Lock, Stock & Barrel
Band brings quality music to Battle Ground, WA
Sometimes, you find yourself in the right place at the right time in a given situation. Such was the case for this writer and companion recently enjoying a great band at a very comfortable venue in Battle Ground, Wash.
The Battle Ground City Grill is an anchor store in a relatively new strip mall that also includes a cinema complex and a nail-painting shop, a barber and other general service-type stores.
Battle Ground City Grill, located at 1710 S.W. 9th Ave., is a full-service restaurant and bar, featuring 14 draft beers, designer cocktails and an extensive selection of wines from Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. The wine selection includes pinot gris and pinot noir from our local wine-stars Rusty Grape Winery in Battle Ground, among others.
The menu includes steaks, salads, sandwiches, burgers and a wide variety of wraps, all with vegetarian options, including a gardenburger. Hearty breakfasts are served Saturdays and Sundays and there is a cool happy hour menu as well. Speaking of happy hours; the BG City Grill has two happy hours each day, Monday through Thursdays, from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. and again from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. There is also ladies night each Thursday, with half-price drinks for ladies from 7 to 10 p.m.
Lock Stock and Barrel
(Photo by Eric Donaldson Tworivers)
BG City Grill has lots of room to move around, bringing this writer to the entertainment part of the evening; it was a pleasant surprise for what was in store this night. Lock Stock and Barrel is a new ensemble (four months or so together) of gifted musicians who bring together the fresh talents of a couple young songwriters who met and became friends while serving in the Marines; and a couple of well-seasoned musicians who have several decades of experience and knowledge, and are well-respected in the Pacific Northwest musical community.
Ty Titus (rhythm guitar/vocals), and Glen Dutch (guitar/vocals) met and became great friends during their recent stint in the U.S. Marines. They found that they meshed very well when they put their guitars and voices together. After each returned home from their respective service tours, they mutually decided to move to Portland to follow music and wound-up in Goble, Ore.
Many of you readers may recognize Goble as the home of a yearly party thrown by bass player and all-around nice guy Michael Esquire, who for many years headed The Batz, and has played nearly every venue in the area. He has a great story to tell from each one.
Hanging-out for many years with Esquire is guitarist extraordinaire and Master Magician Guy Live (he is truly a talented, amazing magician, appearing all over the area, but that is for another article; today it’s about his musicianship).
Live and Esquire got together with Titus and Dutch; after adding a bit of spice and beauty in the person of Miz Mary (percussion/vocals), began to flesh-out the original tunes that the two Marines had created through the last four years. All five together have created a cross-generational creative, melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, danceable musical product that just may become the next-big-thing to come out of the Portland area to keep people dancing all night long.
The tunes are somewhat country, somewhat rock, with a bit of funk thrown-in for flavor and every one of them kept the audience’s attention. This writer and companion were both impressed by the tightness of the group and the very professional sound; the PA was very clear and intelligible, but had plenty of volume pressure to keep the full dance-floor throbbing.
All in all, a good time was had by all, and the Battle Ground City Grill is a place to add to your list of entertainment value, for sure.
Lock Stock and Barrel is truly a band to watch and support as they add tunes to their list and tighten-up their sound. To this end, they all now share a huge home in Goble and can work on song ideas whenever they like. That’s cool.