6DTHOmnibusThursday, February 16, 1989
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IBy CRYAM DURNS, AKHE-RENEE
RICE 2nd BELLY STOCKARD
Staff Writers
It's not exactly dinner theater
but the concept Is similar. Food
and live entertainment. Chapel Hill
has a long tradition of catering to
the varied tastes of the hungry.
Not quite as old, but becoming
almost as established, is the tra
dition of combining good meals
with good music and providing
alternatives to typical Chapel Hill
entertainment. The following is
the result of what three reporters
were able to find out about these
places (all within walking distance)
where you can go to get your fill
of more than just food.
Skylight Exchange
Located off of West Rosemary
Street, down a narrow alley dec
orated with a colorful mural, sits
a bookstorecafe offering litera
ture, music and live entertainment
every weekend. Open for one year
now, Skylight Exchange features
various types of bands and plays.
John Howe is one of the people
who manages Skylight Exchange.
"It's a space where folks can get
together and a good place to go
to in the evening to hear music
without alcohol being served," he
res
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Skylight Exchange.
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says. This makes it ideal for under
age students who cant get into
local bars and for people who
enjoy music, but not the bar scene.
Three nights a week, entertain
ment at the Skylight Exchange
covers bluegrass, country, jazz and
rock. Performers this month
include the folk rock performers
Nat Wilde and John Gillespie, who
are appearing tomorrow night,
and a psychedelic rock group, the
Third Eye, which is scheduled to
play on Feb. 23. Howe says he
expects large turn-outs when
three members of Liquid Sound
play on Feb. 25, and also for Hugh
Moffet's appearance in early
March.
This Saturday should draw a
crowd of dancing fools to the
Skylight Exchange because it's the
monthly Dance Night. "We just
clear the . tables and let people
dance," Howe says. A deejay pro
vides music for the dance.
Although there is seldom a
cover charge at the Skylight
Exchange, a $2 donation is sug
gested to help support local
musicians.
The Columbia Street
Coffeehouse
Just a few blocks away, you'll
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find the Columbia Street Coffee
house a non-profit organization
associated with the Columbia
Street Bakery. The coffeehouse
has been open for 16 months but
it was five years in the making.
Joe Sparling and B.B. Danzager,
whose father-in-law owned a one
time Chapel Hill coffeehouse,
Poppa Danzager's, deserve most
of the credit for its inception.
Why a coffeehouse? "One of the
objectives is to provide a friendly
space for communication," Spa
rling says. "One way to achieve this
is to allow people to perform." Al
Sawyer, booking agent for Colum
bia Street Coffeehouse, says that
they encourage every type of
talent but that they've had to
restrict electric guitars due to
noise level ordinances. They also
encourage original work, although
they dont insist on it. Some of the
performers scheduled to appear
include the Hilltop Harmonizers
with Barbershop, who are singing
tonight, and a contemporary folk
group, Holdfast, Which performs
Saturday.
The coffeehouse also has several
ongoing events. For example,
Friends of the Guitar, with an open
mike, is held every second Sunday
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music and literature mix at the
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of the month from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Nothing is scheduled for these
events except the time and
anyone is welcome to participate.
They also have Columbia Street
LIVE, which features music and
drama and involves people from
the community, who are raising
funds for a local day care center.
"These events go further than
just singing," Sparling says. Plays at
the coffeehouse frequently have
discussion and audience inter
action following the performance.
The coffeehouse also serves as a
meeting place for various com
munity discussion groups. For
example, on Feb. 22, a gay and
lesbian discussion group will meet.
So, when you need an alterna
tive to the local bars and want to
find some nearby entertainment,
give one of these places a try. But
remember, there's no alcohol at
the Skylight Exchange and neither
alcohol nor smoking at Columbia
Street Coffeehouse, but maybe
there's more to a good time than
polluting your body.
The Franklin Street Pub
The Franklin Street Pub, which
opened last August, offers a var
iety of things to do in the after
noon, evening and late at night.
The pub is located next door to
Magdalena's at 506 W. Franklin St.
Part-owner Larry Ryan says that
students often come in the after
noons after class. They play pool,
video games or foos ball and drink
a few beers. Darts is also a popular
sport at the pub.
The Triangle Dart League spon
sors dart games Tuesday and
Thursday nights. Ryan says that
these nights draw a fairly large
crowd. And the clientele is always
varied.
"We dont particularly cater to
any one age group," Ryan says. "As
a matter of fact, there have been
some older couples visiting the
pub on a regular basis. It's great!
And youVe still got the younger
college-age crowd."
Diversity seems to be the key
to the club's atmosphere.
