THEIR CASA ES SU CASA

The good folks at Casa Blanca, 936 Broad St., have gotten into the spirit of the Applause Singer-Songwriter contest. Their plan, which was put into effect Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday, is to offer a few of the contestants the opportunity to perform before voting closes Sept. 4. Admission is free.

I took no part in selecting the artists for the Casa Blanca dates, although the opportunity was offered. I thought it would be in my best interest as a journalist and for the integrity of the competition to remain neutral. I know the contacts requested featured acts I'm particularly fond of and others I'm less enthusiastic about. Still, I would urge folks to check out these artists and then vote, vote, vote.

GREAT DAY

On the subject of Singer-Songwriter contestants on stages, I'm pleased to see Great Day in the Morning, one of this year's entrants, playing out tonight with Say Vandelay at Sky City, 1157 Broad St.

I've listened only to the track the band entered in the contest, but I'll admit fondness for some of the bands in this act's history. Among those in Great Day's pedigree are Blue Collar/Blue Heart, the Shark DeVilles and the Kilpatrick Project. It's good to see these talented musicians get back to writing and rocking.

NEW DRIVE

Several months ago, a scheduled Kevn Kinney performance was hijacked by the performer's longtime band Drivin' n Cryin'. Because the substitution was a last-minute affair, many missed the opportunity to see the band, which had performed infrequently in recent years, roll out some new songs. Well, here's some good new for fans who have spent the better part of six months kicking themselves: Drivin' n Cryin' will celebrate the release of the CD those songs appear on with a performance at Sky City on Oct. 17. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the show and will go on sale soon at www.etix.com.

NEW SOUL

Part of the problem with writing a column like this is that when you change your mind about something, you have to do it publicly. For more than a year, I've been harping about the lack of live music at The Soul Bar, urging the ownership not to put all its band eggs into the Sky City basket. Upon reflection, however, it seems I might have been wrong.

Yes, I have seen some spectacular shows at The Soul Bar, musical memories I will carry with me always. Sky City is much better suited for bands, however, while The Soul Bar is a great DJ and dance floor room.

I'm not saying that live music should be exiled forever from The Soul Bar. No, what I'd like to see is Soul Bar shows infrequent enough that each seems like an event. A great example is Saturday's Turf War show. At Sky City, it might have been easy to dismiss this as an Augusta act playing the same stage it frequents several times a year.

At The Soul Bar, it becomes something different. Ingredients are added. There's nostalgia. There's that explosive feeling found when an unusually hard-rocking band is confined by the necessarily small Soul Bar stage.

It's an event.

Look, I love Christmas. But I'm sure I would tire of tinsel were I required to trim the tree 52 weeks a year. As surprised as I am to hear myself say (or type, as the case may be) it, it's a little bit of Soul that makes me feel all right.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.