We got the blues in Woodlawn...
But we got a little faith healing too.
With the weekend here, the Hometown Tourists wanted to put a quick bug in your ear about the new Woodlawn Theater. We went there for the first time last Friday night to see local band Kid Sly open for Nashville-based Angela Easley at a concert hosted by the Magic City Blues Society.
The Woodlawn Theater is located on 1st Avenue North in a building that originally housed the Woodlawn Family Theater, which opened in 1929 – almost a hundred years ago! The place has been several things over the years, including a faith healing church, but in 2020 Will Mason of Mason Music bought the building and revived it as an event space and home of the Mason Music Foundation, which offers music lessons to children from families who have low incomes.
Y’all, the space is gorgeous!! The outside has been painted the most beautiful color of blue (which you can’t really see in the picture below) and has gold Art Deco accents above gold letters spelling out Woodlawn Theater. There is a generous lobby that leads into a well-stocked bar. The floors are a dark honey-colored parquet, emerald green drapes hang at the windows, and mirrors behind the bar reflect the glow of frosted glass globe light fixtures that dot the ceiling over the bar. The bar stools are comfortable as are the chairs surrounding small tables and the banquet against the wall.
Along with wine, liquor, and beer, the bar has several non-alcoholic offerings. Try the Grüvi “dry-secco.” It’s by far the best non-alcoholic wine-like thing I’ve had.
To the left is the stage area which probably seats about 200 people in folding chairs facing a stage at the far end. There’s plenty of room to dance if you want to and sit if you don’t. The sound quality was excellent and on this particular night, the bands blew the roof off, especially Kid Sly.
We’re particularly fond of Kid Sly because our good friend Amasico Favor (pronounced ah-MAY-see-oh) is the lead singer. But even if that was not the case, the music he generates along with Tyler Carden, Drake Jennings, Bobby James Ramsey, and an awesome drummer whose name I cannot find would have us coming back time after time. And if you need a little “faith healing” get out and see them because they will surely take you to blues church every time. Here’s a little sample:
In the meantime, check out Woodlawn Theater’s event calendar and go see a show!
Here’s how we rated the Woodlawn Theater on a scale of 1 to 5 screaming electric blues guitars, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best:
Atmosphere: 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Food: N/A but the drinks were 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Service: 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Bathrooms: 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸 (Ladies and those who identify as ladies, the women’s room is the most delicious shade of green with black tiles. Definitely something to see.)