The Green Dragon

Hey kids, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've been busy with working during the ice and snow, and now that that's done, trying to apply for grad school. Which is a serious pain in the butt. But that's not what I'm here to tell you about today.
This past Saturday I played a show with my band, New Century Schoolbook, at the Green Dragon in inner SE. Having never heard of the place before, I had little idea what to expect. I showed up there on Friday night for a friend's birthday party, and though that gave me a view of the place (and a taste of some delicious hush puppies. Deep fried batter.. mmm.) I still didn't know what to expect from playing there.
The Green Dragon is one of those places that doesn't primarily exist as a venue. In fact, when we showed up on Saturday night, it was packed (I guess someone besides me had heard of the place) but it seemed clear that most of the people there, besides the ones we brought with us and the other band, Someday Tricycle, weren't expecting a show to go on. The bar itself has a fairly open and comfortable feel, though it is filled with several large tables, and there is a shuffleboard table by the wall (which I never got a chance to play. boo) and a few pinball tables as well. The stage was somewhat triangular in shape and in the corner. I was having a hard time figuring out who was responsible for getting us set up, since I wasn't involved in the booking of the show and didn't really know who our contact person was. As far as I could tell we just set our stuff up and then played when we decided to play - there were a PA and a couple of microphones on the stage, and we were pretty much left to our own devices, which wasn't really a bad thing. The food was pretty tasty , although it may have been more tempting were I a meat-eater - it seemed like southern-inspired, sausage-laden dishes were where they really shine, but the mac & cheese was decent and the french fries were divine. They also, being a brewery as well, have an excellent selection of beers, and carry absinthe (I didn't drink a whole glass, considering it imprudent for a pre-show choice of beverage, but did have a little bit. I think that stuff is awesome, and am quite pleased that it's legal now.)
As far as the show, it went off quite well, and though the audience may have been surprised to see a band come in, the bar staff was super helpful in getting the tables pushed back to make a walkway, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Especially if you're a beer fan, I would check this place out, though I'm not sure how often they have shows - we were little advertised and there was a big notice up on the blackboard about their upcoming meet the brewers night. while it's clear the beer is the place's primary focus, it was a pretty cool place to play a show, to, and the audience was receptive. Check it out if you get a chance.