Amador Music Hub

The bar that built me - the Erin McKinney/BG's story

Country singer Erin McKinney's been a hometown favorite for ages. She won the 2005 Amador Idol contest at the Amador County Fair, and has been singing with her band almost nonstop for a year now ever since they got picked up by music promotion company TEI. They've even played such large venues as Red Hawk Casino in Placerville and the Silver Legacy in Reno. But one of her favorite places to perform is right here at home - at BG's Lounge in Jackson.

"I know everybody here," the soft-spoken angel said with her halo barely hanging over her head (keep in mind, she does do a cover of Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead" and some other tunes that might make Saint Peter raise an eyebrow - but one bat of those brown eyes and he'll let her slip on by). "It's nice playing here once in a while so people can make it out to a show. All my family's here."

BG's is making a name for itself as a country-music venue. Booking bands like Saddleback Ridge, Amanda Gray and Whiskey Savage, Bryan Keith, and Tom Drinnon, almost every weekend is full of fiddles and dobros. Owners Bart and Maura Gillman will still book local favorites like classic rock band Electra Road or blues/rockabilly trio Tess and Hip Trash, but country is what seems to be the biggest draw for the bar.

"Country is what our kids are asking for," Bart said. "It draws a bigger crowd - a longer lasting crowd, and it shows in the till (bar revenue) and the tips the girls (bartenders) make."

Thursday nights are going to be devoted to local entertainment with groups such as country duo The Feather River Band, blues duo Darcel Hunter and Pat Keene, and The Rock and Roll Acoustic Show (an open jam hosted by Scott Berrian).

Here's the lowdown on BG's as a venue (per our new critique guidelines).

THE VENUE
Location: Behind Mel and Faye's Diner at 31 Hwy 49/88 in Jackson
Phone: (209) 223-0860
Owners: Bart and Maura Gillman
Website: bgjackson.com
Age limits: 21+ usually, although some all-ages events are held
Music: Locals night 7 to 9 p.m. Disk jockey on Fridays. Live music on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays.
Cover charge: None, usually
Smoking area: In front of bar - alcohol permitted.
Bathrooms: One two-stall bathroom for each sex.
Drink specials: Draft beer - Coors Light and Bud Light $3 short/$4 tall; Premium beers (1554, Sierra Nevada, Longboard Lager and Blue Moon) $4 short/$5 tall.
Well drinks - $4 regular/$6 double
Wine prices - Vary
Food: Full menu from Mel and Faye's available until 10 p.m. Appetizers available until 2 a.m.

MUSIC SAMPLE

Erin McKinney, Kristy Osmunson and Joe Castro perform at BG's April 17.

Erin McKinney visited BG's April 17 with her friends Kristy Osmunson, and Joe Castro. Osmunson has been working hard in Nashville as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Castro is the bassist for McKinney's full band. When the trio came to BG's, they performed two sets - a mixture of cover tunes and originals, mostly written by Osmunson. McKinney herself has been busy writing original material and hopes to have a six-song EP available in time for Christmas.

Our first video is of the trio performing Osmunson's original tune, "19 and Crazy."

And now we show what a cover tune by them sounds like. Here's their rendition of Dierks Bently's "Bad Angel."

CONCLUSION
*Toby Keith voice* I love this bar! The drinks are good. The music is always some upbeat, fun-loving band. Bart and Maura are two of my favorite people in the world. I love the fact that I can have food while I'm drinking. The prices are reasonable. I've just never had a bad experience there. Hot-blooded men are going to like the very attractive female bartenders.

As far as the "improvements needed" list goes, I've heard one local drummer complain about the flimsiness of the stage, and I've heard more than one audience member say that the area in front of the stage was too narrow/crowded to dance. Other than that, BG's is definitely on my list of top 3 venues in Amador County (Clark's Corner and Drytown Club being the other two).

What do you think of BG's and/or Erin McKinney? Post your comments below (must be fewer than 1,000 characters).

Posted at Apr 18, 2011 01:06 AM by Gwen Bohdan in General  |  Comments[2]