ARTS ALIVE | Scene Around Town

It is always a temptation to get out of the kitchen on a sunny day. The first time I recall dining outdoors at a restaurant was at a location by the Río de la Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina. My family had moved there in 1973 so that my dad could manage a project for General Motors. We were wined and dined (yes, even I, at the tender age of sixteen, was served wine) at wonderful places throughout the historic city. The padillas are grills located mainly in the Palermo neighborhood, near the sports arenas. The smoky aroma of barbecued meats wafted along the sidewalks. When we walked into what I remember being called a casita, or little house, there was an open fire

A conversation between local Aikenite, Rob Heilig, and The Red Clay Strays ahead of their Aiken Music Fest show on July 3: Slightly ahead of the 2:00pm scheduled time, my phone rang with a (251) area code that said “Alabama.” Just before answering, I thought of the CB chatter that opens the song ‘Roll On’ by the group Alabama. On the other end of the line was Andy Bishop from Mobile, Alabama, bassist for The Red Clay Strays, who will be our featured act on July 3rd at Aiken Music Fest. After some formalities, I cut to the chase on my most pressing question I’ve been wanting to ask them!