Day 1: April 24, 2013 Music in the Capital

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My plan to drive to Mansfield on US-42 got scrapped when I decided to start out a day early and stop in Columbus to see a band. As it poured all the way, that wasn't exactly a bad thing. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, I stop off to see my friend Dave or at least see his bar. Today it was just the bar, Roadhouse 66. Though Dave had been in earlier, he was out when I arrived. As you can see, Cincinnati beer is available. Burger, too.

On a warmer and drier day I could have walked to two or three other breweries but today I settled for the one nearest where I parked and nearest where that band would be playing. I know it's not a true local brewery but it was close enough for now (see warmer & drier mention in preceding sentence). While the Gordon Bierch Restaurants aren't locally owned, all the beer is brewed on site. I had a Marzen, which I remember from my first Gordon Bierch encounter in California, and a seasonal Maibock. Both were excellent. I also had a kale salad which included blueberries, craisins, and other healthy stuff. It's called "Superfood Salad" on the menu and tasted much better than it looks in my blurry photo.

The band that enticed me to change my schedule is The Lone Bellow. The recently opened for Dwight Yoakam in Nashville and they'll be opening for Robert Plant in Chicago in July. Tonight they, along with two other bands, opened for Ivan & Alyosha at The Basement. The Basement isn't the ideal venue but it's not as bad as some have reported. A clear view of performers can be had only in a pit like area immediately in front of the stage but the music can be heard reasonably well throughout the room. I watched the first two bands, Deadwood Floats and Twin Forks, on a TV at the bar with my face reflected dimly in the mirror. I did move toward the stage when The Lone Bellow came on but, as the crappy photo shows, I didn't fight my way up front. That's Ivan & Alyosha in the other picture. All pictures on this page were taken with my little Lumix so a little slack might be deserved. All four bands were quite good. I'm sure Ivan & Alyosha drew their share of attendees but it was evident that a lot of the crowd was there to see The Lone Bellow.

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