Sometimes you just want to go to a pub where you feel at home.
It’s simple, really.
Most classic things are. Life is chock full of complicated things that we quickly grow tired of. However, life’s simplest treats are the most enjoyable.
Sunshine, walks in the woods. A good meal. Music, dance and a bottle of wine. A heartfelt conversation with a best friend.
All of these things are what we truly live for.
So when I say that there are places where we love to frequent to shield ourselves from the slings and arrows of this crazy world, you would know exactly what I mean.
One of those places is The Three Blind Mice Irish Pub, in downtown Mount Clemens. It has filled that role in many people’s lives for more than one hundred years, now.
A refuge.
A fortress of solace.
An escape from everything this world assails us with.
Carl and I play music there, and yet some of it is more therapy than not. You see, we use it as a form of musical expression. Singing the songs that we have pent up inside us, provides us with a release that allows us to share and console those who frequent its bar stools, looking for fellowship, escape or redemption.
Aural therapy, you might say.
A good “watering hole” is really worth its weight in gold, as it is a true benefit to a thriving community. It is a gathering place, a source for news and opinion, and even a clubhouse for those who need to feel safe and at ease.
It can be a barometer of how viable the community is, as well. If the pub is full, the city will prosper, and visa-versa. We have watched Mount Clemens, thrive and wither during our lifetime, and hope to see it’s resurgence happen again someday as well.
Although I can’t really say that we feel we have seen it all in our lives, we have been around long enough to see many things that we can’t explain, and a few we can.
We see the contentment and smiles, the happy people and the intersecting of lives in motion, all from our view in front of the whiskey barrels.
When that front door opens and customers take their seats, we know that for a short time, at least, they are giving us the opportunity to feed their souls, replenish their spirits and sometimes take them away from their troubles. Often all at the same time.
Our hope is that our music is all part of the contentment and catharsis that lures patrons back each week and year. We try and play songs that speak to the souls of those who listen; engaging their minds and acknowledging their feelings.
They feel welcome within these hallowed walls, and for the most part are open to anything we choose to offer them musically. That is one great reason why we return.
On this particular Friday evening, right after we settle in to begin, we were lucky enough to have some wonderful friends stop by and share their night with us. Something that means so much to us, it’s difficult to even put into words.
They listened and requested songs and just made the first part of the night so warm and enjoyable. We love it when we meet people, make a connection and then have them return for years to share their lives through the joy of music.
After they left, we began chatting with some great guys at the bar, who stopped by and got hooked not he music. We played song after song that they liked, and really surprised them with our musical repertoire.
Seemingly as soon as they headed out to their next destination, two young guys sat down at the table right in front of us. One of them was from Texas, and the other from Tennises, I believe. They drank, requested songs and were delighted when we could play each and every one of them.
They bought us shots, and we played more music. It was great fun for everyone involved.
Pretty soon it was time to finish, and look back at another amazing night at The Three Blind Mice
It truly is a place where everyone feels welcome, happy and at ease. This safe house for song, conversation and ale will probably still be around five hundred years from now.
What makes me sure, you ask?
Because the things that last forever are simple: Good friends, family and true love.
Burt Bacharach said it in best in song . . .
“I believe in love Alfie. Without true love, we just exist.“
Rb
Alfie
What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie
