The State of the Parrot

It's been a year since Pat Croce and I forged our new partnership at The Green Parrot and I'd like to report that The State of The Parrot is Good.

I think folks' greatest fear--change--has been put to rest. As we used to say back in the '60s, "Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before."

In years past, I was never one to get up close and personal with a camera, but this past year, among other things, Pat has helped me come out of my shell a bit, and it's been a good thing, and I think this recent Key TV video reflects that.



Pat's an easy-to-be-around, half-full kind of guy and that's contagious. I think that's why I kind of forgot the Key TV camera was even rolling. Pat gets me thinking about all the things I love about the Parrot and makes me just want to spread the word.

It might be part of me rediscovering my roots, you know Pat and I practically hung out on the same corner in Philly (hanging on the corner is considered a high art form in Philly) or maybe it's that our Parrot partnership has given us a common goal and that we share the same core values, but with a year under our belts I've never felt more comfortable personally.

As a result, our bar seems to be hitting on all cylinders and I think it's safe to say the transaction that went down last May has proved to be a good one for me, The Parrot, and its patrons.

For patrons, you see the same great staff, beer's never been colder (thanks, Buco), still the best music in town, or anywhere for that matter, (you never know if it will be funk, rock, or reggae but you know it will be good), and most importantly, the same fan base in the friendly confines, that's you, the customers I'm talking about (from "the street to the elite" as Pat says). It's you that continue to make the Parrot what it is, and we never want that to change.

Without your continued patronage, your congeniality, your sense of humor that gets us through the rough spots, and the passion and enthusiasm you bring with you that keeps our goal one of constant improvement, we might as well fold up the tent and head the wrong way down Southard.

Soul Rebels from NOLA

The Soul Rebels from New Orleans burned down the house last night. It was a  Monday Night Dance Party, Love-In, Sonic-Beacon  that rocked The Parrot like it ain't been rocked in awhile!

"The Missing Link Between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong"
They will be back tomorrow, Tuesday, with sets at 5:30 and 10 PM. We urge you not to miss it.

More Ford commercial night

Coast2Coast Ford Focus Commercial

The Monophonics

London Souls

Michael Burks

The Alligator Records announcement of Michael Burks' death

Bluesman Michael Burks 1957-2012

Michael Burks, once billed as the future of electric blues passed away yesterday from an apparant heart attack at the age of 54. An imposing figure onstage with lightning in his hands, Burks was a man of few words offstage, meticulous with his sound and protective of his band and appeared at The Parrot several times over the past 10 years. Born in Milwaukee but a longtime Arkansas resident, see his obit in the Fayetteville Flyer here.



Billed as the future of that genre, Michael Burks puts on a clinic in electric blues for the Parrot crowd on a Sunday night in 2005
(photo credits Tony Gregory)

London Souls Invade Parrot

Representing a rock tradition, rock's most elemental line-up, the power trio The London Souls return to the Green Parrot with shows at 10 PM on Wednesday, May 9th and 5:30 and 10 on Thursday, May 1oth.

Built on roaring chords and flashy solos on guitar, insistent drumming and straight-ahead vocals, The London Souls wear their influences on their sleeve, inspired by classic power trios such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience and Blue Cheer.

The name the London Souls is a tribute to the power groups like Cream, the Hendrix band, the Who and Zeppelin that were based in the British capital.

Spotlighted by MTV, Rolling Stone, Relix and The Wall Street Journal, among others, the band’s celebrated sound  had been a best-kept secret among New York City concertgoers since the band’s formation in 2008. With a fervent and dynamic fan base thanks to their consistently impassioned, explosive live performances, The London Souls’ unique reinterpretation of hard-hitting rock n roll recalls elements of the past with a boundless energy that will hypnotize and amaze providing the perfect combination of hit singles, musicianship and live energy. 

Consisting of Tash Neal on guitar and lead vocals, Kiyoshi Matsuyama on bass and vocals, and Chris St. Hilaire on drums and vocals, 

Larry Baeder and Friends Offer Green Parrot Tribute to Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson Mural on Parrot Door

Chief Billy Ochoa opens last year's show

Last Year's Cake

The Green Parrot will celebrate the 101 birthday of seminal delta bluesman Robert Johnson on Tuesday, May 8, at 5:30 p.m. The Tribute, hosted by Larry Baeder, who’ll be accompanied by drummer Richard Crooks and bassist Francois Gehin, will include several key west musicians offering renditions of Robert Johnson songs.

Robert Johnson died at 27 in August 1938—an itinerant blues musician in the Mississippi Delta whose passing merited scant notice locally, much less worldwide. He left a sparse recorded history of 29 songs, and only a half-dozen scratchy 78-rpm discs were released during his lifetime. 


He has since become known as the King of the Delta Blues Singers, his music expanding in influence to the point that rock stars of the greatest magnitude – the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers – all sing his praise and have recorded his songs.

Thousands of music fans, who’ve come to love Johnson's music as played by their rock and blues heroes have bought into the Faustian mythology that surrounds his short life and strange death: According to the myth, Johnsonobtained his amazing guitar skills by selling his soul to the Devil.

Headliners Blow The Room Away...

 With a raucous near-two hour set that belied the collective age of those on stage The World Famous Headliners treated Parrot regulars and out-of-town songwriter-types to a blend of everything from stomping rockabilly to honky tonk, barroom weepers and modern country barn-burners all the while delivering cliche-free, hook-filled lyrics that made you shake your head in a I-been-there-brother-sort of way.
As individual songwriters, The World Famous Headliners create Nashville's heart and soul. After all, they've supplied shooting stars like Trisha Yearwood ("Powerful Thing"), Garth Brooks ("Two Pina Coladas"), Don Williams ("Send Her Roses") and countless others with hits a generation deep. Now, they're stepping into their own spotlight. The World Famous Headliners - Music City's premier songwriting think tank led by Al Anderson, Shawn Camp and Pat McLaughlin - are currently finishing their first album together with stunning results. "Pat may be the best vocalist I've ever been around," Camp says, "and Al is a mind-blowing guitarist."

Big Al Anderson and our own Will Thompson

Anderson's innovative guitar work has long fortified his reputation as one of Nashville's finest tunesmiths. 
In fact, "Big Al" entered consciousness with rock fans long before he popped up on country charts. The 63-year-old started with the The Wilweeds (1967's "No Good to Cry") and for nearly a quarter century fueled the beloved cult band NRBQ. In 1993, the year Anderson exited NRBQ to focus on sobriety and songwriting, Musician magazine recognized him as one of the century's Top 100 guitarists.  Clearly, the move away from NRBQ paid creative dividends: Anderson earned the BMI Writer of the Year award in 2000.
At 44, youngest Headliner Shawn Camp already has made his own significant impact on mainstream country charts.

The World Famous Headliners gave a jaw-dropping, electrifying performance last night

 "Shawn sings, plays and writes up there in the fine, rarified air where very few can breathe," Clark says. The accomplished instrumentalist, who has accompanied luminaries including the Osborne Brothers and John Prine, frequently backs seamless lyrics with his fiery fiddle, guitar and mandolin riffs.

Derby Day at The Parrot

 Derby Day at The Parrot

Mint Juleps

All Lew needs is the Racing Form Sticking out of his pocket

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