"AMP IS BACK THIS WEEK WITH TRAE PIERCE AND THE T - STONES!!!!"
Famous last words... I held off for two weeks writing last week's blog so that I could announce our return with confidence.
OOPS.
We lost two weeks because of a generational direct hit hurricane, and then I got the text after I clicked publish, "Trae and the guys can't make it due to Milton hitting Florida" - where they live.
OF COURSE.
I'll refrain from including my response to the text, but then I got a follow-up text. "I think Whiskey Run might be available." I'll refrain from including my response to the text.
It was mostly the same words but in a much more positive inflection.
After waiting anxiously for hours and telling Shep to tell Whiskey Run that the booking included exclusive hugs and kisses from me, we finally got a response. THEY ARE IN! It's so much easier being right in the retelling of the tale than it is predicting it. Whiskey Run agreed to save Amp the Alley in the 11th hour. In normal circumstances, this would NEVER be possible. Whiskey Run is a highly sought-after band, because they crush everywhere they play from North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Hailing from Augusta, they have been dealing with a tough time from Hurricane Helene themselves, and this came as a bonus booking for them. The hurricanes that had shut us down and threatened to shut us down again, brought us an opportunity we may have never had. Unfortunately, we were unable to book the guys this year due to scheduling conflicts, but alas, here they were to save us - and bring The Alley back to life in roaring fashion.
I was asked by a family wandering The Alley hours before the show if there was any entertainment tonight, and I told them about Amp and Whiskey Run, who would be putting on a hell of a show on the Bud Light Stage. They followed up by asking what type of band Whiskey Run is.
"They are country.... well modern country... well they nail some Bon Jovi....they crush some pop hits like Daft Punk... so they're more like... They are awesome. Their genre is AWESOME!"
They opened with Eli Young Band, "Got a Little Drunk", and Dave Firmin (Lead Vocals and Rythm Guitar) made sure he set the bar high by blasting perfectly pitched powerful notes ending on an awe-inspiring lengthy forte that seemed to reverberate all of the way down The Alley and back.
I told Jayson Sabo (lead guitarist) during the show, "We've been friends for over a decade and even I forget how good you guys are."
Being a last-minute show, there wasn't much time for planning and rehearsing a specific set, but in a way that set 'em free. There wasn't enough time to think about it or overthink it. Sabo had a giant list to choose from, conducted the performance by calling out song after song, and came in with a simple plan - if we have fun, so will they.
He was right.
They've been playing since 2014, where they formed as Coyotes' House Band, so they've had a decade to develop a deep well of tunes to pull from. They continued with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Denver, and Jeff Davidson (Bassist, Vocalist) took the lead with The Outfield's "Your Love" - a song many would never even think of attempting due to its extremely difficult, and painful for most, high register.
Nailed It!
The guys moved across the stage with a commanding presence and comfort that lets you know they've been here before, and if you haven't yet, you are lucky to be there then to hear them as they effortlessly glide through genres and shades of awesome in their music selection. Early on, Dave managed to, with a Herculean strength he has never before possessed, pull the mic stand into two pieces, and like the pro he is, continued as if nothing unusual at all had happened. They dropped a crazy mash-up that starts with Oasis's "Wonderwall" and then seamlessly transitions to "A Bar Song" by Shaboozey, and then out with "Revival" by Zach Bryan - and it CRUSHED.
Sabo looked over and noticed a boy singing his heart out to Shaboozey and beckoned him up to the stage. He looked around stunned and confused, so I placed a hand on his back and gave him a little nudge for his Amp the Alley debut. He came in hot, nailing every line word for word. We may have created a future karaoke junkie, but hopefully, at minimum, we created what will be a fond memory.
The crowd engagement didn't end there. They brought up a young lady to celebrate her 15th birthday, on the stage, as the entire Alley sang Happy Birthday to her. Sabo armed her with her own mic so that she could yell, "ME!" to finish every line of Happy Birthday to.... "ME!"
The second set continued with covers that some (I'm some, for the record) would call improvements like: Fleetwood Mac, Warrant, Matchbox 20, Lynard Skynard, Foster the People, Prince, Sister Hazel, and Chris Stapleton. In two sets packed with hits that struck home with every member of the audience, they also peppered in a couple of their originals. The crowd found themselves repeating the choruses to "Just The Way You Are" and "The Weekend" as if they recognized them from amongst the Billboard Charts with every other top 10 hit they played that night. I think they didn't want to be noticed as the only ones who were oblivious to songs that were obviously had to be radio hits that everyone should recognize.
They closed the night out with Jamie Jones aka Dr. J (Drums) delivering a blistering drum solo for Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times", where the Dr. showed off his proficiency in percussion, the preternatural and debatably the paranormal with one of the best intros around. Then the show concluded with Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer." It was one for the books and we were so unbelievably lucky to have experienced it.
I would be remiss not to shout out Dave Helms who ran production with some help from our buddy Ruskin Yeargain. This appearance I think transfers the championship belt from Keith Peterson to Ruskin for most appearances at Amp in a single season, bringing Ruskin, if my count is right, to 6 times this season. If you were there, you got to witness it, if you weren't, you can tell from the gallery below what an awesome job Dave did with the lighting. The sound doesn't come through so much, but you can feel it.
Want to see more Whiskey Run? Catch 'em on the road!
10/18 Suck Bang Blow - Murrells Inlet
10/19 Wahoos - Murrells Inlet
11/01 Direct Support for Eli Young Band @ The Refinery Charleston SC
Check Out The Gallery
This Week on the Bud Light Stage - Awen Family Band
Awen Family Band is a nationally touring world boogie collective founded by singer-songwriter and coddie-wompler Tim Husk in 2019 after departing a 3-year run with Asheville's Freeway Revival. Awen Family played their first show at Kings in Raleigh, NC in June of 2019 and has since performed at festivals and venues around the country featuring an ever-changing all-star cast of artists who believe that we are moving the message from one plane to another, we don't create the art, but are vessels for the great spirit to move through us, to inspire and to be inspired by the life around us. Awen Family has featured members of Toubab Krewe, Big Something, Reliably Bad, Dr. Bacon, Charlie Hunter, The Kind Thieves, The Fundamentals, Self Help, TUB, Firewater Tent Revival, Custard Pie, Mellow Swells, The Moon Unit, FRUTE and many other acts. Blending roots music from around the globe such as Zydeco, Bluegrass, Afrobeat, Wassalou (West Africa), Old Time, Swing and Psychedelic Boogie topped with lyrics spreading the message for all who seek to hear. From our table to yours, we invite you to join us in celebrating music, life and each other! - [https://www.awenfamily.net/]
Awen Family Band - "Onesies in the Woods"
Check out this fun jam!
It's Whiskey Alley's Birthday!
Tomorrow is not only the debut of The Awen Family Band, but it is also Whiskey Alley's 7th year in The Alley! Stop by and wish them happy birthday. The rumor is that if you are having lunch or dinner tomorrow and you wish your server or bartender Happy Birthday they will give YOU a birthday shot - ON THE HOUSE. Also, of course, if you are 21 or older. The Alley has been so lucky to have such an amazing place for delicious food and unwavering support of Amp the Alley and Free Live Music in The Alley! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Lady's Night
The Red Door will be hosting a Ladies Night on Oct 24. Ladies will be treated to some complimentary sake and an appetizer. Get your girlfriends together, enjoy some authentic Asian cuisine and sake, then go out dancing at Amp the Alley, followed by DJ Charlie at Electric Eats, or Karaoke with Kyla at Southbound Smokehouse.
This is an epic night for the ladies!
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