Review by Clay Wilkey:

The capacity crowd arrived early in anticipation for what would undoubtedly be a great show. It was cold outside, bitterly cold, but no one seemed to mind. By the time showtime rolled around the place was worked into a frenzy. The venue? The O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, before the UF-UK basketball game.

Cory asked me earlier this week if I would mind covering the Scourge of the Sea show at the Dame on Saturday and I agreed not knowing the UK game was set for a 9pm tip. The game was nip/ tuck (like that guys?) for most of the first half and the Cats rallied late in the second half to force overtime. By the time the game ended and I was able to get downtown, it was close to midnight and the two opening acts (Some Other Meanness, Murder Mystery) were pounding beers at the bar. I heard they were good.

As I have mentioned it was REALLY cold and the attendance was down from what it would have been in more temperate weather. Whether it was the weather, the loss, or the music, the crowd was attentive but not overly excited. The fact that it was about 45 degrees inside the bar necessitated some movement, but it looked more like people trying to stay warm than dancing (Note to the Dame staff, would it kill you guys to turn on the heat?). And that’s not to take away from the music, which was truly enjoyable once you got past the cold.

I was totally unfamiliar with Scourge of the Sea (SOTS) and had little idea of what to expect from the Lexington act. SOTS is a four-piece comprised of Andrew English (guitar) Dickie Haydon (bass), Justin Craig (drums) and Robby Cosenza (guitar). Craig and Cosenza are also of the Apparitions, who hold a special place in my heart for their spot-on performances of Pink Floyd’s Animals and The Wall during Halloweens past. My first observation of SOTS was that it had been a while since I had seen a rock outfit fronted by a guy playing an acoustic guitar. My second impression was, wow, that Andrew English has a pimp beard. I mean this was the kind of beard you could really get your hands around, and he pulled it off nicely. And while I’m talking style, not since Robert Plant from the “Song Remains the Same” DVD have I seen jeans as tight as the ones worn by a couple of these guys. As a guy with modest endowment, I really hope this trend does not gain hold with the masses.

Anyways, I really got a kick out of watching these guys onstage. They played well together and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. As I noted earlier, Andrew played primarily acoustic guitar, but these guys switched it up a bit as Andrew would also play bass and ended the show playing the keys. Not to be out done, Robby played some keys, and Dickie would play guitar. I have no idea what any of the songs were called nor do I know whether what we saw was typical SOTS fare. Comparisons to Belle and Sebastian seem appropriate, but the acoustic, switching instrument thing seemed more Dispatch. I was going to interview the guys after the show, but they seemed to be having a good time milling around and talking with friends so I didn’t press the issue. I did ask if they could sum up the show in a word, and they did, thusly…

Robby- “Tubular.”

Dickie- “Teriyaki.”

Justin- “Telecommunicative.”

Andrew- “Brownie.”

I would go see these guys again, especially if they were to play Lexington, but… all indications are that The Dame, if not Lexington’s only live music venue, certainly its most diverse, will be shutting its doors. I tried to get the full scope from one of the bartenders during a cigarette break but was told, “I don’t want to talk about it.” So, who knows when this will all go down, but the 2010 World Equestrian Games are coming to town and we need more hotels. Apparently the whole block has to go. So Buster’s fans, its time to find somewhere else to drink beer and throw darts.

This is truly a shame considering the lack of alternatives for good live music in this town. The Dame is the only bar to consistently book regional and national acts to prop up their monthly calendar already full of the best local talent. Throw in 80’s night Fridays after 1 (one in one out lately) and Lexington will have a void to fill downtown.

The live music ends on Saturday at 1 as well, so I caught a cab over to the Fishtank with my buddy Mark. The good thing about the Tank is that the music goes until at least 2:30 on the weekends and the beer is pretty cheap. The bad thing is that its on campus and you’ve got to commit to either it or Lynagh’s to avoid another cab ride. Also, they only have one functioning toilet (Nick). This band called Get Down Watson were playing some pretty fun jam tunes. Their keyboard player is this guy Mark called Johnny Keyboards (Jon Grossman) who seems to play with about 40% of the Tank’s bill. The drummer, Todd Copeland, also plays with Green Genes, who are playing more regularly now-a-days. Much more dancing going on here but the crowd was light, presumably due to the cold.

Will the Fishtank step up and carry The Dame’s load? Will they ever fix the bathroom? Do any of you care about Lexington anyway?