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At the end of January, I felt like I hadn’t seen anyone in months. Where were people hanging out these days, because I certainly wasn’t seeing any cool people in the bars. Well, that all changed after the Stagecoach Dick show.

The night started out crowded and uncomfortable. The top floor of the Press Room was packed and the bar was always two people deep. Everyone were doing that “avoiding eye contact with people you kinda know because you haven’t had enough to drink yet to say hi to them,” thing, which I do all the time but still find annoying. Once my boyfriend and I settled in by the stairs and the music started, things seemed fine. Because I was drinking and chatting, I missed the names of half the acts, but they were all great in their own country-style. This woman, Elsa, brought the house down with her bluesy, one woman and her guitar act. Her songs were filled with passion and her voice ripped your heart out, in a good way. A number of guys at the bar were swooning by the time she took her seat.

At the end of the night, Stagecoach Dick came on and caused a ruckus. They sang songs of drunkenness and people with questionable morals. By the end, the ladies were dancing by at the front of the room, hooting and swinging their hair wildly. It was beautiful.

After the show, the bands gathered at the bar for a round of shots, and another and another. I felt like I was in an old west saloon, except there was a guy with a gingham dress on.

I bring this show up because I feel that although there isn't a wild, every weekend something great, music scene, this show coincided with Tiger Saw at the Mermaid, which says something positive about this town. Plus, I was reminded of how crazy the night was a few days ago when I ran into my friend Geoff, one of the night’s performers. I asked him if he remembered when we all left the bar and he said, “I don’t think anyone there that night remembers a damn thing.” I suppose that although it seems bad that everyone's memories are fuzzy, at least those out that night have a vague recollection of having a really great time.