Get out of your live music comfort zone.

NOTE: This blog was published on the date shown at www.TriadLiveMusic.com and is reposted here for archival purposes.  

Mon-Oct25-2010

The Allison King Band

    Each week it is difficult to decide just who I want to go hear or where I want to go to hear music. On the one hand I'm a live music fan and I want to have a good time, drink a few beers and enjoy good music and whatever mood I'm in might dictate what kind of music I will go hear. But it's not just about the music either... it's also about the venue. Because atmosphere is key to the enjoyment of music I will consider heavily the atmosphere of the venues and how that will make the engagement more enjoyable for me. But if I left it at that I would probably settle on three or four venues for convenience sake and end up not venturing further afield to taste a wider pallet of musical fare and since I write about the bands and venues I know I must refrain from hearing the same bands and going to the same venues week after week.
    To keep from getting into that rut I try to balance my personal taste in live music with the necessities of covering new and different bands and venues to share with you. In other words I'll treat myself to a performance I want to hear one night and then attend a performance to write about that week too.
    It is as a result of the desire to find that balance and seek out new and different venues and artists that I found myself at Noma in Winston-Salem the other night to hear the Allison King Band. I had never been to Noma (an upscale little restaurant on 4th Street in downtown Winston) nor had I ever heard the Allison King Band. Neither was what I expected - and in this instance that was a good thing. Though small, Noma is a nice facility with lots of TV's, decent bar and a patio area out front that smokers can use. But the band... for some reason I had it in my head that the Allison King Band was country. I couldn't have been more wrong. While the four members of this quartet are all adept at their respective instruments, it was the set list that proved to be most exciting to me. It wasn't the average rock or pop set list that you would expect to hear from a cover band, instead I was treated to the likes of Todd Rundgren ("Hello, It's Me") and Sly & the Family Stone ("Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf") mixed in with more popular standards such as Fleetwood Mac ("Rhiannon").
    The point is that it is good to step out of your comfort zone at least once in a while. Go hear a group you haven't heard before or go to a venue you've never been to before. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised and might find some new favorite music.