Thursday, August 1, 2013

A memorable night at Smith's Olde Bar!

Smith's Olde Bar is a perfect place for small gatherings of people who want to come together to listen to great music. It's also a great venue for bands who want a more intimate setting with their fan base.

Ray and I first visited the location a couple of years back when we were introduced to a friend of a friend, Elliot Holden, a highly talented guitarist who is a native of Atlanta.  We were drawn back to the location last night, to show our support for our local band and neighborhood acquaintance, Kirk Waldrop with Nine Times Blue who was opening up for The Wind & The Wave and the Plain White T's

Being at Smith's Olde Bar reminded me of my early twenties when I saw bands who were first hitting the scene like Ben Folds Five , Snow Patrol , and A Perfect Circle. I have a soft spot for venues such as the Tabernacle, Vinyl which is now called Center Stage, and The Masquerade.  I feel that the personal, intimate, interaction between musician and fan creates an ambiance that is superior to that of larger over commercialized concert halls. Had I known back in my twenties what I know now, Smith's Olde Bar probably would have been my main place to hang out. As of right now however, it's been added to my list of great places in Atlanta to visit.

At Smith's Olde Bar, you reap many benefits, like, being able to meet with the musicians after the show.  You are also able to make eye contact with who's singing without the price tag of $250 +. The lines for a drink are short, and literally only 10-20 feet away so you don't miss any of the show, I must say this in itself is a MAJOR PERK!

Last night, we were able to meet one of my NEW favorite bands, The Wind & The Wave. Front woman, Patricia Lynn's voice reminds me of a young 1971 Bonnie Raitt.  However, the style of the music has a hipster vibe that makes the band completely ideal and relevant for the current time. The griddy, raw intensity strumming of the guitar accompanied by the awesome harmonies shared by Patricia Lynn and Dwight Baker lend a rythmic vibe that had everyone moving. Being able to meet Patricia after the show to express how much I loved her voice and their music only solidified the reason why I stand firm in my opinion that small venues are da' BOMB!

I anticipate that these bands are going to explode and start filling up venues with hundreds of thousands of fans; packed in like sardines and when they do, I can be glad I saw them at Smith's Olde Bar.  As a photographer, I am ASHAMED and completely disappointed that I wasn't at the venue with my camera in tow. The real TRAGEDY was  knowing that the only emergency camera I have, my iPhone, was at home - forgotten.

This is all to express how great I think Smith's Olde Bar is and recommend that if any of you are looking to visit Atlanta or live in the area, it's a MUST for you to see live bands at this place!

As Ray and I drove home I told him, "I only WISH I would have been able to see Pearl Jam in a setting such as the one that we experienced tonight, that would have been AWESOME".  Then Ray replied, "Yes it was!". 

Here's to me hoping that I get to scratch off seeing Pearl Jam in a small venue off my bucket list!

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