I already talked of the awesome atmosphere that Louie’s provided, but if you missed it, here it is again:
I had never been to Louie’s, but it is one of those OLD neighborhood bars that have been around for as long as I can remember. How old? Well, I can’t find that info online but they have not one but TWO bingo nights each week! I ordered a drink (Jack & Coke) which was about 75% jack, 25% coke. Even the melted ice tasted like Jack Daniels, until a drunk guy stumbled over and knocked the plastic cup (no glass-the bar clearly knows their clientele) on the ground. $8 for the alcohol content of 3 drinks in other bars- great value!
On to the venue side of the club- it was way better than I expected. They have a proper stage, lighting and PA. They have one of those black and white checkerboard floors, like the press club used to have. The PA could not quite keep up with Alex’ guitar volume, but it didn’t sound bad at all. The audio level on this is a bit low, but I did not have time to fix it if I wanted to post today. Still need to check the schoeps audio to see if this warrants a repost later.
It was also nice catching up with my long-time friend Loren Scott. We chatted right up until Unprovoked played- he plays bass in the band. I have been meaning to see the band play for years, and vocalist Darren Chaney had laryngitis! He had no voice when I spoke to him. Then they went on and he sounded fine- it was wild. If it was me, I would just squeak myself through the set.
Oh, one last thing- since the drinks were so strong, this was the drunkest crowd I have ever seen. People were stumbling everywhere. After the Accused finished and the house lights came up, this one long-haired metal dude was standing there (well, trying to stand), staring at his hands. He apparently thought that his fingernails were painted in a shade of black (metal approved), but they were instead painted a beautiful shade of blue. Perfect ending to the night. I will definitely come back to Louie’s for another show!

Recorded by: Shayne Stacy
Equipment used: Panasonic Lumix G9ii w/Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F/2.8-4 ASPH lens; Audio from Schoeps CCM4 mics, Naiant Tinybox preamp, Sony A10 digital recorder