyTavern They have music every Friday evening for cheap.
Thanks to Marieke and The Go Get 'Em Boys and The Western Bluebirds for providing such great music. This is a passion for them as they make no money doing this. See some live music soon.
