Part of that success is surely due to the nature of the event; Christmastime brings out
the charitable side of a whole lot of folks that
don’t feel it throughout the year. Another factor could be the show’s timing; a reasonable
7:30 kickoff is tuned to the schedule of listeners rather than alcohol sales, less time paying
the babysitter double for keeping her out past
9 p.m. and less of a commitment to seeing —
and sleeping off — the show.
Not least of all, though, is the cross-pollination
effect. Plenty of people know the Rattlers now.
They know Sweet Southern Comfort. You can
find Jonn Medders playing at Cheaha Brewing
Company and Heroes frequently, like his sound
and know that he’s performing in Keyton and
Secondhand Jones at the holiday show. It’s
not common knowledge outside the music
scene that Kill, Baby… Kill! is one of the big-
INSIGHT
gest names in surf music nationwide, so they
may not have been the key draw for many attendees, but those audience members have
been introduced to something amazing they
didn’t know they had.
As bands become more known to the public,
more new, original acts will appear. Smashing
Blue is a new, funky outfit with a lead singer
that is out of this world. Calhoun County, even
a year ago, could not support this band. Musicians aren’t afraid to admit that their bands
need attention or they die, and as potential listeners follow the bands they know from more
daylight-oriented businesses like Cheaha
Brewing Company and Hubbard’s into the local night life, they’ll start to see more of the
unique bands that are coming to life in Calhoun County, and — hopefully — the music
scene will continue to get stronger. ✤
January 2015
11