“Over the last 25 years of promoting open mics, I’ve met so many artists in the early phases of their development,” reflects Marty Bohnannon on his time hosting open mics in Chattanooga, from his early days at Phat Wraps to his latest creative venture, the Cherry Street Tavern. “It’s exciting to watch some of them go on to become international acts and Grammy Award winners.”
I momentarily stop devouring my $5 Tavern Burger (more on that later) and encourage him to drop some famous names I could use to entice readers of this article. He indulges my request and rattles off an impressive list of celebrities before stopping to back-track. “That’s not important,” he ultimately decides. “I’d rather be quoted representing artists who need the push.”
Some of those up-and-comers at the Cherry Street Tavern’s Wednesday open mic include Chelsea Heck, Havoc, Anna Baldree, Lon Eldridge and Cat Campbell, whose upcoming album is being released with financial assistance from the Cherry Street Tavern. “We created a cocktail named after one of her songs and that money went to help fund her EP,” Marty explains.
“One thing I’ve always been good at is introducing people. And that’s really my mission statement for this place: to create music jobs and connect the dots for musicians who need help connecting them.” The weekly open mic offers plenty of connections, whether its amatuer performers connecting with their first audiences or professional musicians connecting with each other to form new bands. And of course we can’t forget the very special connection made between the author of this article and his $5 Tavern Burger (more on that later).
“There’s what I like to call effortless magic,” Marty’s brother Matt Bohannon explains to me. “Sometimes the list is just stacked with twelve awesome players, and sometimes I’ve got more work to do.” In addition to splitting guitar duties in their band The Bohannons, Marty and Matt also share responsibilities at the open mic. While Marty manages the bar and kitchen, Matt hosts the performances and plays musical match-maker.
“Hospitality has a lot to do with making a good open mic,” he says. “I want to make sure everyone feels comfortable. There are numerous acts I’ve coached through their first performances, and now they’re regulars. There are some really talented people out there who just need a little push.”
Rookie performers will find a lot more than a supportive crowd and an encouraging host. It’s also easy to recruit a top-notch band from the regular musicians enjoying their foil-wrapped $5 Tavern Burgers. Matt even assembled his latest band, Big Ole Roots, from friends he made at the open mic. “It’s magic when people meet minutes before going on stage and are able to communicate so easily through music.”
At this point I find myself once again steering our conversation back to the yin and yang of crispy beef and gooey cheese in my $5 Tavern Burger. “Damn, now I’m going to need a burger,” Matt decides before introducing me to its creator, George MacEwan.
“There is a story behind that burger,” muses George, a jovial British transplant who along with Marty Bohannon co-owns the Cherry Street Tavern. “I was in a moment of deep reflection. My wife and child were away in Florida, and you could say I opened my third eye and had a moment of clarity: we needed a five-dollar burger! It needed to be affordable enough for everyone but delicious enough for connoisseurs. We just needed to make it as good as we could, and make as little money as we could, and somehow it would all even itself out and the universe would come into balance.”
Insofar as universal balance can be achieved by two crispy beef patties and a blanket of gooey cheese inside a pillowy bun that’s steamed to perfection within a foil wrapper, the Cherry Street Tavern has succeeded.
“I’ve had one every day since we put it on the menu,” confesses Marty as he returns to the business side of the bar. On stage, another performer tunes her guitar and an impromptu band assembles behind her. They hash out a few chord changes, and as Matt Bohannon likes to say, a little bit of effortless magic unfolds.