My husband Alan and I enjoyed another great evening at The Handlebar on Saturday night. One of Alan’s favorite guitarist’s Chris Duarte was performing as part of a fund raiser for Compass of Carolina. Alan’s been a fan of Duarte’s since he saw him play as a member of Jr. Medlow and the Bad Boys at The Grand Emporium in Kansas City in the mid 80’s. I can honestly say I’ve never seen any guitarist play with as much focus, energy and inspiration as Chris Duarte. I’m reminded of Jimi Hendrix in the sheer intensity of his music. He’s a spark plug of an artist who just seems to get better as he gets older. He greeted his fans in between sets and just seemed so plugged in and excited to be there. Just another example of the incredible goldmine of entertainment and talent to be found routinely at The Handlebar. I would say that even if I weren’t incredibly fond of the owners Kathy and John Jeter.

Alan I renewed our love of live music five or so years ago when we began attending the Bonaroo music festival in Manchester, TN. There’s simply nothing more joyful than technically great and inspired live music. The connection between the audience and the musicians is so strong at times that you feel swept up in the moment. Which takes me back to The Handlebar. Sitting in the listening room on Saturday night beside my husband who was lost in the music, I remembered all the times I had spent there over the years. So many great concerts, receptions and fun. I can remember the first location in the old mill and the hullabaloo over the occupancy of the Stone Avenue site. Through it all the Jeter’s have kept delivering great live music in a warm setting and their loyal fans have continued showing up and doing our best to drink and have fun all in support of great live music.

I’ve been surprised and even stunned by some of the musical acts at The Handlebar over the years but I’ve never been disappointed. If you’ve forgotten The Handlebar check out their current schedule at www.handlebar-online.com