Shorty's Music Series Finishes Strong

For nearly a year and a half, Tucker residents and out-of-towners alike have flocked to pizza joint on Wednesday nights not only for good food, but also for great music. For many of us, the latter was the bigger draw, and sadly, after all this time, the mid-week series has come to a close.

It was a bittersweet blowout last night as an array of talented musicians rotated across the stage, and since has been there since the beginning, we thought it only fitting to see it through to the end.

For hours, there wasn’t an available table and people crowded around the bar, patio door and bathrooms to listen, dance and take pictures of the final show. The entire parking lot was packed, cars spilling into an upper lot and patrons taking the downhill trek to get to the venue. We all wondered why an event that draws such a crowd would be shut down.

“They say they aren't making any money, which is nearly impossible to think since it's their busiest night,” says Richie Jones, who has organized the series since its inception. “I found out that they are going to try to do the concert series themselves after I leave,” he says, and to the crowd of local patrons and collection of amazing artists he’s cultivated for the series, this seems unfair.

However, if last night’s showing was any indication of what Shorty’s and the Tucker community will be missing when the series pulls out, it wouldn’t be surprising to see its return one day. It was truly an outstanding show.

Donna Hopkins on guitar, Matt Stallard on standup bass and Jones on drums kicked off the evening. An acoustic set by young talent and powerhouse vocalist—not to mention recently accepted Julliard student—Julia Latimer followed. The collaboration really took off after that as India Hopkins, Donna’s daughter, and Josh Louchiey climbed on stage to bring some uplifting hip hop to the Shorty’s scene.

“With all the hip hop out there today, this really excites me because it’s positive and fresh,” Donna said of Louchiey.

Ralph Roddenbery and Diane Durrett joined to bring a bit of percussion and back up before set break saw Carly Gibson and B.J. Wilbanks onto stage for a shift into a more folky sound.

“I love these two, man,” Roddenberry told another patron over the din of the music and crowd.

Every time you looked up, a new face was on stage, a new collaboration of genres was happening—if dancing between the tables is a sign of pleasure, everyone was loving it!

David Grace, friend of the artists, long-time fan and patron of the series since the beginning says, “I hate to see the weekly Shorty’s concert series end because I’ve had a lot of great evenings here. Just look at all the talented local musicians that have graced the stage tonight and throughout the duration of the series.” Simply listening to surrounding conversations, this seemed to be the general consensus. Check out the Shorty’s series’ Facebook page for confirmation—no one seems happy to see it go. You’ll also find some pretty strong whispers on the page from Jones who plans to take the tunes and their fans elsewhere.

“Things are really looking up y'all. Just had a meeting at a new possible venue in Decatur. It's got it all folks! Major awesome food and huge beer variety…It's cozy yet larger. The owners are meeting Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed!” Jones posts.

Shorty’s had grown, in many people’s minds, into a place where they could meet up with friends, hear great music, take their families out during the week and have some good food. It was becoming an established hub for local musicians to collaborate. Time will be the indicator for whether or not the staff can bring in the caliber of crowds and talent Jones has over the past year and half, and while it’s an unfortunate end to a great thing, the series undoubtedly had a strong finish.