Pure Indigo is Pure Fun
- Moose Nicholson
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Bigger Isn't Always Better
If you saw Ethan Stallings Group last year, you probably walked away blown out by how different it sounded—and how good those guys are.
This past week, you might’ve caught yourself asking who the new guy was.
No bassist, Beaver on lead vocals, keys covering the low end—and the bigger shift is the set list. Songs people already know, choruses that hit without a runway, reactions that happen right away.
It’s the same core of players with a key swap up front—and it changes the whole thing.
A Raptor is still an F-150… but is it really?
“Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion—you sink to the level of your training.”
That line’s been stuck in my head lately.
Fowler makes it look effortless because of all the effort. When things could tighten up, he doesn’t. He’s relaxed. He’s enjoying it. Time stays where it should. Fills land clean. Grooves are as fun to listen to as it looks like it for Andrew to play them. Nothing gets crowded.
So nobody else has to press.
Ethan can stay on the guitar. Beaver can sit in the vocals. TJ can move without holding everything together.
I call him the golden retriever.
When he seems genuinely happy to see you, you believe it. That carries over. Easy to listen to, easy to book, and—judging by the way everything stays together—easy to play with.
And the band’s better for it.
It might’ve been after Jealous. Could’ve been Sunday Morning. Doesn’t really matter.
At some point I yelled to the stage, “who says gingers don’t have soul?”
Beaver’s vocals are just solid. Clean, smooth, sits right where it should. When he goes for something, it’s there.
You might second-guess it for a second looking at him. Not the kind of soul you expect from an alabaster complexion and orange hair. If Ed Sheeran didn’t alread exist, you’d call it impossible.
Back in the Motown days, they would have called it witchcraft.
When everything’s dialed in like that, it stops feeling like work.
You see it on stage with Fowler—time’s right, nothing’s getting forced, so everyone else can loosen up and just play.
Same thing out there.
Daniel at Whiskey Alley building a drink the way it’s supposed to be built. Taproom with the porch open and beers moving. Tako making sure nobody at the table is stuck without an option. Mellow feeding a group without slowing anything down. Southbound with four bars open and a BBQ sandwich that actually fits the night.
It holds.
Nobody’s covering for anything. Nobody’s waiting on something to catch up.
So you don’t have to think about it.
You just settle in and let it go.
That’s what makes it easy.
And when it’s easy, it’s fun.
And when it’s fun, it spreads.
The Alley
Southbound's Hidden Courtyard
You know the outside bar. You’ve seen the two inside.
But Southbound doesn’t really stop there.
There’s a whole other pocket tucked out back that most people don’t realize is part of it. A little more room, a little more separation from the flow, but still right in the middle of everything.
It’s one of those spaces that works however you need it to—hang out, post up for a while, or actually have something going on. Showers, birthdays, rehearsal dinners… all the stuff that needs a place without feeling like it’s taking over the night.
It’s easy to miss if you’ve never gone looking for it.
Stark Plumbing Wants You to Avoid the BIG Problems
New sponsor in the mix—Stark Plumbing.
They’re focused on solving the smaller problems before they turn into bigger ones, and more importantly, they’re focused on doing it the right way.
Leak detection isn’t guesswork. It’s knowing where to look before walls get opened up or damage spreads. Chronic drain issues aren’t something you keep “clearing”—they’re something you figure out once so they stop coming back. And water heaters aren’t just swap-and-go if you want them to last.
That’s where experience actually matters.
These are the kinds of jobs where a quick fix just means you’re paying for it twice. Stark’s approach is to figure out what’s really going on and handle that, so you’re not dealing with the same issue a few months down the line.
If something’s been lingering, or you’ve had it “fixed” more than once, that’s probably your sign to call.
(803) 866 - LEAK
The Bud Light Stage
BMG is Here so You Can Win
BMG’s got your back. That part’s already been covered.
What hasn’t been covered—yet—is how they’re about to prove it.
We grabbed lunch earlier this week and left with something a little more interesting than a handshake. They’re working on a way for people out there to walk away with more than just a good night.
Nothing official to announce just yet.
Just know… you might want to start paying a little closer attention. Your wallet may thank you for it later!
The Backyard
The Backyard is inspired by hanging out with friends at Steeplechase or like I have for years - in Tank's backyard around the grill, sharing food and stories. While the air is open and inviting, that doesn't mean we don't have surprises and little intimate knooks tucked away here and there. We are building more little surprises, but currently we have different places for everyone.
This was v1 of Samuel's experiment. The Roose & Roots: A shareable board with a beer roasted, citrus garlic & rosemary 1/2 Chicken Breast with smashed baby potatoes, creamy garlic sauce and smoked bacon as well as our brussels and bright and crsipy coleslaw. It got rave reviews this past weekend, but we think we can make it even better. Don't miss out on the Smokestack Smashburger while you wait for v2! https://www.facebook.com/backyardaiken
Thursday: Whiskey Run
If you skip this one, you’re going to hear about it the next day.
Not in a “you should’ve been there” kind of way—more like everybody’s got one or two moments they keep bringing up, and you’ve got nothing to add.
These guys are buddies of mine, so I'm always unapologetically biased, but they use fun like it's another instrument.
This show always rocks.
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