Audio By Carbonatix
Sometimes I just need to hear live music, and I don’t care what it is. Going to shows is a ritual, and when I miss a week of seeing bands play, I get the itch to worsen my tinnitus. I wasn’t in the mood to drop $20 to get bumped around in a big venue where it’s $6 a beer and where every time someone slams me, I lose a buck’s worth. An intimate venue was needed fast. Down the street from Pine Crest High School is a 21-year-old pub tucked away in a strip mall. Cheers Food and Spirits is stuffed with booths, pool tables, and beeping electronic games. But I wasn’t there to beat up the punching bag or poke at a screen. It’s not the kind of bar where I want to sit and drink while chatting with the local guys or have dinner. I don’t care if they serve me greasy food and bottles of MGD. Just get the bands on that dark little corner stage. I need my fix. Typically, Cheers hosts a single band that plays a long set of covers or good ol’-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll to a packed house. If a bar owner goes to the trouble to schedule local bands constantly, I’ll show up with a fist full of 20s, even if nobody there knows my name. It’s that simple.
