Recordings from Byron's Bar, Pomeroy, IA

Aaron Short

I’m stuck in the main section of this substack, which is intended to be a chronicle of the 2024 Friends Of Byron’s effort to get Byron’s Bar relocated before the wrecking ball got there. Unless I can sharpen my observations about that, I’m not really happy with what I’ve produced here. It’s, um, boring. We need some entertainment value.

So, I have an idea: let’s include some audio and video of various performances in the place. I have a lot of that stuff.

The Taper’s Table came into existence when Byron had an act back out at the last minute and Byron posted on Facebook that he had to cancel the show.

It took only minutes for Chad Elliott to contact him and he said he’d run up from Jefferson and do a show. The world was of course overjoyed. I was panic stricken-that was in the days when it took me an hour and a half to get there, and that’s after I’ve checklisted the stuff in my bag. I always forget something, frequently sound cards but not limited to that. I joined the topic and said something like “hoo boy, somebody put a little sign where I always sit, informing people that I will be there, but it’ll be right at start time”. I think Kirsten, the bar manager, used a sheet of paper for that, but the next week I did have a sign.

It was technically somewhat rude in the old building to “save” a front row seat, and I felt a little bad about that, but so far, in the new building, a little round table right inside the door for that purpose seems to be acceptable, and as an added benefit seems to attract Byron.

So, by way of giving back, I think I’ll try to develop this area for the sole purpose of selecting highlights from shows.

I already do that on Facebook and YouTube and in my own blog, and archive.org, but I think I’d like to do that somewhat diffently here.

In that vein, it happend again last Sunday, 2/9/25. A performer backed out due to illness and Byron began casting about for a last-minue replacement which turned out to be Aaron Earl Short from the Minneapolis area. Aaron delivered a great show. He does mostly original material, but there were a couple of covers in there, including an old standard that’s very appropriate for Byon’s:

“Going Down The Road Feeling Bad”

Poster By Aaron Short

Bonus Video “At The Church”, 6/23/24, OG Byron’s, The High Crest (Kat Darling and Aaron Short):