Monday, November 08, 2004
I'll be your hatchet until your hammer comes home
I've covered a lot of grim news recently. A 15-year-old kid burned to death in his trailer; I talked to father whose 5-year-old son was run over and killed by an ATV while the body was still in the road about 20 yards away; and I talked to a family whose daughter has been missing for two weeks and was likely killed.
A drink and a diversion were sorely needed the other night, so I went with some friends to a local musical landmark (yes, there are a few landmarks in Baton Rouge), Tabby's Blues Box. The emphasis is on the "Box" as Tabby's is a small, dark, smoke-filled bar with low ceilings and is almost entirely lit by Christmas lights and neon beer ads. As befits downtown Baton Rouge, it sits across the street from a giant, long-abandoned river-front hotel with hundreds of broken out and boarded up windows. Tabby's has been around for decades and many a blues legend has played there. Unfortunately, the proprieter, Tabby Thomas, has fallen on hard times and poor health and his bar is slated to close for good in about a month.
When we got to Tabby's, the bar's problems were apparent as there were only a handful of people in the crowd, and five of them were there to film a documentary. Around 11 p.m., a four-piece blues band took to Tabby's' tiny stage. I especially liked the song with the refrain, "I'll be your hatchet until your hammer comes home."
After about an hour, the band took a break and Debby sauntered onto stage to sing with the band. Debby is fiftyish with big, frizzy blond hair and far from petite. She also clearly doesn't care. Wearing tight black pants, pumps and a tight, red sequin top, Debby shook, thrust and even moon-walked through "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," "Proud Mary" and "I Feel Good."
It was simultaneously hilarous, pathetic and beautiful. She wasn't what anyone would call talented but she was really, really into it and it was a lot of fun to see her perform. After her exuberant set, Tabby himself walked to the piano to play a few songs with the band.
Tabby is probably the most famous Baton Rouge blues man and he dresses like he knows it - a black on black suit with a black fedora, snakeskin boots and sunglasses. He recently suffered a stroke but he still managed to shuffle onto stage with the help of the bartender and a cane to pound out a few tunes and close out the bar.
A drink and a diversion were sorely needed the other night, so I went with some friends to a local musical landmark (yes, there are a few landmarks in Baton Rouge), Tabby's Blues Box. The emphasis is on the "Box" as Tabby's is a small, dark, smoke-filled bar with low ceilings and is almost entirely lit by Christmas lights and neon beer ads. As befits downtown Baton Rouge, it sits across the street from a giant, long-abandoned river-front hotel with hundreds of broken out and boarded up windows. Tabby's has been around for decades and many a blues legend has played there. Unfortunately, the proprieter, Tabby Thomas, has fallen on hard times and poor health and his bar is slated to close for good in about a month.
When we got to Tabby's, the bar's problems were apparent as there were only a handful of people in the crowd, and five of them were there to film a documentary. Around 11 p.m., a four-piece blues band took to Tabby's' tiny stage. I especially liked the song with the refrain, "I'll be your hatchet until your hammer comes home."
After about an hour, the band took a break and Debby sauntered onto stage to sing with the band. Debby is fiftyish with big, frizzy blond hair and far from petite. She also clearly doesn't care. Wearing tight black pants, pumps and a tight, red sequin top, Debby shook, thrust and even moon-walked through "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," "Proud Mary" and "I Feel Good."
It was simultaneously hilarous, pathetic and beautiful. She wasn't what anyone would call talented but she was really, really into it and it was a lot of fun to see her perform. After her exuberant set, Tabby himself walked to the piano to play a few songs with the band.
Tabby is probably the most famous Baton Rouge blues man and he dresses like he knows it - a black on black suit with a black fedora, snakeskin boots and sunglasses. He recently suffered a stroke but he still managed to shuffle onto stage with the help of the bartender and a cane to pound out a few tunes and close out the bar.
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You nailed it, Amber. Despite my sarcasm, I wouldn't take back a minute of my life in Baton Rouge, definitely the most interesting year of my life, by far. Well, maybe I would take back that hooker on Plank Road and that needle I shared with the homeless guy...
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