Open the folk up

Last Friday night, after a tiring evening of lugging furniture out of the old apartment and into the new, I eventually managed to get to the opening night of the new bar ''Folkklubs ala' pagrabs', a Latvian folk-themed bar in the historic part of Riga.
The co-owner and manager of the bar, Krisjanis, is a good friend of mine, and we used to get up to all sorts of mischief back in Adelaide, so I'd be lying to say I have no bias... but it really is a nice place, trust me.

I arrived at 11pm and the festivities had been going on since 7 (this was obvious by my friends' glazed eyes and my frustration I wasn't as liquored as them) but there was no sign it would soon cease. I greeted all I knew in the warm basement and was soon by the bar quenching my thirst with an exquisite 'Madonas alus', one of the many great beers offered at Folkklubs. Apparently I'd missed an awesome set by Latvian bagpipe and drum group 'Auli' which I could imagine would have sounded momentous in the subterranean chambers which make up the bar but I was glad to catch the set of Krisjanis' own group 'Folkvakars'. The group, consisting of guitar, double-bass, accordeon, violin, and drums (all musicians I know personally... more bias?), plays well known Latvian folk tunes loud and proud. As I watched the quasi-mosh pit bouncing in front of the small stage and the sweaty and talented musicians joyfully ripping through each number, my fatigued body started moving a bit and my almost-switched-off mind reawakened for a while. I was smiling and thinking 'why hasn't there been a band like this before? By God we've all needed one...' (well...those of us who have been 'into' Latvian folk music for a while).

I downed my second beer and made a bit of a sneaky exit - for I wished not to explain to every single person why I just couldn't stay awake any longer - and I walked past the unfinished mural which lies over the stairs leading into the folk-den, and out into the crisp air where all the smokers mingle, and rode home thinking how much potential the bar has and that I shall surely return (not just because I'm a biased friend!).