Beer + Local Music + Christmas = PDXmas
In order to get into the Holiday spirit, we started to phase out house work and phase in Christmas fun. On a Friday night, who wants to put away boxes or hang stuff on the wall? I've started to comb the local blog and alternative newspaper calenders for events, and I found PDXmas. It sounded perfect for a night out.
We've made good use of TriMet so, any location in the city is accessible by bus. The party was held in Old Town at the Ash Street Saloon. The entire area is filled with restaurants and bars. We went down a bit earlier for dinner at E-San Thai Cuisine. Their Gao Loul and Kao Tom burn in the best way. It was a toasty beginning to the evening.
Ash Street wasn't crowded when we arrived. Toys For Tots were at the event. To do our small part, Teresa and I both brought a stuffed animal. In returned, we received the PDXmas Vol.1 CD. All the artists at the show are featured on the CD. It was very exciting to see a group of local musicians at one show. I was hoping to choose some favorites to see at other venues.
Since the venue wasn't crowded, we were able to get a corner booth with a table and comfortable lounge seating. The first performer was Justin Jude. He is a singer song writer that performed without a full band. We both really enjoyed his music. He laid down the format for the evening by playing a few Holiday songs and a small sampling of originals. His funniest song was "The Motorbike Song." Essentially, it pokes fun of gift giving as a sign of love. He incorporates Jesus. Good Stuff. He invited
Maggie Sayles onto the stage for a few tunes. Their voices complimented each other very nicely. After they finished the set, we had a chance to hangout with both. They are very down-to-earth good people. I'd like to checkout some more of their shows.
For the rest of the night, the music change genres and pace. Although, it did tend to be more mellow. I guess that is to be expected for Holiday themed tunes. One of my other favorites was Matt Vrba. He and his band did an superb job of pumping up the crowd with some fast paced music. He is also a talented blues guitarist. I enjoyed both their Holiday music and originals. If I remember correctly, they played a great version of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)."
I was kinda disappointed with the total mellow feel of the show, but this provided a unique atmosphere to mingle. Not only did we chat it up with some of the musicians, but meet a few new people. I was very happy with the event. It helped me get into the spirit of Christmas. I had a few decent pints. The music was definitely good. Thanks to Tim Huggins for organizing the show!
