When you look at what Madison has become lately, widely recognized as one of the great small music towns in America, and widely known as Indiana’s Music City, it’s only natural to wonder, “How did it all begin?” It’s a question I ask often as I interview people for this column, and it turns out there is no single answer.
Some will point to our heritage as a river town and melting pot, much like New Orleans or Chicago, where people migrated and brought their musical talents. More recently, some will mention a single guitar teacher who gave lessons to scores of local residents and fostered a legacy of guitar masters in our town. And some will mention JoeyG, how he came to town about 25 years ago and energized the scene with his bar and record store.
But before Joey’s, in fact at the very location where JoeyG established his bar and what would later become Off Broadway Taproom today, before both of these some 30 years ago, a woman named Sandra Lacey came to town and opened Lacey’s Tavern. She still lives here in Madison, and I caught up with her at her cozy home near the John Paul Park area.
“I grew up in North Chicago in an area called Kenilworth, and then ultimately lived just over in Indiana in the Valpo region. I used to come down to Southern Indiana and Cincy to go antiquing. Lots of Chicago people came down here, it was known for great bargains.
“When I would be in Madison I’d stay at the old Hereford Hotel where I became good friends with Trish Hereford. Even then I could tell there was something going on in this town, because they had live music pretty much all the time there at the hotel.
“Anyway, I started to get this idea that maybe I could buy a building and be a part of Madison. Maybe I could contribute in some way. The great thing about his town is the ability to do just about anything you want and express yourself. There is opportunity here, and the people will support you. I thought to myself, maybe I can do something with music?
“So I bought the building on Main Street where the Taproom is now. It was the county license branch at the time, but it had been Knoble-Bird clothing before that. People told me the upstairs balcony area sold Scouting supplies to all the local kids back in the day.
“Anyway, I bought it and started turning it into a bar and restaurant. I found this amazing huge back bar at Architectural Salvage in Louisville. They said it came from an oyster house that used to be in town. I told them if they’d build me the front bar to match, I’d buy it. They did, and I did! It’s been a central fixture in that location ever since.
“So we got up and running, and our food was an immediate success. It was all very fresh and local, and the cook I hired was a miracle worker. People wanted to buy our chicken salad by the gallon, but we wouldn’t sell it to go. You had to sit down to enjoy it! But right away I knew I wanted to add music to the mix. And I knew what kind of music … I wanted to feature the blues. I am from Chicago, after all.
“Kenny Guthrie had a band that played country rock around town, and he came in and asked if I would book them. And I said, Kenny, if you can put together a blues band, it’s a deal. Well sure enough, he came back about a week later and said he’d put together a blues band, so we put them up in the front window and turned them loose! That was the birth of the Blues Devils.
“They played about twice a month and they always packed the place. So we added some other bands and some other styles of music. It was a lot of fun and I like to think it helped build the culture of live music here in Madison. We had Lacey’s from 1993 to about ‘99 when I sold it to Joey Gayles. I remember Joey would call me in the early days and ask me, Sandra, now what do I do? I’d tell him, just book the bands Joey, keep the faith, and the people will come!”
You can still get a feel for this great musical tradition on Main Street in Madison by visiting the Off Broadway Taproom. The bar that Sandra had made is still in use, the music stage that Joey added is still at the front of the room, and the tradition of fresh, local food is still being carried on by Chef Gabby. Whether visiting Madison or a die-hard local, the can’t miss refrain is always “Let’s go to the Taproom!”
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
The Lighthouse floating restaurant is back open (after a long winter and a big ol’ flood) and they are featuring lots of fun and interesting music. We locals really should never take for granted how absolutely cool it is to have a floating music venue, where you can have a drink, enjoy some food, and soak up the glorious sunsets. Most towns and cities along the river have nothing like it! This week they have the regular Bee Camp Bottom Boys show on Wednesday, Karaoke on Thursday, and then two new names with Jimmy Dairs on Friday and Bug Bot on Saturday. It’s a lot of fun to go to see a new band and just give it a chance. You never know when you’ll strike gold! The other show I want to point out is Jordan Wilson’s album release event at Red Bicycle Hall on Friday. Original music is the lifeblood of our creative little music town, and I urge you to give Jordan (and all our songwriters) your heartfelt support.
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