I’ve never had much of a desire to be at any bar or club during karaoke night. There was one unfortunate incident in which I decided to get some takeout from Cody’s (now Thaiphoon) during such a night, and it was one of the most miserable 15 or so minutes in a restaurant that I can recall. Perhaps it was bad timing, but sitting through it reinforced the notion that I never, ever wanted to be a part of any karaoke night ever again.

About a month ago, my entire perception of it changed. I’ve long been a fan of Two T’s, but it was only recently that I decided to go in on a Thursday night to unwind with some cold beers and then discover what would completely reverse my opinion on the idea of ordinary folks singing the classics.
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This was an enormous year for us all, and probably the most significant of my life. To reflect, I went to the bar and got blisteringly drunk.

I went to Mojoe’s first for a bucket of beer and 2 dollar burger, and then walked next door to The Black Flower to watch The Cool Kid Collective play.

I like The Black Flower. Unlike most places on Glenwood, it has class without the reek of snobbery. The owner gave me free Energizers when my camera died, something I just can’t see happening in most of the other bars down there.
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About a week and a half ago I got my first live experience of alt/roots rock and alt country at Slim’s as Austin Collins & The Rainbirds (above) and Patty Hurst Shifter (below) took the stage to play some deep, rustic, and hard rockin’ grooves.

I had read about Patty Hurst Shifter and Austin Collins a few days before the show in the Independent, but didn’t know much else beyond that. Although I didn’t know what to expect, I experienced a very intense and memorable couple of hours. It began with a gradual and steady buildup with Collins’ set and led out with intense rock and roll fury with the final closing and subsequent solo guitar sets by Patty Hurst Shifter.

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