Main Street Museum Rocks on a Saturday Night

Jon Silman

"It's Saturday night at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction. Already cluttered with deer heads, full bookshelves and glass cases, the space is now overrun by more than 80 people, mostly 20-somethings with beer cans in hand. Let's just say things are a little cozy. Guitar cases, cases of beer and suitcases stuffed with instrument cables are crammed into all the available corners.

The museum hosts musicians at least once a month, and has been doing so for the past three years. Tonight, Upper Valley bands The Pilgrims, The Law Abiders, Pariah Beat and River City Rebels are on the bill. Dan O'Day, 32, from Lebanon, the lead singer of RCR, organized the show.

"It's the only venue that we have in the Upper Valley that embraces all types of original music," he says. "You used to have to go through VFW halls or the American Legion to play shows. It's the only place to play our music to our fans locally."

...At 8p.m., the Pilgrims hit the stage. Well, you can't really call it a stage, considering there's only room for a drum set on it, but band members play snugly in front of it, on the floor. The lights are low. Red and green lasers throw patterns on the aged wooden walls, and it looks like paint-splattered light... [Pariah Beat] hit an energy peak: the room smells like spilled Heinekin. The crowd screams against the backdrop of paintings of wintry Vermont farmhouses and horses. A man walks past the band carrying a large black garbage bag, collecting empty beer bottles, and the guitar player grabs the bag and pretends to puke in it during a song...The guy with the trash bag calls out,"If you see any trash-this place is nice to us, please throw it away."