A Pocket Full Of Picks At The Pub

A night full of anticipation and hearing this and that about a performer that I was told was going to blow my socks off, we filled the beer coolers to the gills and made sure no one was gonna be cut off from their favorite liquor. The smell wiffs in from the windows of the fish plant just down over the hill running full blast after the crab fishery has opened. The smell of money surrounds Bonavista like the perfect green fog. Tonight though was the night that I was waiting for a long time, Dave White. a good friend of mine and great musician in his own right, drags out a musician that I've been hearing about ever since I started working at Walkhams Gate Pub, Carl Peters. The night started off slow with only the slot tappers gluing their eyes to the screen wishing for lady luck to be a friend tonight. It was a typical Newfoundland night with fog slowly creeping in off the water and hindering Dave's driving abilities coming out from St.John's. But he arrives and sets up the system to kick off the night. Dave rushes home to take a quick shower while Carl arrives and makes some tweaks to the system before the show starts. Dave shows back up and shows off his acoustic guitar, personally signed by Peters himself, in the flesh. Then Carl pulls out his own signed Dave White acoustic guitar. Then I heard why everyone had nothing but praise for Carl Peters. The echo from his guitar bounced off the walls and got stuck in your ears. Carl and Dave played effortlessly perfect together and sounded if they were playing together for a lifetime. They traded between playing lead guitar and lead vocals. With harmony that only strengthen each others vocal ability they ran through a gauntlet of classic rock songs from Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Tragically Hip, etc even throwing in a few 90s hits that Dave has been performing since his illustrious Maybe Fog days. I was especially impressed with Carl's own interpretation of the Big Bill Broonzy song Before You Accuse Me, made popular by Eric Clapton on his album Unplugged. Carl's interpretation of the song was the perfect mix between blues and acoustic rock. Throughout the night Dave and Carl kept everyone dancing in front of the stage and singing right along with them through each and every song. Not only was I impressed with Carl's playing but also how nice of a guy he was, gracious was not a strong enough word. I kept his energy up with tequila, beer and double espresso shots and him and Dave kept the energy up of the crowd that showed up at the pub that night. It turned out to be a perfect night with everyone leaving feeling drunken and still hyped up from the great music. I now have another favorite performer at the pub alongside Steve and Bob, Chester and Marcus, and Dave White. Now I'll add Carl Peters to the list. If your ever downtown St. John's and you hear Carl Peters is performing tonight at a certain time, run don't walk. You will be pleasantly impressed with the fast fingers and the glowing echo his his guitar as well as the strong bluesy voice of Carl Peters and the silky smooth voice and always full of energy Dave White, the man who eats , sleeps, breaths and bathes in music.