V23|NO31
AMYCHRISTIAN
Party Down
Surrey Tavern is the place to go for a good time‌ and has been for quite a while Matthew Widener has worked at Surrey Tavern for more than a decade, which seems like ages in bar years. Not when it comes to this one, though. “From what the owner before me said, it’s been Surrey Tavern since 1973,â€? Widener, who bought the bar nearly two years ago, said. “I don’t know if that means the building, but I do know that, before Surrey Tavern, at some point it was some sort of oyster bar. There’s an oyster pit in the back bar that we don’t use anymore.â€? Stories abound when it comes to Surrey Tavern’s history, probably because it’s been around so long that it is intertwined with a lot of local residents’ personal history. “I know my mother and father used to go here,â€? Widener says. “And we have a lot of people who met here and now they’re married with kids, all because of Surrey Tavern. And we love seeing that.â€? Everyone’s recollections of the bar’s history may differ slightly, but there’s one part of Surrey Tavern that all can easily identify, no matter how many years have passed since the last time they visited: the backdrop. “I do know it came from Surrey, England, in pieces and it’s kind of the focal point of the whole bar,â€? he said. “It’s real Tiffany glass and someone came in and appraised the mirror several years ago and said that it was worth thousands of dollars. Just the mirror.â€? Little has changed in Surrey Tavern since Widener took over ownership and the little that did were cosmetic upgrades that had been needed for quite some time. “I put a big facelift on it, made it look like a tavern,â€? he said. “It needed some love, as far as the look of it goes.â€? He did, however, institute a no smoking policy on the weekends. The most important aspect of Surrey hasn’t changed, however: the music and the party atmosphere that the live music generates. “We’ve stuck with the rhythm and blues era ever since I’ve been here and I don’t plan on changing it,â€? Widener said. “We break out from time to time, but our main focus is jazz and rhythm and blues. To me, that’s party and dance music and how can you go wrong? I think that’s why people love
Surrey Tavern during Masters Week.â€? Playback The Band Featuring Tutu Dyvine, Soul Dimensions and Tony Williams and the Blues Express all play the tavern regularly. “We used to have Playback a lot more,â€? he said. “They’ve been playing at Surrey‌ I can’t remember when it was, but I remember them saying that they needed to have a 20-year reunion and that was years ago. I can easily say that’s been 25 years. And Soul Dimensions has been there almost as long.â€? Upcoming are bands like Whiskey Gentry on August 10, who Widener is excited about featuring, as well as Old You and the Mike Frost Jazz Band. And that’s in addition to the Beer Olympics on Tuesdays, in which beer for drinking games is free; trivia on Wednesdays and, now, karaoke on Thursdays. “I really hate karaoke but this is going to be a little different,â€? Widener said. “We’re going to have Tony Williams and David Heath and they’re going to be up on stage with you, so we’re calling it Rock Out Karaoke. It’s kind of like karaoke with a band. We’ve seen it done in bigger cities but I don’t think anybody in Augusta has done it, so we’re going to give it a go.â€? Also up next is a new venture for Widener and the guys who own Bar West: a more upscale place in the spot formerly occupied by the Vue and the Library. It doesn’t yet have a name — Widener said the three are currently going through a long list of suggestions they got from Facebook — but plans are for it to open sometime between mid-September and the first of October. “We’re going to turn it back into an upscale nightclub for the most part, but we’re going to intertwine live music along with DJ music,â€? he explained. “It’s going to be something Augusta’s never seen before. If we can get these ideas going, it’s going to be killer.â€? For now, though, Widener is focused on doing what he does best at Surrey Tavern: Making his customers happy with great live music in a party atmosphere. “You know, the live music scene isn’t what it used to be,â€? he said. “I see a lot of bars that open and play music on the radio and have drink specials and do well. I could do that too, I guess, but this something I’m passionate about. And as long as people keep supporting Surrey, I’m going to keep doing what we’re doing.â€? Surrey Tavern | 471 Highland Avenue Monday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-3 a.m. | 706-736-1221
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