The Other Paper wrote
The early show
BY KITTY MCCONNELL / DECEMBER 13, 2007
It’s the stuff local music legends are made of: Jesse Henry, a member of the Columbus bands the Spikedrivers and the Royal Tycoons, made a pilgrimage to Texas at the height of the great Austin Music Rush of the past few years. While there, he struck on a golden concept and, about a year ago, he returned to his hometown to share his idea with the rest of the Columbus bar scene.
It was simple: What if a band performed not late into the night, but early in the evening? No longer would nine-to-fivers be doomed to happy hours without entertainment, nor would they miss their favorite acts for fear of breaking their curfews.
With the help of the Rumba Café, which was then a recently opened bar and rock venue, the live-music happy hour concept took root in Columbus.
With a year of early shows now under Rumba’s belt, these performances have obviously found a permanent home at the north campus bar. But they’ve also been embraced, although more sporadically, at other establishments like Oldfield’s on High and Byrne’s Pub—both of which have begun to book live bands for the happy-hour crowd.
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