Billy Stoops and the Dirt Angels in Buckley, WA
We were recently discussing how last summer, when we were just starting to look for places to dance, it felt that there just weren’t many opportunities on the west side of the state. Whether it was covid restrictions or we simply weren’t yet connected, it seems that the number of places hosting summer concert series across the county and other neighboring areas is far more common this year! With some of the musicians we have begun following, we find ourselves at a variety of new places every week. This last Thursday, that was the Firehouse Pub in Buckley for Billy Stoops and the Dirt Angels!
The Firehouse Pub is a fantastic hole-in-the-wall bar in part of downtown Buckley. Coming in from the road, it looks like a fairly small space, but after ordering a drink at the bar and making your way to the back, you realize it opens up to a back patio as well, tripling the space you initially see from the door. I (Zeek) was looking for something between a full meal and a small snack, so I ordered the mozzarella sticks and potato skins along with a glass of red wine for me and prosecco for Denice. This typical bar food was especially good, with chunky cheesy mozzarella sticks and bacon topped potato skins that hit the spot. Due to the unique shape of the space, the music stage was actually set outside of the bar and faced to the parking lot. We enjoyed the first few songs while finishing up the food and drinks, before eventually relocating to our camp chairs in the parking lot for a better view and some space to dance!
This was the first time we had gotten to see the full Dirt Angels group perform, and it was a fantastic night! The weather was just perfect, and they even had gotten a tent set up in the parking lot to provide a bit of shade. Folks filtered in and out of the bar, sitting for a while to enjoy the music from a front row seat, before returning back to the bar patio behind the band for another drink. This area of Buckley is also right near neighborhoods, and it was fun to have people and families walk through, some stopping to enjoy the music. One of the neighbors even came out with his couple young nieces, who were eager to get closer to the upbeat music, eventually buying CDs and, shortly later, were thrilled to return with a sharpie to have Billy sign it for them!
More than one family brought out their dogs too, appearing to be on an evening stroll and stopping to briefly listen to the music. I (Denice) and Stephen, Billy’s brother, made sure to go say to them, including this friendly fluffy pup named Lucy. The two of us had just been talking earlier about how he is a dog lover and volunteers routinely at shelters. It always makes me so happy to see the pups that come through in the variety of places we are at. I can almost always find one to say hello to!
While being out on the sidewalk can occasionally pose dancing challenges (loose gravel and uneven surfaces), it often means a lot of open space! This is a fun opportunity to get to use some of our more advanced dance moves! When they started playing Deep in the Hills, we knew we had to get up and dance! And we even had a special saxophone solo from Jim King! Make sure to check out the video below ;)
We had a great evening in Buckley! The energy was strong in the air, a mix of music and laughter of friends and neighbors enjoying the warm sun on the sidewalk!