It was a dark and stormy night. And there was no parking to be found.
There I was driving down Monroe, wondering what I was doing out on a night like that. “I’m the Nerd Rock guy,” I told myself, “I write about Cons and dream of interviewing Felicia Day. I don’t parallel park.”
Then I saw a girl walking down the sidewalk wearing a white yacht captain’s hat and I figured everything would be okay.
‘Yacht Rock’ is a term for the soft rock of late seventies and early eighties. The name came about because some guys on Channel 101 made a show fictionalizing the drama and rivalries that they imagine took place between the soft rock legends. And for some reason they imagined that all of this drama took place on or near yachts, and that everyone was wearing a white captain’s hat.
And now thanks to the Yacht Rock Revue, anyone in Atlanta can go rock out to some smooth tunes and maybe don a yacht cap and a mustache. I promise you won’t be the only one.
I’ve seen the Yacht Rock Revue play bars before. For a while they were a favorite of my hipster friends (Hipster girls are always looking for an excuse to wear a fake mustache.), but this time they were playing at ShamRock fest at the Park Tavern.
The place was packed. Despite the rain, physical limitations of reality, and the fact that it wasn’t even St. Patrick’s day yet, hundreds of people had come out to drink, dance, and perhaps wear a funny costume of sorts.
It wasn’t just hats and leisure suits of course. The leprechaun’s far out numbered the yacht rock devotees and while I saw quite a few women in white hats (and one green yacht hat), men seemed much more likely to put on a kilt or go as a leprechaun in drag.
The Yacht Rock Revue was spot on as usual. They (softly) rocked out classics the classics, ranging from songs like “Stuck in the middle with you” and “Jive Talkin'” to “Baker Street”. They had whatever the song needed, whether it be sax man, tambourine man, or cow bell man.
It’s the kind of music couples feel comfortable dancing to in the middle of a concert crowd, but also appeals to the single male who wants to make an idiot of himself in a public place. If for some reason you aren’t busting it out to the song that’s playing, just wait: your turn is coming up next.
All in all, Yacht Rock Revue is perfect for St. Patrick’s day. I guess that’s why they started early.
Pictures by Ashley Staley:
