Last night I had the pleasure to take in some of the 9th annual Camel City Showcase atThe Garage, a bar that used to be… well… a garage, at the corner of7th & Trade streets in Winston-Salem. The whole damned bar ispainted graffiti hippie style. I loved it, since that’s what I want to do to my living room. Shazam!
   The showcase promotes a lot of local talent which is awesome because I’ve lived here for many moons and few people actually do what was done last night and do it right. Good job to everyone who had a hand in it.
   We, the wife and I, came only to see 220 Short, however, the buzz was that the two bands that we did not see rocked adequately. I prepared for reviewing the bands by getting pissed on beer from America’s oldest brewery, Yeungling. I was sloshy if you want to get technical… okay I was walking oddly and did a break-dance during 220 Short’s set. That’s right, break-dancing. (For which I did receive a round of applause. Eat that.) But I digress...
   Up first was Splice Factor, a boyfriend /girlfriend duo. She plays a cello while he plays an acoustic guitar and croons out highly forgettable lyrics. Of the five songs they played, only one of them stood out enough for me to remember. I did like it a lot. (If they had mentioned the name of the tune, I would, too.) Their music was not bad, not good, but different. Different counts for much these days. (Radio Is Shite! Chant with me now.)
   Next up was a woman named Beth Finney (hope I got that right). She was great. There were two guitars - one acoustic played by Beth while she sang, accompanist on an electric. Very good stuff. Most times acoustic sets are for getting beer and saying “was’ up” to your homies but I just could not look away from the stage. (That’s a compliment)Beth has a great voice...a GREAT voice. I sh*t you not. She’s also a respectable guitarist and her songs were enjoyable to listen to. Much props, Beth. Keep up the good work.
   220 Short was the ‘reason for the season’ for me and evidently, for most everyone else too. Damn near the whole crowd out there was connected to the band in some way. A following this massive speaks well of 220 Short. Aseven song set came at us with the force of a punk rock cyclone. Two originals, three covers, then two more originals. All flawless.

Pros:
Loud. Upbeat. Good Originals. Great Energy. High Octane Stuff. Not for the squeamish.

Cons: The only thing that irked me was that the vocals were drowned out in some areas. But f#ck man, its punk rock.

   Believe me, I’d be the first to tell you if they sucked; fortunately, this was not the case. I’m sure anyone there will say the same. The reaction from the crowd was yelling, screaming, people out of their seats clapping, the kind of stuff that goes on when you kick ass through a set. The kinda stuff you live for when you’re the one on stage. The kinda stuff worthy of the $5 cover charge.
Eric, Alex, & Big Rob earned much respect from the people at The Garage. Sh*t they might even bring back the power trio, which is what I hope they do. Keep on rockin’ brothers. I’ll be eagerly watching for the next installment of theCamel City Showcase. Kudos. Oh, and I’m officially joining 220 Short’s following.