Last Thursday had all the markings of another weather curveball. Kenny and I had the gear loaded in, tuned up, and ready to roll. The skies were clear. Spirits were high. Then, just as showtime neared—a soaking downpour. Quick, but heavy. The kind that makes you question everything. That’s exactly where Anna Hudson found herself. After a week full of setbacks—her guitar broke, her car died, she borrowed a friend’s car only to get a flat on the way—she pushed through it

When the forecast forced a venue change, the Kenny George Band didn’t flinch. They arrived early, worked alongside the Electric Eats crew, and helped rework the layout to squeeze their setup into the corner of the downstairs dining room. It was a tight fit—probably not the most comfortable staging they’ve had—but the energy never dipped.

There are songs you didn’t know you needed until you heard them live—melodies that stir something up, lyrics that feel like they were written just for this moment. That’s exactly what happened Thursday night in The Alley. A performance so dialed in, it didn’t just entertain—it affirmed why we show up week after week.

Mike Anzalone, Kenny George Band, Mike Frost, and The Experiment & The I20 Horns Bring Music Downtown All Weekend Long.

The Thursday Night Party | The SureFires at Amp the Alley Some nights walk in with confidence. Others edge in — slowly, cautiously — like they’re not sure they’ll be invited to stay. Last Thursday was one of those. By mid-afternoon, the radar looked clear enough. The humidity was a presence. Folding chairs started to appear, and The Alley began to fill — not in a rush, but with quiet optimism. And for a while, it seemed like we were in the clear. Then came 8PM.

It was a 70% chance for storms According to nearly every weather app Kenny and I could get our hands on. The sky couldn’t make up its mind. It had the look of someone hovering just outside Southbound Smokehouse on karaoke night, deciding whether the line — and the stage fright — were worth it. At 6:15, The Alley was a scatterplot of hopeful folding chairs and maybe five people pretending not to refresh their radar app.

AMP IS BACK!!! This year we tried something new and kicked it off with a full week of music for the coveted Masters Week! Despite being from Florida and growing up around golf, I'm not sure if I've lived where there was a giant PGA tournament, so I don't know if anyone else has A WEEK - but in the CSRA, it's a thing.