Saturday night, Darwin's Burgers in Marietta had their Mardi Gras party, and we went to eat Chicken Bog (chicken, sausage and rice- sort of a mix of jambalaya and fried rice) prepared by Chef Aiken from staff member Lindsay Wine's family recipe, and to be entertained by Katie Martin, Rod Hamdallah, and the Beau Hall Show.
Katie Martin started things off. She is a young performer who plays acoustic guitar in a very unorthodox style, with a voice which reminds me of Ani DieFranco. She often uses the guitar as a percussion instrument, beating on it while playing chords to create a very strong rhythm to enhance her original music.
Rod Hamdallah performed next. I have seen Rod in performance several times before, but I thought that this performance was the best I have seen yet. Rod started singing and performing locally as a teenager, and shared stages with Sean Costello and other local blues favorites. He has an innovative guitar style and a very strong vocal style and incorporates rock, country, and blues to create a sound all his own.
Then Beau Hall took the stage and the Beau Hall show was on! Beau is a very talented musician and a truly funny guy. While his language is not for those easily offended by profanity, we aren't. He made us laughwith his story of how he went to his son's second grade class and "lied and said I was a full-time musician." When a little boy asked why, he answered, "So I can sleep late."
Whatever his motivation, he's been performing for a couple of decades, and he has a great way of relating to the audience as well as playing energetic blues and blues-rock.
After several songs, Rod Hamdallah joined Hall onstage and sang a couple of numbers. All of them were good, but I was most impressed with the version of Sean Costello's "Have You No Shame?"
Overall, it was an excellent time as always, with quality music, good food, and the great comradeship that always prevails at Darwin's. Of course, I had to leave as usual around 11 PM,before the end, to go get my insulin shot. You know, I'm going to give in and start carrying the insulin to the club and taking my shot in the bathroom like some diabetic insulin junkie, just so I can stay until the end of the music.
You cannot find a better party in town than those at Darwin's, and most of them are going to be a lot more than a $10 cover charge, including food! So get yourself on out to Darwin's Burgers in Marietta any night at all, but especially, make sure you don't miss a holiday party night!
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