Strike a Familiar Chord

By Hannah Lee | Photography by Beth Mann

‘A corner tavern full of locals of all stripes’ keeps the music playing.

It’s the neon pink, 2-foot-tall flamingos near the stage and around the bar that newcomers notice first. There’s plastic bats, wings spread, hanging from the ceiling amid string lights illuminating tiki-inspired decorations. Passersby peek curiously into the door’s window.

But it’s not a party – it’s just another Sunday evening at Nash Street Tavern, a Hillsborough bar and live music venue where eclectic meets old-fashioned, customers sport blue jeans, and the stage decor can change on a whim.

“There have been some pretty outlandish designs [over the years], and the bands and patrons really seem to get a kick from them,” says Scott “Paz” Pasley, one of the tavern’s founding members.

Andrew Bryant, Nash Street's general manager, serves drinks behind the bar.

The decor is a highlight, but it isn’t the main draw for regulars. Paz opened the bar in 2015, a year after his other South Nash Street music venture next door, The Depot at Hillsborough Station, closed. “Thevenue attitude came naturally,” he says. “Amazingly, the room already had good acoustic qualities, and musicians, sometimes as many as eight, will happily squeeze onto the stage to play. We regularly get feedback that our room is a favorite for bands to play in the area because of the small-room vibe.”

Husband-and-wife duo Mike June and Jess Klein were drawn to the tavern’s ambience when they moved to Hillsborough from Austin, Texas, three years ago. The couple approached Paz about introducing monthly performances called “First Sunday Music Review.”

“We’ve both spent a lot of time on the road,” says Jess, a nationally known singer-songwriter, “and we felt that it was really important to both of us that we build something locally where we live. Mike’s whole idea was that it would be really low pressure, just a fun thing where we could let loose and try different stuff with our band. Nash Street seemed like the perfect place for that because it has a good, mellow, easygoing vibe.”

During the first Sunday in December, Mike and Jess performed a bluesy-rock show complete with original songs from Jess’ latest album, “Back to My Green.” The couple and their band have had a residency at the bar since March and draws a consistent crowd.

Almost every seat was filled for Jess and Mike's Sunday performance in December.

As they began their first set, music traveled through the walls, outside to the corner of

Eno and South Nash streets. Mike danced his fingers along the guitar and nodded at familiar faces trickling into the bar.

The excitement of the music amid the calm, relaxed mood, the friends and the family, the beers on tap and the dartboards waiting to be played – this place is home for many.

As for those funky decorations? Well, they were recently installed by the venue’s sound technician, who goes by “Rainbow Cabbage.” “She evidently felt that a luau was appropriate for the post- Thanksgiving weekend,” Paz jokes. “Most of the time we are just a corner tavern full of locals of all stripes, enjoying a conversation with old friends or someone new, playing darts after work, watching a game or just chilling out with a friendly bartender.”

That’s just who they are, pink flamingos and all.