A packed house at Alchemy Tavern on Joachim Street counted down to 2015 with two of Mobile’s busiest local acts, and the night delivered a moment nobody in the room will forget.
Underhill Family Orchestra took the stage shortly before midnight, rolling out brand-new material alongside selections from their latest release, Stories of Appalachia Proper. Mid-set, guitarist and songwriter Steven Bryte Laney stopped the show for an onstage proposal to his girlfriend, Susanna Beique — who said yes to loud cheers from the crowd.
The band carried the celebration straight through the countdown with a full room behind them. True to form, members traded instruments and swapped vocal duties all night, blending electric guitars with lap steel and mandolin in the layered, multi-songwriter sound that has become their signature.
Mob Towne Revival keeps the party going
With the new year officially underway, Mob Towne Revival kept the room moving into the early morning hours. The band’s genre-mixing set — equal parts ska, hip-hop and rock, driven by a horn and woodwind section over a tight rhythm section — drew some of its biggest response on the single “Repo Man.”
Alchemy Tavern, now operating under new ownership, has made local music a centerpiece of its calendar, with recent sets from acts including Sister Helen, The Red Right Hands and The Hallers. The Volks, another downtown favorite, were set to keep the momentum going with a January 23 show, doors at 9 p.m.