After a near six-month absence, Carl and I returned to the Three Blind Mice Irish Pub, in winter-like downtown Mount Clemens on Friday.
Our biggest take-away from the night . . . It was as if we had never left.
Some places will always give you the feeling of home, and the Mice is just such a place.
After spending most of the summer and fall on the bountiful banks of the Clinton River, it was a much different vibe, being inside doing what we do best; entertaining, acoustically.
As we have always felt, playing “In the round”, suits our style more than any other musical opportunity. It lets us commiserate with the audience, which is usually only a few feet away. That, we are good at.
We began our evening in just such a way, getting to know two fun couples who were right next to us while we set up our gear for the night.
They had a wonderful time throwing out requests of artists that we might know and be able to play, even before they had heard us play one song. It was great fun for us, as it almost became an audition rather than a scheduled performance.
We had a lot in common, musically, since they seemed to like all of the performers that we did. I believe that we nearly played our entire first set, comprised entirely of requests. If you know us at all, you know that for us, that was great fun.
There was a lot going on at the Three Blind Mice that evening. We were entertaining downstairs; the Red Wing game was on the television, and a band was upstairs playing to a throng on the big stage.
The band upstairs was excellent, playing a wide variety of musical styles and genres. People were dancing and listening to the high-octane sound. I heard them do Motown with a fervor that really had to be experienced to appreciated. The band was comprised of great musicians, who were a bit older than most of the bands that entertain upstairs. To my ear, that was what made them really good. They lived those songs and brought them back to life when the drummer clicked off each song.
It is so rewarding to be a part of a great musical venue like the Three Blind Mice. Since it’s opening, they have had so many quality musical acts, that patrons absolutely know they will not be let down when they come out to visit.
Back downstairs, it was our turn to turn up the tempo and the volume, as the pub began to fill with several tables of holiday shopping refugees.
Huddled together and barking out request, we are torn between classic rock hits by Tom Petty, Bob Seger and R.E.M., as well as country songs by Cash, Brooks and Williams.
Throw in some Irish and Christmas songs, and you had a wonderful musical cornucopia of audible delights.
Carl and I still think of the Three Blind Mice Irish Pub in Mount Clemens, as our musical home. We have worked, toiled, sweated and delighted at many of the sights, sounds and experiences we have lived there. We have been there since the soft opening in 2013, and hope to be there in the future.
Can’t wait to return, and see what is in store for us over this next year.
Rb
