Music that bonds a Community
Every Thursday Night, Bill Creel and Joe Solomon set up their gear and bring music to the patrons dining at Rising Sun Bistro in Brooksville.
Bill and Joe are both former Hernando High teachers and graduates with a love for music.
Bill has been playing guitar since he was 14 and Joe turned over his trombone for drumsticks. On one fateful night in November of 2014, Bill and Joe played for a retirement party at Rising Sun. The owner Catherine Reeves loved their music and loved the energy they brought to the bistro. She wanted to make this duo a permanent addition. Bill suggested an open mic nite on Thursday nights and 18 months later they are still bringing music full swing.
“People really like it. We get a lot of talent from Hernando and Citrus counties,” Bill said.
Open mic is sort of like karaoke but you have the opportunity to have a band play with you. You can bring your own instruments or use the drums, guitars or other instruments that Bill and Joe provide.
“I like it that Bill and Joe are very friendly” musician Lynn Brainard said. “This is fun because there is no pressure and I don’t have to worry.”
Lynn Brainard of Dixie Blue plays the fiddle and her partner Jeff Miller plays the guitar.
There are a lot of bands that meet here on open mic nite, some longtime friends and others are there to make new friends and new connections.
“We all help each with events and fundraisers. We’re a big family,” Robert Swann said. Swann plays the harmonica and joins the musicians when needed.
Some of these musicians actually have been performing together for many years. Swann mentioned The Black Swans, which included himself, Lyla Neff, Bill Creel and Elliott Ambrose (currently with Tyler Creek Road). “We learned a lot from Elliot, we were pretty successful,” Swann said.
“In the music business, especially in a community like Hernando County, there are many musicians that do this. They know us and we know them, it’s a very supportive kind of business,” Joe said.
The talent and variety that comes through the doors at Rising Sun is amazing with performances by musicians of all ages and musical genres. Some artists have made it to Nashville and Carnegie Hall while others are still undiscovered Hernando County talent.
“I do karaoke at a lot of places; I just found out about this and thought it would be a lot of fun to try,” Kelsey Morrill said. Kelsey is a singer and was chosen to perform solo at Carnegie Hall in New York last year.
When you step into the Bistro you step into a unique surrounding, with exposed brick and tin embossed ceilings that emphasize a historic feeling – you know you’re standing in a building that’s a part of Brooksville’s history.
Being in that environment also connects you with the music scene. You can just sense the harmony.
“Joe’s Bar was on the corner….Next door used to be an A&P store, I used to work there,” Bill remembers when he was growing up.
Bringing back more night life is a great opportunity to build downtown Brooksville. The environment is there, the buildings are there as well as the history.
“I am a very big advocate of downtown Brooksville, sometimes I long for the older days when there was more hustle and bustle downtown,” Joe said.
Enjoy a Thursday night, with good food and great atmosphere and listen to awesome talent.
Open Mic nite is open to anyone that wants to jam or sing. It’s every Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.
Rising Sun Bistro and Market | 352-345-4802 | 10 S Main St, Brooksville, Florida 34601