While most entertainment bars migrate towards the downtown area, Egan’s remains the only dive bar on the Strip and gives patrons a sense of history and pride whenever they walk through the doors.
For those who have never been in the venue, there is no stage: just a tiny, open floor where bands who set up, block the path to the bathrooms in the back. The walls are lined with dart boards, old show posters and the old Vinyl Solutions record store sign. Part of the ceiling mural used to be housed in the old bar Chukker downtown before it closed in 2003. There is truly no other place that is comparative.
Bains, an Alabama native turned Atlanta resident, has played in Tuscaloosa countless times over the years and even did a stint in the legendary local band The Dexateens.
In 2014, through Seattle record label SubPop (which gave us Nirvana and Soundgarden, among others) he released his second LP “Dereconstructed”.The album is a struggle with his southern identity and its backlash. The songs stem from stories Bains was told by his grandmother, who he referred to as “Mimi.” The first song on the album, “The Company Man,” a staple in his live show, is a direct reference: “Mimi, tell me about old Bull [Connor]. Mean and proud even praying in the pew.”
His 2012 release, “There Is A Bomb In Gilead” is also a tribute to Bains’ religious upbringing in the South. The Gospel influenced title track sings, “Children of Abraham, don’t say you ain’t been warned, for there will come a burning day.”
As the night transpired, Bains slayed through old and new songs with stories of growing up and a multitude of southern remnants thrown into the mix. He played fan-favorite such as “We Dare Defend Our Rights,” “The Red, Red Dirt of Home” and “Roebuck Parkway.”
The night ended with “Dirt Track,” the closing track of “Dereconstructed”. The audience participation is what made this song a highlight of the evening. The chorus of the song is simply “Keep on working – keep it on the Dirt Track.” Hearing everyone in the diminutive room singing the song was the quintessential spirit of Egan’s. Bains even said it himself, “This is my favorite place to play in the world.”
