Jams at Ugly Mugs

Did I mention I think I found my favorite non-Chocoholic coffee shop downtown? Before it opened I even thought the name they chose would make a clever title for a coffee shop. Not kidding. With local shops like “Higher Grounds” and “Sufficient Grounds” when we started a basement venue called the “Underground Cafe” coffee conneseurs were quick to tell me it sounded like we didn’t know how to grind coffee beans. Especially now that we’ve outgrown the basement and moved to a new location (and never have coffee!) we kept the name for the branding. Plus all the cool t-shirts I have with the place’s name.

So anyhow, I’ve been fortunate to catch some good local music at Ugly Mugs downtown, which has one of the best designed stages of any downtown coffee house. (That there is a stage alone says something welcoming to performers!) The favorite and most recent is the Jess Strantz band. (What started as a solo piano / acoustic guitar vocalist act incorporated a shredding bassist and kickin drummer.) Here’s a handful of my favorite shots from the set while hanging with guys from the Underground crew.

Click on any of the photos or CLICK HERE to see the whole set in the gallery. Enjoy!

Well played, Jess, Jess and Aaron!