A Tale of Two Venues
What does one do when there are two excellent musical events on the same night, at nearly the same times but at two separate venues? You go to both, at the same time! Fortunately, both venues were in very close walking distance from each other and that's exactly what a few friends and I did. To add even more spice to this precarious endeavor, one event was Punk Rock while the other was Blues.
The date was July 17, 2023. The time was 7PM. We all coordinated to meet up at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner and to fuel up before indulging in libations and music. The place we decided to try was La Margarita in Fountain Square, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. Just before we walked into the establishment, Katie noticed a flyer advertising a show by Joe Black Lewis and the Honeybears that night. She said, “I didn't know he was coming, that would be a great show.” At this point, I knew that Katie and I were the only two from our group that knew the grandeur and awesome talent of this band. But no one in the group knew that I had already bought us tickets to see this band.
I won't go into great detail, but I wasn't thrilled about the food nor service at La Margarita. If you like authentic Mexican food, this might not be the place for you. However, if you enjoy a more Americanized version of Mexican cuisine, then this could be right up your alley. After dinner, I disclosed that seeing Joe Black Lewis and the Honeybears was the surprise I had planned and the reason we were there in the first place.
After our edible but lackluster dinner, we proceeded to the first venue to get our wristbands. We still had about 30 minutes before the opener went on at the Hi-Fi Indy venue. So, we went in, got our wristbands, and immediately left to walk around the corner to Radio Radio, where an amazing punk show was kicking off with Toxic Reason starting their European Tour. I was just going to stay at the Hi-Fi, but my friends wouldn't let me; this was now a joint venture.
We decided the best approach would be to ping-pong between the two events. By the time we got to Radio Radio, the first band was already on. We listened to the band, and I ran into some old “acquaintances”, those people you used to know but don't anymore. Before I could finish my first beer, they were pulling me out the door to go see the other opener at the Hi-Fi.
We dashed out, only to find it was now raining. Jake had spent so much time on his mohawk and was now stressing over the rain potentially causing it to collapse. We hustled into the Hi-Fi where Tad Robinson, a local to the Indiana blues scene, was playing. It was my first time hearing him and his band, and I was pleasantly surprised. They even had a Hammond organ in the three-piece group.
By the time we stepped out for a break, the rain had subsided. Someone had mentioned earlier how awesome it was striking up conversations with new people you've never met before. I commented: “This is what music does, it brings people together.” One of the gentlemen standing out front was the sound man for Joe Black Lewis. His name was Bobby, and we were discussing the punk show. Given that Travis and Jake were in full punk mode, they weren't hard to miss. Bobby’s ears perked up and he stated he'd done sound for The Dead Kennedy’s back in the day. When he heard who we were seeing at the other venue, he expressed a bit of envy.
Then it was time for us to go back to Radio Radio for the Toxic Reasons. As soon as we walked in the door, the energy was high and the music was on point. This was punk, the sound I remembered growing up to. Man, did they put on a good show! Jake came up to me and said, "Hey, let's go to the other venue now." Without question, I walked straight out of the club and proceeded once again to the other venue.
We walked in and Joe was sitting down on a chair in shorts and tennis shoes. Gone were the dreadlocks, replaced by a clean-shaven head, and absent were the cowboy hat and boots I'd seen him sporting the last time. Bobby had told me that this tour was only a 3-piece band and gone were all the extra strings and brass from the stage. What I heard coming off the stage was pure delight as usual. I had been worried that the music might be diminished by the downsizing, but this couldn't have been further from the truth.
What I heard was a purer version of the band, jammier and more creative. Joe was more into the guitar than I had ever seen him before. It was purely fantastic. He was like a bottle of scotch that goes back into the barrel after every album release, after every tour. It just keeps perpetually getting better. While I was slightly saddened the brass section wasn't there, he didn't disappoint my soul for one moment.
Jake looked over at me and said, “Thanks for bringing me to this, this is GOOD!” Travis and Katie showed back up and the four of us hung out, enjoying the sounds of the band and conversations between good friends. Everyone had work commitments the next morning, so they had to leave before the night was fully spent. We all said our goodnights and parted ways, but I simply couldn't pull myself away until the last note had faded.
For a Sunday evening, seeing four bands at two separate venues at the same time was a fantastic experience. Maybe even better than just "good".
I’d also like to give a shout out to Bobby, the sound man for Joe. You did music justice and it sounded delightful!
