Support The Watershed

It is no secret that The Watershed is one of my favorite venues in the Midlands.  Sometimes you just aren’t in the mood to go stand in a smokey barroom, put in your ear plugs and deal with the heat of no air conditioner.  The Watershed offers a completely different atmosphere that is better suited for a musical experience. Here are a couple of reasons I love going to shows at The Watershed.

A)  There is more interaction between the songwriter and the crowd.  Since the atmosphere is more relaxed, I think the artists is more open to talk about their songs and be one on one with the crowd.  Andy Zipf in particular took advantage of this opportunity connecting with the crowd by becoming part of it.  He unplugged his acoustic guitar and walked between fans who were all singing along.  One of the best concert moments I have experienced.

B)  It is a family atmosphere in more ways than one.  The Watershed is very connected to the city of Lexington, so you see a lot of the same faces every time you go there.  These are people that you might not know personally, but you realize that the music is bringing you together.  There is something comforting about this.

C)  They don’t book a lot of shows, but they book quality shows.  Any time there is music at The Watershed you are pretty much guaranteed to hear quality music.  You can thank Ben Walker, Randy Borawski and Brandon Wilks for that.  Personally I would like to see a lot more shows there.  This is the first place that I saw a lot of my favorite local artists live.

D)  I believe in what The Watershed stands for.

We realize that the true need is not for just a gathering place, but a need for a relationship with Christ. We long to keep Him at the center of all we do: selling spiritually sound books, having high quality musicians, and building relationships with customers. We also support other ministries by hosting fund-raisers and benefits. Some of the ministries include: Compassion International, Bethany Christian Services, Young Life, Invisible Children, and Heartworks.

E)  The sound guy is awesome and is good at what he does.  He also plays the best music in between sets.

So what is this post really in relation to?  Well these are tough economic times and The Wired Bean/The Watershed is in no way exempt from them.  As a music community, we should come out often to support not only the musicians that are playing, but the venue that reaches out to fans and artists and opens their doors to them.  We have a very special thing in The Watershed and we need to do what we can to keep it alive and well.

As some of you know The Wired Bean is closing its’ doors on June 13th.  The good news is that The Watershed is staying open and will still feature a smaller scaled down coffee bar.

From today forward every show at The Watershed will be featured in a special banner at the top of the page. Sometimes it will be regulars that you already know, sometimes it will be artists that you haven’t yet heard of.  Take the time to check them all out and go show your support.

Tonight The Watershed is having a benefit concert featuring The Revived, Soma, and Hunter Duncan(Kill Anties). The show starts and 9 and is only $5.