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by jon bosworth
jaxvillain@yahoo.com
Shanty Town Pub isn’t the kind of place you see ads for all over town, it’s the place you hear people talk about, but are never quite sure exactly how to get there. It’s in Springfield, but it’s not on Main Street, so a lot of people get confused. However unlike Ouroborus, the short-lived DIY venue that was on Main Street, Shanty Town does have a sign or two. If you miss the scrawl of the graffiti that reads “Shanty Town” next to the front door facing 6th Street, you’ll definitely notice the original Thursto baboon spray painted on the sidewall.
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Shanty Town became my favorite hometown bar when they started serving two dollar Guinness and playing The Ramones right after Method Man. All of this description and I’m still leaving out the best part, the back yard, so you can discover it on your own. What I didn’t know about Shanty Town was how kickass the music they put on their stage can be.
I’ve never seen a live act at Shanty Town before Monday night, but I had heard they were having bands. To look at the stage of the place when there is no band, it’s hard to imagine a band performing live without looking cramped and ridiculous, so PHARMACY spilled well out into the room.
Only the drummer occupied the actual stage area. The other three members of the band were taking up the first third of the room. Hell, even Totally Mike, a one-man-show, spilled off of the tiny stage to spill into the room.
When I arrived at Shanty Town Pub at about eleven o’clock, I had already missed an act called Alex, but was told that her acoustic solo set is pretty good. I finally wormed my way into the tight club, which always feels packed inside because it is so small, but it felt especially compact for this show. When the rain kicks up and drives all of the people that hang out in the yard into the building, it can start to feel like Jacksonville is a real metropolis with a thriving underground.
Totally Mike towed that line well. His instrumentation, as far as rhythms, is programmed on his laptop and he either plays guitar or sings to it, or he just jumps around and dances to it. The first song of his set was a Shakira song, or something, but he was perfectly comfortable in a small room that probably gave the illusion of being crowded like a bar in his hometown, Bloomington, Indiana, which has an excellent music scene as far as I can tell from the bands I’ve heard coming out of there. Throughout his set, Totally Mike delivered fun banter and some kind of freaky disco party that was just hip-hop enough to feel cool, but so loose that it was fun to watch.
After Totally Mike, PHARMACY, a band from Seattle took the stage. Their singer/guitarist looked a little like Ben Stiller playing the teenager in There’s Something About Mary, but their bloodthirsty rock set was chock full of Rolling Stones and hot-lick guitar. Their keyboard player wailed spastically to their rock-paced stomp as they were driven by the hard-hitting drummer. Although they packed a hot live show, it is hard to discern what an album by these boys would sound like.
Whether they have a show or not, Shanty Town is always a safe bet for a cool hangout that isn’t too cool to feel comfortable. There is plenty of room for privacy in the back yard, or you can just enjoy the fire, but the DJ is always good, the bands are on fire, and there is almost never a cover charge. The next time you’re in Springfield (or at a nearby Film Festival) drop in. It’s only a stone’s throw from The Pearl, and they’re open from 3:30 until late night.
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