WNC Songwriter Sessions at The Brandy Bar + Cocktails –Wednesday – May 20 – 7-9pm – WNC Songwriter Sessions and the Brandy Bar + Cocktails host an evening of original songs in the natural acoustics and listening room atmosphere of the beautiful and historic Brandy Bar. So hidyho Neighbors! Another trio of wonder filled songwriters will be sharing their lyrical and musical offerings for our May session at the coolest bar in all Hendo. Lynn Hollyfield, Tom Keever, and Todd Hoke will put the zip-a-dee in your doo-da. Delicious cocktails + handcrafted songs + friendly folks = time well spent. Join us!
Blend a powerful singer, a crisp acoustic guitar player, and a heartfelt observer of the world and you have Award Winning, Singer-Songwriter, Lynn Hollyfield. Her last recording, Look Up (2024) received 5 Washington Area Music Award Nominations and multiple Mid-Atlantic Songwriting awards. Lynn writes in a contemporary folk, jazz, bluesy style.
“Some songwriters are just profoundly deep, they’ve lived it and yet they are boots on the ground, where you get what they’re saying, and it grabs you. Tom Keever is what I am talking about!” – Louisa Branscomb Soulful, tender, provocative and occasionally gut-wrenching songs that connect with the listener. Tom is the rare sort of songwriter who evokes the past, hammers home the present and looks to the future.
When he’s not busy napping, Todd Hoke can frequently be seen wearing a big hat, drinking adult beverages, or, on those nights when the moon is holding water, both at the same time. With hosts Todd Hoke and Annie Wenz. For more info contact: WNCSongwriterSessions@gmail.com
Join us at The Brady Bar + Cocktails on Thurs, 5/21 – 4- 9:00 PM for selected martinis, many say the best of all cocktails. The Martini has a crazy history. Of the 3 stories of how it was invented, the favorite is the Occidental Hotel that appeared in Jerry Thomas’ The Bar-Tender’s Guide (1862). During the Gold Rush, a miner from Sierra Nevada struck it rich & headed to San Francisco, straight to the Occidental Hotel in search of a libation. Later, the term “Martini” preceded the term “cocktail” which began as a beverage you’d order at a hotel, then died out with Prohibition, which is when cocktails were invented. During Prohibition, people started adding ingredients that weren’t typically mixed with spirits, so you would have less booze on your breath than hard alcohol. Fast forward to the 1960s, it becomes the Bond era. The drink began trending because everyone could see James Bond drinking it & they wanted to experience it. ‘Oh, he drinks Martinis—that’s masculine. The 1980s was “the self-destruction of the cocktail scene.” Everyone was calling all cocktails ‘Martinis.’ People called anything martini cocktails & not referring to the drink itself. Nothing fell into the category of a Martini except the shape of the glass. Bottom line – it’s incredible how important spirits are to the forming of America. The Italian Acquatini, the drink of Rome, was originally made using water from the Trevi Fountain (whose water flows from the city’s ancient aqueducts.) Since we Americans do not drink water, we use only the straight up stuff – Brandy, grappa, with a rinse of dry vermouth. French Martini – is the drink that helped to kick off the flavored Martini craze of the ’90s. The cocktail was brought to prominence in NYC at Balthazar. It’s sweet and creamy due to the pineapple juice and crème de cassis. During Prohibition, the simple Orange Blossom tipple was a big hit among illicit imbibers. Similar to a Screwdriver, it was a perfect way to disguise booze. Try one for yourself to find out why it was such a hit with the flapper set – Brandy, sweet vermouth, fresh squeezed orange juice. But, of course, with the Classic Martini you could never go wrong, dirty or straight – brandy, splash of gin, splash of vermouth, served with olive or lemon twist – using brandy this martini is very smooth with none of the heat of vodka or gin. Hawaiian Martini – Have a Hawaiian Martini to feel like you’re at the beach! This martini has all the flavors of Hawaii: pineapple, orange, & coconut! For those non-martini drinkers, try our one-half special price of fruit or infused brandy flight.