Howdy, folks! We took last week off for the Christmas holiday but we're sure glad to be back with you times two this week. And since the New Year’s holiday is swiftly approaching, I'll be able to dedicate this column to all the big events we've got going on Saturday night in our neck of the woods for New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve on the Covington Square: Downton Covington, 5 p.m. to 1a.m.
Main Street Covington in conjunction with some of its corporate sponsors is putting on a big event on the Square. Things will kick off at 5 p.m. at the Square stage with the Blue Denim Band. Later, at 9 p.m., the group Accent will take the stage in front of the Historic Courthouse and will entertain the crowd until the fireworks extravaganza at midnight. Several of the restaurants on the square will be doing specials for this and it promises to be a fun and exciting evening!
New Year's Eve with The Renegades: The Social House, Porterdale, 8 p.m. to 1 p.m.
This local hard rocking group, fronted by the very talented April Draper, plays a cool mix of classic rock. Groups that you'll hear from this outfit include Journey, The Black Crowes, Styx, Pat Benatar and Mother's Finest. That sounds like a pretty good mix to me!
Also, this will serve as the final night ever for The Social House as it will officially change ownership on New Year's Day and will be henceforth known as Lahrceny Tavern, owned and operated by Patrick and Amberly Lahr. They seem like really good folks and have already made some cool changes to this spot. We wish them the best.
New Year's Eve at The Depot with JB Walker & the Cheap Whisky Band: Covington, 9 p.m.
This outfit has reached near-legendary status in several circles. They've been playing for decades at the iconic Iron Horse Saloon, the well-known biker bar down in Florida, and have played shows all over the country and in dozens of foreign countries as well. Known as the original "biker band," JB and the crew are usually found at any number of the bike weeks throughout the country. Sounds like a heck of a night, though I do keep hearing the words to a David Allan Coe song in my head. But that kind of makes sense as they've shared the stage with that Outlaw Country Legend before. Their sound is best described as an amalgamation of Blues, Country and Rock and they are very good at what they do. This should be a memorable night at The Depot.
New Year's Eve: Porterdale Bar & Grill, 5 p.m.
Things kick off at 5 p.m. with a group I've written about - Grayz N Bluz. These cats are pretty righteous and they've got the Blues thing down pat. The venue will also be offering free Pippin's BBQ and will buy all patrons their first drink. After that, those purveyors of Southern Sludge, Red Dirt Mountain, will take the stage at 10 p.m. to take it home to 2017. And as I've previously written about, these guys are legit and can rock it as good as anyone. A breakfast buffet will be available at 12:30 a.m.
PitBoss live: Five O'Clock Somewhere, Covington, 8 p.m.
This crew has developed a strong reputation all over our great state as a hard rocking bar band. What differentiates them from some of the others in this style is that they concentrate on 80s Rock like Bon Jovi, Whitesnake & Poison. The Five O'Clock folks are offering several specials and will also have a 1 a.m. buffet available.
New Year's Eve at The Speakeasy with The Anthony Mancini Band: Porterdale
While all of the New Year's Eve shows we've mentioned so far have a common theme of Rock, for those of you looking for something a little more laid back the highly heralded Jazz group, The Anthony Mancini Band, will be playing down at this super cool spot in Porterdale. Mancini has developed a strong reputation locally with his weekly residency at The Listening Room at Irish Bred Pub. He's got the chops, as does the rest of his band, and they always put on a stunning and impressive performance. This looks like a lot of fun.
Enjoy the music, friends, and remember to enjoy it responsibly. We'll see you all in 2017!