"We're running the gamut here,"
Ryan says. Friday and Saturday
nights, the Franklin Street Pub
presents bands, which begin play
ing around 9:30 p.m. There is
usually a $2 cover charge, unless
the band requests otherwise.
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Geo Jeffries, lead singer
When Ryan wants to contact a
band, most often it's through the
recommendations of other bands
that play for him. His brother helps
publicize the pub and assists Ryan
in selecting the bands that they'll
book after listening to demo tapes
that are sent to them.
So, who gets booked? Straight
Up is a heavy metal band that
tertameci.
more
for the band Other Side, performs
covers the music of Motley Crue
and Van Halen. Ughter rock groups
that have played at the Franklin
Street Pub are Sane Guy and Brave
Souls. But Ryan also includes other
genres when he's planning the
pub's musical schedule.
Gypsy and Duo, an acoustic
' group, will perform on March 3rd.
;A week later on March 11th. The
at Franklin Street Pub.
Hove will play.
The first reggae group the pub
has booked, Bongo Roots and
Culture, is scheduled to perform on
April 21 st. As an additional pleasure
while listening to the music, you
can also enjoy 12-ounce, 50-cent
draft beers on Friday and Satur
day nights.
"One time I had 11 kegs in here
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and we. sold out - that's pretty
remarkable," says Ryan. But that's
only happened once during the six
months Ryan's been open.
"I got into the bar business for
a change of pace," Ryan says. He
was once a design engineer for"7
electronic components. Now he
says he must deal with long hours .
until the pub gets more
established.
"I just want a day off to go
fishing," he says.
But it doesnt seem as if he'll be
able to realize that dream any
time soon. The Franklin Street Pub
is open Monday through Saturday
from 1 p.m. to 1 am.
Pyewacket Restaurant
If you cant get enough live
entertainment at the Franklin
Street Pub on Friday and Saturday
nights, you can cross the street
and go to Pyewacket Restaurant,
which has live entertainment on
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
nights. Pyewacket is located in the
Courtyard at 431 W. Franklin St.
Monday night features blues
music, Wednesday night is jazz
night and Thursday is centered
around a contemporary theme.
Owner David Bacon leaves most
of the booking up to Scott Sawyer
and Charles Pettee. Both are
musicians that know what to look
for in selecting a good band.
Sawyer often plays with several
friends on the jazz or blues nights.
Pettee is a member of The Shady
Grove Band, which also plays at
Pyewacket.
"Our bands attract a particular
clientele depending on what type
music is offered," says Bacon. "We
do see our regulars but there are
always newcomers as well."
Because Pyewacket is a restau
rant, the bands generally start
later than usual. Show time begins
around 10 p.m. so that the music
and the influx of people coming
only to see the band doesnt
interfere with the diners.
During the performance guests
may enjoy beer, wine, espresso or
hot tea from the bar. There is no
cover charge.
Spanky's
Another traditional Chapel Hill
restaurant that features live
entertainment is Spanky's.
Whether your tastes include
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The Nancy Middleton Band,
Hardback Cafe.
pop, rock or country, Wednesday
nights or Fridays, all the choices
are within your reach.
Spanky's, located on the corner
of Franklin and Columbia streets,
is well-known for its hearty dishes
and weekend crowds. But there's
also a. livelier spice on the menu
Wednesday nights provided by
the Motown and blues band,
Carter Minor and Andy Church -it's
a tradition of live entertain
ment that's almost two years old.
An employee says live bands sig
nificantly add to business,
although the place is packed most
of the time anyway.
The Hardback Cafe
Around the corner on Columbia
Street is the Hardback Cafe, which
offers live performances three
nights a week. This practice
started about three years ago, and
the restaurant's entertainment
coordinator, Paul Price, expresses
enthusiasm about the Hardback's
function in Chapel Hill. Price says
that the restaurant is devoted to
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DTHOmnibusThursday, February 16, 19897,
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a country rock group, sings at
local entertainment and tries to
support their creativity as best
they can.
And there is definitely a creative
force here. Southern Culture on
the Skids, the Pressure Boys and
many other jazz, country and rock
bands have played at the Hard
back, including Bongos, Roots and
Culture, a band Price calls a "pol
itical poetry over percussion"
group, the country-rock Nancy
Middleton Band and an improv
comedy group called the
Transactors.
There have also been poetry
readings and experiments combin
ing members of different bands
into one group to create a more
original sound.
"We try to book bands that are
creative and diverse," Price says.
"We're pretty proud of that"
So, if you're getting tired of the
bar scene (or you only wis7 you
had that problem) check out one
of these alternative hotspots.
Chances are, your sensibilities (and
your stomach) will be glad you did.
Brian Foley Cr: