BurleyFest honors Somewhere Else Tavern owner

Burley Hayes going to the great beyond sent a shockwave through the Triad music community. The stalwart supporter of local, original music and operator of the Somewhere Else Tavern fostered generations of area musicians — who look back on his legacy with thanks and celebrate his life — and the lives of bands he helped bring into the world, through a three-day festival of shows, May 19-21, at the Rockhouse GSO.

BurleyFest will be free, with donations collected for his wife, Crystal, and memories to be collected and shared for everyone else.

And memories abound.

For folks of a certain age — the whole gamut of area Gen-X and Millennial generations — Somewhere Else Tavern (affectionately known as "the Tavern" or SWET), offered a sense of belonging. A place to play and a place to hang. All ages, all creeds. No judgment. Just a weirdo tinderbox pumping original bands and a big ol’ dude — Burley — sitting like a shepherd atop the dive bar's wooden stairs.

And like any good shepherd, Burley meant so much to so many — having almost inadvertently created a unique environment that fostered experimentation and opened possibilities for artists typically considered too young or too out there.

You may not have belonged much of anywhere, but you always belonged at Somewhere Else. And we have Burley to thank for that.

BurleyFest organizer, Louis Money, considers the festival a work of gratitude. His band, Trailer Park Orchestra plays Friday at 11 p.m. and was also the last band to play the Tavern. In booking the festival, he's attempted to honor Burley's memory and the openness and diversity that made S.W.E.T so special. "Burley would give everybody a chance — no matter the genre," Money said. "He basically made me not be afraid to take a chance."

Money has found keeping that spirit of variety fairly easy. "Everybody contacted me pretty quickly," he explained. "And I didn't turn anybody down that was doing original music — which is what you know Burley did. He never turned anybody down so I didn't want to."

For Richard Wilson of Orange Jumpsuit, who’ll play before Trailer Park Orchestra on Friday, being on the bill is an honor. "I can't express the fun, the friends, and the memories we had playing at SWET. I can't wait to play in remembrance of the man himself, along with all the other killer bands."

Jeremy from We Rise to Fall (who follows Trailer Park Orchestra to close out Friday night) agreed. "Burley gave his life to music and to make sure all of us kids had a place to play and listen to the music we loved," he said. "The world truly lost a special soul, but we’re all forever grateful for the memories, the love, and the music!"

It's a sentiment echoed by "Whisky Christy" Hopkins — her Half Pint Orchestra plays at 7 p.m. on Friday. "Burley seemed to make everyone feel like a rock star," she said. "He certainly made me feel like one. Not every band I saw there was good, but every musician was treated like they belonged. Ours is an acoustic band and he loved us anyway. His need for originals was a motivation to write songs before I started writing songs, even before I had to band to book. Burley believed in all of us. He knew I could, so I did."

For Chris Powell and Royal Jelly (who’ll perform Saturday at 7 p.m.) and so many others — this writer included — the Tavern offered a second home for the youth. "There will never be another place quite like Somewhere Else," Powell said. "Burley was a steward of original music. Always with a good sense of humor, decency, and quick to forgive. He opened doors for everyone, and that's something we could all reflect on in today's society. He’ll be missed far and wide, but his spirit remains in everyone he reached."

David Shoush from Despair the Plague (who plays before Royal Jelly on Saturday) holds a similar sense of home for the Tavern. "I’ve played at SWET all my life," he said. "You could call Burley and always get a show. Never a no from him. He supported all local music types. I have so many great memories there. Burley will be missed."

Logan Abdo from Lo (who plays Sunday at 4 p.m.) also credits Burley with opening the doors to his craft. "Burley was one of the first people who gave me a chance at playing a lot of shows and it's impacted how I perform and make music now in tremendous ways," Abdo said. "Burley was always the type to include everyone even if it meant having to go out of his way to help someone he would do it. He made the path to making a successful music career possible by allowing me, and many others, the opportunity to share our passion and make lifelong friends along the way.

Clay Howard feels the same — having found a home at the Tavern in tandem with performing his first official show — on Thursday, April 2, 1992, to be exact. "My first ‘real’ band played my first paid gig at the Tavern," Howard said. "It was the first place I played original songs — I was scared to death to not be hiding behind a cover, but Burley gave us a stage. And it changed everything. It wasn't about the money, it wasn't about the size of the room or the size of the audience in it — it was the music. Burley supported us and we found our home in music because of that." Somewhat retreating back into the coverden, Howard captains the Camel City Yacht Club along with an array of original outfits these days — he’ll play an acoustic solo set Sunday at 8 p.m.

Looking back, it was easy to take the Tavern for granted. Those degrees of openness and accessibility for artists can be a two-way street: for all the great bands I saw, I also spent the sets from just as many awful ones outside — making merry and underage mischief, along with memories I treasure and practices I continue to hone.

I can honestly say I don't know how I’d have turned out without Burley and the Tavern. And the same is true for so many Greensboro folks I know — I’ve watched artists who played some of their first shows at SWET go on to grace the covers of LA Weekly, or lead classes at esteemed recording schools in Nashville, or pack major festival stages, and even perform on the dang Tonight Show.

It's where I first started taking photos of bands as my friends were forming them. It's where I first started mulling the descriptors of artistry I have the privilege of unfurling for you fine readers today.

Growing up, I assumed every town had a weirdo dive bar that booked a group of gaggling eighth-grade punkers the exact same way it did seasoned professionals and national acts (fans of the 90s alt-rockers Morphine might enjoy the nod given to Burley and "the crowd of 30 attentive fans," around the 30-minute mark of the 2014 documentary "Morphine Journey Of Dreams").

But it was a rare breed of a place, run by a rare breed of a burley man, who I’m beyond thankful to have known.

It's hard for me to pinpoint a favorite Burley story, but I look forward to hearing what folks have to share. BurleyFest, a three-day celebration for Burley Hayes, goes down May 19-21 at Rockhouse GSO. A full lineup and more information can be found on Facebook.

Katei Cranford is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

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