1849 Tavern — Statesville, NC

…New Year's Eve — December 31, 1980

Multimedia All online audio and video.



Ah…what a club. This was one of our favorite places to play for a lot of reasons, most of which we can’t go into in a family forum. Housed in a building that was once a warehouse, it was big, drafty, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, two stories packed full of crazed partiers. Always a lot of fun, always a lot of interaction with the crowd, always a pleasure to play—partly because it represented what a true rock and roll bar should be and partly because it meant we could go to the local Waffle House and get some of their homemade chili!

This particular night was a memorable New Year’s Eve show with many friends and a few former bandmates in attendance, made notable because we believe it was the first night with our new soundman, Joe (beer NOW!) Whitsett. Joe recorded the show for his own purposes, and edited a sort of "greatest hits" (in his opinion) tape to share with the rest of the band.

It’s also a good indication of the band in transition and on the path to distinction. This is an earlier version of the band before the Castaways and Carowinds recordings featuring Steve, Kelly, Eric, Sean, and Steve Long on guitar and occasional vocals. The band is beginning to find its sound and direction after shaking off a lot of the lighter Top 40 fare and a fair amount of edgier material is finding it’s way into the setlist (check out 'Go Down'. Yowza!).


Personnel
  • Steve Quinney
  • Steve Long
  • Eric Bennett
  • Sean Carmichael
  • Kelly Craven