Photo courtesy designwallah on Flickr.
Face it: is there an establishment in Ottawa better suited to the tunes of Johnny Cash than the Elmdale Tavern? It’s not hard to imagine the country-and-western outlaw saddling up to the bar, tossing back a whiskey or seven, and then maybe knocking a few heads together – especially in the days when the reputation of the iconic Hintonburg watering hole was as unsavoury as the ne’er-do-wells Cash often sang about.
Of course, Cash, who died in 2003, is no longer with us. But were he still around, this Saturday would be his 78th birthday – a fact not lost on the folks at the Elmdale, who’ve thrown together a hard-rockin’ bash in honour of the Man in Black. Ten bucks gets you in to the party, which features a long lineup of Elmdale Tavern regulars putting their own spins on Cash classics like “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Jackson,” and “I Walk the Line,” backed by Lefty McRighty and the Shameless Bastards (who also have their own set later in the evening). And who knows, since Cash himself was renowned for his ability to reinterpret other artists’ material – his version of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” frankly, sits right up there with any of his original songs – maybe we’ll get some covers of covers too. Not that you need more convincing, but here’s the Elmdale’s argument for why you should be there:
Why? Because Johnny F**king Cash, that’s why. Also, there might be cake, just sayin’.
Doors are at 9pm. All proceeds also go to CHUO 89.1 FM’s fundraising drive – specifically to support Mr. McRighty’s own “alt-whatever” show, Lefty’s Roadhouse.
