HOME |
DINING |
MOVIES |
LIVE SHOWS |
ARTS |
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARCHIVES |
ABOUT |
ADVERTISE |
CONTACT |
DISTRIBUTION
entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
<<
Corey Smith
|
Main
|
Paulson
>>
by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
|
|
|
The New Neighborhood Tavern is a time capsule of the 1970s–from the Harleys out front and the large Confederate flag in the window to the rustic interior. When I walked into this well-preserved old-time treasure, Skytrain, a group of veteran players, was cranking out its taut-as-wit Southern rock. And fittingly, an old Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way But Loose was showing on bar’s big screen TV.
In a classic scene from this grade B film, Clint was beating the bejesus out of a bunch of fake movie bikers on a cheesy set. Hollywood has never been able to recreate the authentic real life ambiance of a biker bar like The New Neighborhood Tavern. Never in a million years could a Tinseltown scenic designer recreate this authentic, redneck atmosphere. These bars only exist in a handful of locations scattered around the country. They are the bastions of real bikers, not the weekend warriors who are lawyers and other pretend bikers.
|
|
Yes, nostalgia struck deep and I was ecstatic at my good luck in visiting this glorious piece of Jacksonville history on a night that everything fit together like the final piece of a puzzle. Clint on the TV, real bikers inside the club, and a kick-butt rock band playing old favorites–man, I was in hog (as in Harley) heaven.
Singer/ songwriter Scott Corley founded Skytrain back in 1979 and he has been through a legion of players since then. Now Scott plays guitar and sings lead. His son, Jessie Corley, plays bass and sings backup while George Dodson plays keyboards, Jack Zee plays drums, and John Clifton plays lead guitar. The band is a seasoned hardcore rock band that can play most any classic rock song, including originals.
Scott produced two CD albums: Oneword and then Horizons. The band still performs music from its two CDs. Of course, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since Scott formed the band 28 years ago. One of the original members and co-songwriters, George Patterson passed away. The band has ties with the New Neighborhood Tavern since Scott’s brother at one time owned it.
“We still consider the New Neighborhood Tavern our home base, and we play here at least two weekends a month. We feel comfortable here and the clientele are all our friends and they really appreciate our music. Occasionally, we’ll take an odd request and we usually can play it. Tonight someone wanted to hear the Eagles and we all knew Hotel California. This bar is a live rock bar where everyone is welcome,” Scott said.
Skytrain’s music is predominantly Southern rock, influenced by the Southern rock gods–the Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and Marshall Tucker. However, the group has distilled many other rock classics into their sound. They have absorbed the music of Edgar and Johnnie Winter, Mother Earth, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Doobie Brothers, and the traditional blues roots music.
This hard rock groove machine plays mostly cover material. But it’s so experienced it plays its own arrangements of the classic rock songs, making the material partially its own. In this time warp bar, anything old is new again. To me, listening to Skytrain was like stepping back to 1970s. Yes, things were different then, but rock was at its peak of creativity with many super-groups emerging.
In contrast, today we have a few deserving young superstars, but I see a parade of posers appearing on the late night talk shows. Funny, you see them once and they disappear. Groups like The Killers are very theatrical, but their music doesn’t’ have staying power. It’s like they are inferior copies of the classic rock bands of yesteryear, many of which are still around. Don’t get me wrong, I fervently believe that rock must change and be reinvented by every new generation, otherwise it will stagnate and become horribly cliche. Talented new singer/songwriters are coming onto the scene creating new ideas and with fresh perspective. I cover them regularly at the Freebird and other venues.
Still, the New Neighborhood Tavern is a historical landmark that pays tribute to the past. Skytrain is a blast from rock’n’roll’s early evolution, featuring superb musicianship and performing skill. For me, it was an exciting turn-on to revisit the 1970s inside this well-preserved nostalgic bar and hear real rock’n’roll played with enthusiastic reverence to its heyday and with exemplary musicianship.
|
|
