Chattanooga is a great city made up of many different kinds of people with many different life experiences. But there is one thing that unites us all: Chacos brand all-terrain outdoor adventure sandals.
But there’s something else that unites us as well… and that’s our love of Subaru station wagons.
But if you continue a little farther down that list, you’ll eventually get to two qualities that unite a pretty good number of us: hanging out and drinking cold beers. Those two passions are the subject of a new song from Alex the Band, a local band fronted by some guy named Alex.
Their new song Cold Beers (aka I Like To Hang Out And Drink Cold Beers) explores the timeless literary themes of hanging out and drinking cold beers, but with a distinctly Chattanooga flair. The song features lyrical references to local institutions like Krystal, Rock City, and Northgate Mall’s infamous Piccadilly Cafeteria (RIP).
From the elegant dining room of St. John’s Meeting Place to the sticky bathrooms of JJ’s Bohemia to the garden courtyards of our many assisted living facilities, you’ll find Chattanoogans of all stripes hanging out.
Along with hanging out, anyone who has spent any time in Chattanooga will tell you, Cold beers are another common denominator. Unlike the philistines of North Georgia who are known to consume their beers at room temperature, we Chattanoogans are a sophisticated breed. We prefer to drink our beers cold, and unlike the plebians of North Alabama, without the assistance of a bendy straw.
There are, of course, plenty Chattanoogans who do not enjoy hanging out and drinking cold beers for a variety of perfectly valid reasons. But even those who choose to remain on the sidelines while others hang out and drink cold beers can appreciate the song’s third verse, which pokes fun at bachelorette parties in Nashville and $20 cheeseburgers with no side orders in Asheville.
“This song has been alive in one way or another for fifteen years,” Alex Volz explained during an interview with himself. “I remember I was sleeping on my drummer’s floor because I didn’t have a place to live, and our friend John Norwood stopped by and was excited to play this chorus he’d been slowly crafting over the last few weeks.”
That chorus is straightforward and refreshingly free of poetic ambiguities: “I like to hang out / You like to hang out / We like to hang out and drink cold beers.” Other than a quick repetition, that’s basically it. But the nursery rhyme melody quickly worms its way into one’s head.
The verses have changed and evolved over the years, but this feels like the definitive version. That has a lot to do with the terrific musicianship displayed by Alex’s band. Emma Du Bose plays fiddle and sings backing vocals over a bed of different country guitars, including lap steel and baritone by Cody Ray. Ross Singer on bass and Scott Keil on drums make up the rhythm section.
If you’d like to hear Cold Beers live, head down to the Woodshop Listening Room this Thursday April 18th when Alex the Band performs along with Call Me Spinster and Luke Simmons Doors open at 7, music starts at 8, and there is no cover charge.