“Time marches on” I think is the theme of my thoughts this month. Maybe it’s because December and January were particularly cold and wet for Southern Utah, and perhaps it has something to do with me being been preoccupied with life’s events and processes, but this month seemed to go by fast.
I’ve been holed up in my new place making music and settling in. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun, and I’m having a ton of fun lately writing and singing … even been comfy enough to write some new tunes. Many of you know that I’ve been singing and performing on guitar locally for over 20 years, but it may be news to some of you. It’s always funny to me when someone I know says, “Oh, I didn’t know you play”; but, conversely, I have a group of friends I hang out with – often breaking out my guitar when we’re together – who mostly don’t know what my day job is.
I performed last month at George’s Corner Restaurant in downtown St. George and will play there again on Feb. 22 (this time with special guest Tosha Carter, who is in my new musical project called We Are Mirrors). George’s is at the heart of what I feel is a new blossoming music scene that is really energizing.
Ryan Groskreitz has carried the torch from GOGO37, booking quality, out-of-town acts at Jazzy’s Rock n Roll Grill, located just blocks from George’s. Many a night lately I’ve had the pleasure of visiting both spots in one evening and catching multiple acts in one night. What a concept! Something you should try on a Wednesday (Jazzy’s open mic) or the weekend, when both venues largely feature entertainment.
I’m also hearing near-constant activity in Cedar City/Iron County from Tim at Groovacious, one of the few remaining local record stores. He has his finger well on the pulse of the musical happenings in Cedar, and he and Lisa need to be thanked for preserving an institution and constantly promoting live music. They are also the producers of Groovefest, which they are well into planning for June.
Jazzy’s will feature a local band competition every Saturday in February and March, in which both my projects, We Are Mirrors and SilverSong, will compete, while George’s plans to book live music every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Special thanks goes to the owners of these establishments – Reid at Jazzy’s and Nicki and Randall at George’s. There are also numerous individuals who each play important roles in the music scene here who often go unthanked. I can’t thank you all individually here, but promoters Gordon Strange and Dennis Gregz have done a ton.
In summary, although we are still in the midst of winter, you can still get outta the house and see some great live music locally. You can also follow my music at Facebook.com/JoshWarburtonMusic.
Hope to see you all at a show, and happy reading.
