Cool Hawk Mike: Hosting a Good Time
- Moose Nicholson
- 5 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Cool Hawk Mike
Making it Right
Your're Not the Only One Going Through It
The Backyard: What Everyone is Saying
Jacque Rock
We've all been to that person's house.
Dinner somehow turns into dessert. Dessert somehow turns into another hour on the porch. Someone announces they're heading home, then stands in the driveway talking for another twenty minutes before they actually leave.
You don't remember every detail of the meal.
You remember how the evening felt.
The best hosts have a way of doing that. They don't spend the night trying to be the center of attention. They simply create the kind of atmosphere where everyone else enjoys themselves.
I'd never seen Cool Hawk Mike before Thursday night, so I walked into Amp with no expectations beyond hoping for a good show.
A few songs in, though, I realized I wasn't really watching Jacque Hawk as a frontman.
I was watching him host.
Not just the audience.
The band.
One thing became clear as the night went on. This wasn't a set list built around one person's strengths. It was built around everyone's.
Jessica Leaf Cooley took center stage for songs like Always Remember Us This Way and Shallows, the kind of songs that reward a singer with both power and control. She had the kind of voice that made conversations pause while people turned toward the stage.
Baideme, who most people around here know as one of the area's premier guitar players, wasn't limited to being the guitar guy. He stepped up to the microphone for songs he clearly enjoyed singing, then wandered back into the kind of guitar solos that remind you why people know his name in the first place.
Michelle Anthony never seemed interested in overpowering The Alley.
Instead, she played it.
She always seemed to know exactly how much the moment needed, driving the band forward when the energy called for it, then pulling everything back just enough to let a song breathe. The drums were never fighting for attention. They were shaping the evening.
On bass, Brooks Andrews settled into the role he always seems to occupy. If you've read these recaps before, you already know I'm a Brooks fan. He has an uncanny ability to make difficult things look routine, anchoring the band while giving everyone else the freedom to roam.
Even when Kenny George wandered up to sit in for a few songs, it never felt like someone dropping in.
It felt like another friend arriving at the party.
By then, the set list had wandered from Come Together to Bad Moon Rising, Wonderful Tonight, Flowers, Always Remember Us This Way, Shallows, Whipping Post, Rebel Yell, and Summer of '69.
At first, I thought it was just an eclectic playlist.
The longer I watched, the more I realized it wasn't really built around genres at all.
It was built around people.
It struck me that a lot of bandleaders probably would have built this band differently.
If you've got a guitarist with Baideme's reputation, the temptation is to build the evening around him.
Instead, he got to be Baideme.
Some songs he sang.
Some songs he played.
Some songs he did both.
Jessica wasn't there simply to add another voice. She got moments that felt tailor-made for her. Michelle never had to prove she could overpower a drum kit because the songs didn't ask her to. Brooks never stopped being the steady center that let everyone else wander without the whole thing drifting apart.
Nobody looked confined to a job description.
Everyone looked comfortable in their own pocket.
That's when it finally clicked.
Jacque hadn't built a band around himself.
He'd built an evening around his friends.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed Thursday night as much as I did.
Not because every song was perfect.
Not because every note landed exactly where it was supposed to.
Those things matter, but they aren't usually what makes people fold up their lawn chairs at the end of the night thinking, That was fun.
Good hosts understand something that's easy to overlook.
People don't remember being impressed nearly as long as they remember feeling included.
Thursday felt inclusive.
Not just for the crowd, but for the musicians themselves.
Everyone seemed to have a place. Everyone had moments that felt unmistakably theirs. Nobody looked like they were waiting for permission to contribute, and nobody looked interested in stealing the evening from anyone else.
That's a rare chemistry.
The more I thought about it on the drive home, the more it reminded me of why Amp has worked for so many years.
Every Thursday is different.
Different bands.
Different crowds.
Different weather.
Different songs.
But the best nights all seem to have one thing in common.
Someone creates a space where other people get to enjoy themselves.
Sometimes it's a sponsor deciding live music is worth supporting.
Sometimes it's a parent unfolding a lawn chair and introducing their kids to live music.
Sometimes it's a musician making one more phone call because they know exactly who would love to be part of the band.
As everyone started packing up Thursday night, Jacque was one of the last people loading out.
Before he left, he thanked us for the opportunity, then asked what he could do to help Kenny, Amp, or the series moving forward.
It wasn't a grand gesture.
It wasn't done from a microphone.
It was simply who he seemed to be.
Looking back, it made the whole evening make sense.
The music had ended.
The host hadn't.
The Alley
Whiskey Alley Got a Face Lift
Whiskey Alley
If you've been missing Whiskey Alley this summer, the wait is over.
They've been busy freshening things up while they were away. Fresh paint, wallpaper overhead, updated furniture out back... enough changes to make the place feel new without changing what people loved about it in the first place.
The fresh look comes courtesy of Alley. The same great food? That's still Chad and Katie Jajczyk.
Doing It Right Means Making It Right
Mistakes happen.
It doesn't matter if you're fixing a leaky faucet, remodeling a house, or trying a new recipe. Every once in a while, something doesn't go exactly according to plan.
What matters is what happens next.
When Robert D. had a small issue after Stark Plumbing wrapped up a job, the owner didn't send him through a phone tree or explain why it wasn't really a problem. He showed up personally, made it right, and turned what could have been a frustrating experience into the very reason Robert recommends them to his neighbors.
That's the thing about trust.
It isn't built when everything goes perfectly. It's built when someone stands behind their work after it doesn't.
If you need a plumber who understands the difference, give Stark Plumbing a call.
(803) 866 - LEAK
The Bud Light Stage
You're Not The only One Going Through It
When someone gets arrested or charged with a crime, it rarely affects just one person.
Parents worry.
Spouses lose sleep.
Kids notice something's wrong.
Friends start offering advice... some of it better than others.
A good attorney understands that while they're representing one client, they're often helping an entire family navigate one of the most stressful moments of their lives.
One reviewer thanked Attorney Samuel B. Grimes, Jr. not only for answering his calls and explaining every option, but for taking time to answer his family's questions as well.
That's the kind of representation people remember long after the case is over.
If you need someone who will stand beside you and help your family understand what's ahead, BMG Attorneys is ready to help.
The Backyard Has People Talking
I spend a lot of time trying to find the right words.
This time, we didn't have to.
Every quote on this poster came from one of you.
We can't thank you enough for taking a chance on us, telling your friends, and making The Backyard feel exactly like what we hoped it would become.
Apparently...
...a good friend's backyard.
Thursday: Platinum Static
I've got to admit... I don't know much about Platinum Static.
I've seen a couple videos. One featured a powerhouse rendition of Barracuda. Another tackled I'm Just a Girl with enough energy to make me want to hear more.
What I do know is this.
Keith Petersen and Levi Pulaski, both of Anna & The Funkle Brothers fame, are in the band. Well, Keith has garnered fame from about every band in the CSRA. If you caught their Amp debut, you already know the caliber of musicians we're talking about.
One thing I've learned over the years is that good musicians have a habit of finding each other. They keep making the same phone calls. They keep sharing the same stages.
Sometimes that's recommendation enough.
We'll discover the rest together Thursday night.
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