The end or an era, for me anyway.

[Runkmud]

First, let me start by introducing myself. I was a pro player, for a while before I even discovered this forum, then a long time lurker before I ever posted.

I live in what I consider a great city, Orlando Florida. Twelve or thirteen years ago, I discovered a great bar, well, what I consider a great bar. The rest of the world upon walking into Will's on Mill's, named so because it's true name is Will's Lantern Pub, on Mill's street, sometimes called Wheels on Meals by the unknowing, would think it's a massive dive. It's dirty, the walls are comptetely covered by stickers and at any given time 40% of any appliances in the bathroom work, IE. the toitet won't flush, or the sink doesn't work.

Yet, Will's lives on, and lived on over a decade before I found the place. It has, what I consider to be the best jukebox on the planet, containing everything from Public Enemy, old school L.L. Cool J, to Tom Waits, Tool, and Violent Femmes. It also contains two pool tables, some video games, ans while they don't have a full liquor license, any beer you can imagine, or close to it.

For years I've been going to Will's to see some of the best live music that not only Orlando has to offer, but not many places in the world could. To give you an idea, a gentleman by the name of Sam Rivers, who is one of the last surviving members of the original Blue Note musicians, plays there with his eighteen piece orchestra ever Wed. night. He's over eighty, yet even through the death of his wife and a recent car accident, has not stopped composing new songs. On the other side of the coin, aside from the multitude of amazing acts, not limited to, but including, amazing punk, (emo), metal, and open mike poetry nights, amazes me to no end. Hell, once I walked in, expecting some improv jazz, to see beautiful goth chicks, dancing topless to 80's music, followed by creamed corn wrestling.

Tonight I went to see a performance of Kow, an amazing band, made up of a line up of Anthony Cole, Sam Rivers drummer, who sings vocals, plays keyboards, and saxaphone, Matt Laphum, argueably one of the best basists in Orlando, Roland Simmons, physically, a cross between Tiger Woods and Jimmi Hendrix, who has a masterful style that sounds similiar to John Scofield. Three other musicians join them on stage, I wish I could do them justice by remembering thier names, but I'm drunk. In any case, they play an amazing mix of funk, soul, and rock, that would make Funkadelic proud.

I'm sorry I've sucked out a good amount of your time. The reason I write this is because my musical sanctuary for over a decade is closing in three weeks. Eminant domain has reared it's ugly head and a landmark for music lovers is soon to be demolished.

Because of this, I'm extremely disheartened and will now have to find a place where I feel utterly at peace, and gels with my idea of what a great time, and great music is.

I write this because I need to share my sadnesss in the upcoming events. I apologize that I'm not nearly the accomplished writer that many of you are. I hope this doesn't result in a * for me, as I love this site, but I'm heartbroken as I feel a huge part of my life is being ripped from me.

Thanks,
Runkmud

Cliff Notes: My favorite bar is closing and I'm crushed, I should get over it and stop being a [censored].