Buzzed-about spot The Well already has great vibe

matt ward/special to knoxville.com A crowd gathers on the opening weekend of The Well.

Jamming at The Well

Brendan James Wright jams with Corey Kembro ...

Sizing up the cracked pavement at the edge of my driveway, I gently stepped close to my minivan to avoid the mud left behind from the winter's first snow melting away. All I needed would be to rush out the door only to slip and smoosh my camera bag into the soft soil right before hitting the road for another nightlife piece. As I have come to know Knoxville winters to do, the temperatures were rising and the folks were heading indoors for a stiff drink and some live entertainment sustenance.

No sign illuminated the parking lot as I arrived at 4620 Kingston Pike on the near west end of town. In fact, a phone call was needed to find out the bar entrance was located between Spex Optical and Lenny's Subs. Noise drifted up the stairs as I entered.

I descended to the basement bar and immediately noticed three things. First, there was no gatekeeper checking IDs and smearing ridiculous ink all over my hand. Secondly, no smoke flying up into my face. Finally, no unnecessary frills with the flooring. Just slightly polished concrete from wall to wall. To the right was a pool table off by itself and past that were the restrooms. I stepped to the lavatory and was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, but this was the second night the place was open, so I guess that had better be the case.

The more I thought about it, the more I could see the virtue in having a place without a flashing neon sign blinking to the average passerby, attracting cover band fans and karaoke lovers like idiot flies to a bug light. The Well already seems to have a strong word-of-mouth in the Knoxville area. I found out about the venue from both my editors the same day I heard about it on Twitter and through a friend.

I came out to the main room where a blue glowing bar lined the back wall. I learned later this was one of the only fixtures kept from when the bar had been a dance club called 4620 Reinvented. The folks who ran it eventually closed it down and moved operations to the Old City, where they found great success with their dance club-themed nightlife destinations. A large mirror extended the length of the bar with various things written on it in marker including a message that said "A Work In Progress." I thought about this too, and realized that any good establishment should always be just that: a work in progress. A venue should always be willing to change and adapt to their customers' needs and desires.

To the left of the bar was the stage, an eight-inch raised platform large enough to fit a full band. Two fellas sat on stools sound checking and getting ready to start playing. The Well boasted on its Facebook page that it was the only venue in the Bearden neighborhood featuring original music five nights a week. This was good to know because covers can get a guy like me only so interested.

When I got my beer, I met owner Gina Truitt, former owner of The Spot, a popular Knoxville neighborhood bar. Gina brought a popular fixture of The Spot with her in the oddly morphed Bear/Wolf statue appropriately named "beer wolf."

I fell in love with the vibe of the crowd very quickly. It was as if there was a reunion of The Spot's old cast of regulars along with some curious folks like myself who had tuned in to the social buzz about the place and found their way to the venue.

The music wasn't too loud and it was possible to step away to the opposite end of the bar to get away from it enough to have a conversation. Booths lined the wall furthest from the stage, which is where I stationed myself long enough to write the introduction of this piece. If you are in the mood for some live music, or maybe just some beer and conversation, or maybe even some Beer Wolf, then head on down to The Well, where you won't come out smelling like an ashtray's butt, but you likely will come out with some friends you will know for a long time.

© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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