ilana

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Honing Our Skills

by Kris Bayne June 9, 2011

Band of Gold Trio
Tuesday nights 7:00 - 10:00pm@Local Republic

One of the perks of being a professional musician is the occasional ability to break away from the "everyday" cover songs and play something bold and exciting. I can't think of a better way to hone a musician's skills than to throw him in a new environment with songs he has never even thought of playing before. The performance becomes a learning situation where musicians become better players and more importantly, better communicators with each other. Spontaneous, live performances create an excitement for the musician and, at the same time, the guests are uniquely entertained. I am fortunate to have this opportunity every Tuesday night with 2 of the greatest musicians I've ever performed with.

Local Republic, a new cool restaurant, bar, hang out spot in Historic Downtown Lawrenceville has brought something different to the Square. Locally crafted beers, incredible wines and great food are teamed with a laid back, friendly atmosphere and a top notch crew to create an excellent dining experience. The Band of Gold Trio (1/2 of the popular Atlanta wedding and special event band, Band of Gold) is there entertaining an enthusiastic audience on Tuesday nights from 7:00 - 10:00pm.

Band of Gold Trio
photo by Orpheus and Aphrodite

I can't think of a more appropriate place to showcase our trio. We are given absolute creative freedom to perform what we want - with only a couple of exceptions that are on the "banned forever" list. For example, Local Republic is not the kind of place to play Margaritaville and, as a rule, we don't play the overplayed. Instead, we choose to create nice classy jazz mixed with non-classy rock and pop. Guests never know what we'll play next. And neither do we.

We take requests. We play them if we know them, we fake it if we don't and most of the time, we get away with it. There's an amazing reward for that. It makes you feel like you can do anything. It also makes guests feel included. By communicating with the band and yelling requests through the open air THEY become the show. Afterall, in a restaurant that prides itself on being for the people, by the people, it IS about them. That's magic.

Band of Gold Trio at Local Republic in Lawrenceville
photo by Dave Morrison


We would love for you to stop by and try one of their tasty menu items and drinks. It's a great way to support your local community! Local Republic is at 225 W. Crogan St, Lawrenceville, GA 30046.


Check out this great review by Gwen Morrison at http://goo.gl/qTsMM.