Feature

By Stephen Centanni

Contributing writer

The Gulf Coast is steadily recuperating from the spiteful hand of Hurricane Katrina. After Katrina sent the waters of Mobile Bay and the Delta over The Causeway, many of its businesses were sent into limbo. The citizens of the Port City, as well as the ESho, have patiently awaited some news concerning the future of many of their favorite watering holes.

After catching glimpses of the construction being done on The Blue Gill, many of its regulars have been pulling into the parking lot on Sunday afternoons with the hope that the smell of fried seafood and the sounds of The Tip Tops would be there to greet them. On Feb. 12, 2006, their hopes will be fulfilled as Harry Johnson once again opens the doors of this Mobile Bay landmark. When we last spoke with Harry, it was unknown whether The Blue Gill would be rebuilt or allowed to sink into the murky depths due to permit concerns.

“I had an appraisal of the building with the real estate and came in at 50 percent of the pre-storm value,” says Johnson. “A little bit more than 50 percent of the value was left, so we were able to get permitted in November. It worked out great!”

Some may wonder if the same Blue Gill they left will be waiting for them when the doors open. Changes were made in the kitchen and a concrete slab was constructed in the back, but Johnson assures everyone that this will be the same ol’ Blue Gill that many have come to love.

“We really haven’t changed the stage,” Johnson explains. “We plan on putting a roof over some of the additional areas in the back to tie all of it in together, so more of it’s covered than it used to be. We don’t want to cover too much of it, so it won’t lose that outdoor feel not to mention there’s the heat factor in the summer.”

Johnson explained the only difference in appearance will be on the outside, as the deck that held the live music area of the Blue Gill was knocked off by the storm.

As the wheels once again begin to turn, Johnson and his staff have quite a bit of celebration planned for the public for the restaurant’s grand re-opening. Plans are already in the works to bring in some of Mobile’s favorite Blue Gill performers, as well as many newcomers.

“I haven’t really been on the phone yet, but I’ll definitely be bringing in some of the folks we used before like Mark Broussard,” Johnson promises. “We’re also trying to bring in some new people and also use some of the booking agents in the Southeast who are well aware of artist routing. We’ve got a 500-person capacity on the back deck. It’s all according to what the artist can command for a ticket price, and what we can spend on the artist. I’ve talked to Jack Hall from Wet Willie. I’m interested in getting his new band The Renegades of Southern Rock as well as Wet Willie with Jimmy Hall.”

The first major show at The Blue Gill takes place Valentine’s Day with a 92 Zew Second Tuesday performance from Alabama-native Michael Warren. Warren has recently released a self-titled CD and is touring in support of it. If you’re a fan of his groovy, laid-back, folk-rock sound, then you won’t be disappointed with this one.

“It’s got a lot of cool songs on there,” Warren said. “It’s got your typical love songs and songs about life and going after your dreams. Michael Panepento produced it. Some guys from my old band played drums and bass. It has a lot of influences whether it is country, soul or rock.”

Warren hit the nail on the head with his description of the music. Songs such as “Whenever” prove this musical versatility. It begins with a soulful acoustic riff, which leads into Warren’s smooth, emotional vocals. The rest of the song is peppered with distorted guitars and back-up singers. Based upon his lyrics, it was easy to see that life experience influenced Warren’s art.

“Being totally honest, I dated this girl for four years, and she dumped me,” Warren said with a chuckle. “Of course, a lot of stuff comes out relationship-wise, especially since I spent a lot of time with this girl. It was like therapy when I wrote this CD. It was getting a lot of stuff of my chest.”

If the thought is going through your head that this CD is totally dedicated to estranged relationships, be prepared to be proven wrong. Warren finds musical inspiration in other facets of life, too.

“It comes from my upbringing, and a lot of it came from me deciding to put school on the backburner and go after the music thing,” Warren explains. “You go through a lot. It’s a real emotional time.”

Looking at Warren’s tour schedule proves that he truly is going after “the music thing.” After playing The Blue Gill, Warren will tour around the Southeast and Midwest and then head out to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. For those who don’t know, the who’s who of the music industry will converge on Austin to relax and hopefully discover the next big thing.

I highly suggest that you make plans to take your Valentine down to Mobile Bay to give a big welcome back to both The Blue Gill and Michael Warren. They’ll love you for it!

Stephen Centanni is a contributing writer for Lagniappe as well as managing editor/senior writer for Volume Entertainment magazine. You can contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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