Who remembers those GREAT ’90s band parties at the Fraternity house? Or the shows at local theaters? Man I do. Some of my fondest memories were checking the show calendars in Creative Loafing to see who was playing at Variety Playhouse, The Fox, Smith’s Olde Bar, Dixie Tavern, etc. I remember planning our week around it. Skipping Friday classes, packing up around lunchtime, and driving to whatever town had the heat. Grab a case of beer at the gas station and start pre-gaming, usually on a porch listening to the band we were about to see. On CD or tape(!). Find some sorry excuse for dinner (and more beers) and head over to the venue…had to make it there by showtime. Get a good place to stand, and let the night get wild.
We had some great places to see shows around Atlanta. And I’m talking about the smaller venues…once bar in the back, two bartenders, cold beer and sweat. Man those were the days.
One band I particularly enjoyed seeing was Jupiter Coyote. Man they could rip. I saw them at quite a few fraternity parties and small venues all over the Southeast. Their shows were always a great time. I remember them playing with Allgood, Blue Dogs, Beth Wood, Sister Hazel, Allman Brothers… They went on a bit of hiatus there in the ’00s and early ’10s, but Matt Mayes and the boys have been treating us to some new (good) music. Tune into their Quarantine Sessions on the Jupiter Coyote Facebook page for a good, live selection of some oldies and some new goodies.
For all you traditionalists, the Jupiter Coyote archive.org page has been active lately. There are a bunch of shows from the mid-late 90s that are absolutely killer. It’s been nice to relive the glory days while shuffling through this work-from-home situation.
Thanks to Matt Mayes for sending over the photos. Lookin’ good, guys.
Who did you like to see? What was your go-to venue? Let’s hear some stories down in the comments…
Love these old shows getting loaded to Archive. Great resource for other bands as well, some good quality stuff too from soundboards.
Ahh..The Gypsy Tea Room!
Used to see Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ and Follow For Now all the time at the 1313 club in Charlotte. Hands down, both bands put on some of the best shows I’ve ever seen time and time again in that venue. I also saw Allgood one time on the roof of a parking deck by Southpark Mall in Charlotte at one of the first Live After Five (or was it Alive?) events.This was before they moved the events to Downtown Charlotte. There were probably only 40-50 people there. That was my first and only time seeing them before they disbanded. I also used to regularly see Doug Clark and the Hotnuts playing the front steps of various fraternity houses in Chapel Hill. We’d walk up with our own coolers or cases of beer and just stand on the front lawn and listen to them play. Good times!
We used to have a country cover band called Deputy 5 play at our house. They were awesome because they just wanted to play. I think their contract was from 11 pm – 2 am, but they’d get there, soundcheck, eat dinner, and just start playing at like 9. They’d play as long as folks stayed there, and take minimal breaks to hit the restroom. Good times
Allgood, Connell’s, The Grapes, Widespread, Killkenny Cats, Pylon, Dean Dollar…Athens 1986-1990. And from the “you-don’t-know-you’re-in-the-good-ole’-days-until-after-they’ve-past files”: I attended a debutante party for a girl I was dating summer 1987. Three girls’ parents combined to throw a party for them in the back yard with bbq and beer, and a band. WSMFP played that night for some cash and food. I gave Schools cigarettes all night long. Thanks for the jog down memory lane this morning!
Drive by Truckers in Memphis @ the Daisy in 2002, such good music with good people
How could you ever forget Liquid Pleasure at the fraternity house. “The drunker you get the better we sound”
Super T – maybe they only did the Alabama circuit but damn. They were the absolute shit. I also remember seeing JackoPierce, Vertical Horizon and Rusted Root on my tiny college campus!
Too many to count…but a few stand out. County Line at some bar outside Statesboro on a pledge retreat Fall2k at UGA. DBT or Bloodkin at the 40Watt or Smith’s on several occasions. Sneaking in the back door at the Variety for a last minute Robert Earl Keen decision in ATL one summer. Liquid Pleasure and ZOSO both bring back band party memories. Jimmy Herring at the Foundry one late Spring post-grad trip to Athens over the Twilight weekend. He covered No Quarter late second set and took the place into the stratosphere. To round it out, me and two buddies caught Dickey Betts at this place called the Wobbly Barn on an East Coast ski trip to Killington, VT. He was on fire. Good times. Thanks for the trip down memory lane RCS.
So many good shows at the Georgia Theater in Athens. kinchafoonee cowboys, Soul Miners Daughter, even saw DAC for $10 as I recall. Even got to saw a band we had never heard up at the end of a all day line up that ended up being REM.
https://imgur.com/a/WmPm2m6
More recent picture of Matt Mayes playing with my favorite college band Hannaward Pass. Favorite besides Widespread Panic. June is supposed to be the 2nd annual Jupiter Pass at the Avondale Brewery in Birmingham. This picture is from the first. Matt is good people.
That pic of Newby’s is great. Original Newby’s was an incredible venue. They booked everyone you’d ever want to see.
Spent many years listening to the Mundahs and Jupiter Coyote ( formerly the Rockafellas) in the late 80’s and 90’s at the old post office.
We put the some of rockafellas up one night.
I started a band about 15 years ago, playing local joints outside of CLE.
We include a couple Jupiter Coyote snd Mundahs tunes in many of our gigs- providing them credit of course.
It’s so much fun playing great songs that many people Have never heard of and introducing him to those bands, add the Wood Brothers in as well.