back to the bars

For those of us who are old enough to have experienced Atlanta's live music scene back in the '70s, '80s, and '90s and took full advantage of it, congratulations. You were part of a glorious musical and artistic period in Atlanta that, sadly, is long gone and will most likely never come again. The number of clubs was endless, musicians could make a good living, and the staggering amount of serious world-class talent found in almost every club or bar was unbelievable. Looking back, we took it all for granted, believing it would always be this way. Of course, it didn't, and the high-quality live music scene, mainly featuring world-class talent, has now all but faded away.

A week or so ago, Kathy and I decided to do something we'd never done before. Go out to a bar and hear some live music. We went out to The Moodog Pub and Grub to check out The Mike Veal Band.

If you know the Mike Veal Band, you know the musicians Mike employs are all world-class players, including long-time Atlanta treasures Tom Grose and Scott Meeder, Joe Lee, and A1A's own Chris Blackwell. As I sat there and listened, I closed my eyes and was quickly transported back to Buckhead in the 1980s.

My days of spending a night off in a bar are long behind me, but we had an incredible time. During the break, Mike and the band came over and spent their entire break with us talking, laughing, and reminiscing. We look forward to doing it again soon. Oh, and if you want to see some people who REALLY know how to play their instruments and can play about every song on the planet, check out the Mike Veal Band, but leave your parachute pants and headbands at home.

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