So what did YOU do this weekend?

I thought this past weekend was a really good one for the Morgantown Music Scene. There were a lot of shows, and most of them featured local acts. I managed to catch the Wailin' Elroys and David Childers show at the Rosewood on Friday night, and musically that show was tits. Both bands put on spirited performances. The Elroys have been quietly cultivating a Morgantown fanbase, and Childers seems to be more well known (by others in attendance, not by me). Whether or not you dig the honky-tonk sound, it was a fantastic show.

Saturday, I started at Pleasant Street and caught Thred's set before the Poogie Bell Band. A pretty standard "power hour" by a local band in support of a national touring group. I was mostly impressed by how great the sound mix was. Though it may seem like beating a dead horse, 123 is still the best venue in town and will continue to be for a long time. The differance in the way Thred sounded compared to their show at the Brewpub two weeks prior was like night and day. Too often local bands let their sound get mixed to the point where it comes to the ears of the listener as a muddy mess. I have little knowledge of the technical end of making music, and mixing sound, but I can tell when it's being done right. The 123 crew do it right.

I stuck around for a little of Poogie Bell's set, it seemed fun and galvinized everyone in the bar to have a good time, and that's what counts. Nice cover of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing, though the rest of the tunes I caught seemed to focus on smoking weed and moving your butt. Eh, well.

From there I moved on to the Herb & Hanson show at McClafferty's (which is one of my favorite bars, but can be decidely hit or miss when it comes to music). That show was a great time, with a fairly enthusiastic crowd and spirited playing. Herb & Hanson mixed originals and covers throughout the evening, and generally tore it up. Rarely do you see a duo that features top notch playing by both members like this, but neither Herb nor Hanson are lacking when it comes to chops.

Still, what strikes me most about this past weekend were all the shows I would have liked to catch, but missed. Tanglewood seemed to be doing a good business across the way at the Brewpub. I heard the Matheny/Porterfield double bill went well, and that the Hovel show was fun too. Any place DJ Cutman is located is sure to have had its share of memorable moments.

So what I really want to know is this: what did you do with your weekend? Did you see any good shows? Wanna tell us about them?