Ep 38 : 'The Sand Bar' w/ Mike Dougher

Eat the Brick – Episode 38: The Sand Bar with Mike Dougher Mike Dougher has been booking live music in Chattanooga for more than four decades, and on this episode we get into a whole lot of that history. We start with the early days at The Sand Bar and work our way through years of Chattanooga live music, including Mike’s time booking Rhythm & Brews and his work with Riverfront Nights. Along the way, Mike tells stories about Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, Leftover Salmon, Medeski Martin & Wood, Derek Trucks, North Mississippi Allstars, Colonel Bruce Hampton, Hootie & the Blowfish, Reverend Horton Heat, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and a whole lot more. He even talks about a couple of shows he wishes he’d booked — including turning down The Dixie Chicks and The Mavericks. We also talk about the music business from a booker’s perspective: what musicians get wrong when they email venues, what catches a booker’s attention, and some of the lessons Mike has picked up after 40-plus years of putting bands on stages. We get into the decision to bring tribute bands to Riverfront Nights, why those shows work, and how they can help make room for Chattanooga’s original local music scene. If you remember The Sand Bar or Rhythm & Brews, grew up seeing live music in Chattanooga, or just want to hear some great stories from the road and the other side of the booking desk, this is a good one.