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Butch’s Benefit Concert Set For March 16

March 16, 8 pm, Door County Fire Company, 38 S. 3rd Ave. in Sturgeon Bay

Butch’s Bar Open Jam Night rocked the southern end of 3rd Avenue every Wednesday night for the past six years. Straight, hammered, professional, novice, regular and those just passing through would find a venue with a full-enough audience to feel exactly like a gig for the performers.

“Sometimes you would get a judge if [a song] works or not,” said local musician Chris Bishop. “Sometimes they were terrible, and other times I didn’t think it would go over like that.” 

All musicians were welcome, and poets and writers, too, with the occasional comedian testing out a stand-up act. But always constant were the musicians – a place where you might meet Dennis Keith Johnson (bass player for the band Survivor) the same night the audience spontaneously belts out Butch’s anthem, a song otherwise known as “Heinous Bitch,” written by a onetime shipyard worker, Nick Shane, in two chords after Shane’s brother’s third ex-wife.

Photo by Melissa Gorsuch.

The Wednesday-night jams – now the stuff of legends in the wake of the recent fire that burned Butch’s to the ground – were started by Jamey Clark, an in-demand drum jammer and member of numerous bands, including The Dirty Deuce with Rob Atwood, and currently, Cathy Grier and the Troublemakers. 

There had always been an open mic somewhere along 3rd Avenue, Clark said, rotating to different venues depending on the year or decade: Nautical, Poh’s, Van’s, the Red Room. A void opened in 2016. Clark filled it with Butch’s Open Jam every Wednesday night, year-round, 8 pm – midnight. The rest is history.

“There was no precedent, no rules, no holds barred,” Clark said. “You bring whatever you want.”

Or take nothing at all but yourself and a desire to perform.

Jamey Clark and Rob Atwood of Dirty Deuce. Photo by Melissa Gorsuch.

First the floor, then a little stage, and always guitars, amps, a bass, keyboards, a drum kit, stage lighting and a PA system largely donated and operated by master sound engineers Teflon and Aaron Fisher.

“Plug in and play,” said local musician Nick Orlock.

“Sometimes people would bring their bands,” Clark said. “Otherwise, it was the sum of its parts, and the magic that can happen in the spontaneity of the moment.”

Cathy Grier and the Troublemakers. Photo by Melissa Gorsuch.

Musicians will attempt to replicate that magic to raise money for the fire’s victims. Bishop is organizing the fundraiser, lining up about 15 acts. There is no cover charge, but donations will be accepted and raffle tickets sold. Area businesses are donating merchandise for the raffle. And rumor has it that some places in Northern Door County will close early on that night so people can drive down to Sturgeon Bay to attend.Representatives of United Way of Door County will be on hand to collect the donations for the Butch’s Bar Fire Victims Relief Fund. There will also be ways to donate online. Learn more at https://m.facebook.com/events/514801406938272/?ref=newsfeed, or check Musicians Loco 333 on Facebook, a page started by some of the musicians who jammed there.

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