The Saloon closed nearly a year ago leaving me without my regular dose of fabness so I went off in search of a replacement. I went from bar to bar looking for the right mix of great live music, nice people, beer and that laid-back, warm kind of atmosphere I like so much. I found a few places that had one or two of my requirements but they were either too loud or the music was of irregular quality so I searched onward, hoping my liver would survive the quest.
Eventually I just had to resort to hiring a few members of The Saloon's house band to play at my parties. Now, this was all fab and groovy but I can only do that a couple of times a year and I need my fix on a much more regular basis. Actually, fab and groovy doesn't quite sum it up. My parties, helped in no small part by the quality of the live music on offer, are rapidly becoming my all-time favorite experiences. I mean, imagine how cool it is to have this sort of thing going on in the corner:
This shot will give you some idea of how much their music means to me. Sometimes I am unable to move, see?
After following them around to every pub and restaurant they played in I got an e-mail from Hank telling me they had a new regular gig at a bar near where The Saloon used to be (now a sports bar!). So, off I went to see what it was like.
It's called Diggers and you'll find it right here. They play every Tuesday night from 7 until close and I've yet to miss a week. It's not as nice as The Saloon, mainly because it's a sports bar type thing but it's quiet, the food is tasty and the music is absolutely top notch. It also has a lot of the old Saloon regulars what with it being only a block south and all.
This means that the music is always unpredictable but in a good way. Hank and Anitra's musical buddies will show up from time to time and either join in or put on a performance by themselves. Plus the owners, two brothers, will get up when they're in the mood and have a go. Last week their 80-year old father turned up and the three of them played some old style bluegrass that was bloody marvelous.
Week after week I sit there, drinking Guinness and eating blue-cheese burgers and feeling transfixed by the beauty of the noises they produce. I've told everyone I know so I'm usually joined by a friend or two. If I'm alone I'll usually start gibbering at the nearest person so I'm never short of people to talk to. I do get the deer-in-the-headlights look from time to time as people start to grasp just how abnormal I am but I like that, too. Saves time, see?
Last night was no exception. Kimberly showed up and we played pool while Hank and Anitra and then Ben Kinney and Scott Little all took it in turns to play some of the best music I've ever heard. I'm still completely amazed that this sort of thing goes on, on a regular basis, at pubs across the country. Yet another reason why I love this place so much. There's no way you'd find such easy access to such high quality entertainment in Old Blighty. A night out there would usually consist of a scruffy git with a turntable and a few Christmas lights desperately trying to be a disco in the corner of the local grotty pub. Certainly don't miss that!
Anyway, it's time for bed now. The only down side to Cheers 2.0 is that its best night is Tuesday so I'm a bit blurred on Wednesdays.