Tonight I took in my first taste of New Music West alongside Arieanna, Ianiv, and Duane (who was my official photographer for the evening) at the Red Room.

The event was the 604 Records showcase - no relation although my ears did perk up whenever someone thanked ‘604′.

Unfortunately I must admit that despite the acts being incredibly talented our overall experience at the Red Room was pretty sour.

We arrived in time to catch Jessie Farrell on stage and Lisa Bettany in the crowd, snapping some shots of her performance. Although country music never has been my thing, you can tell these artists are very talented and from the reaction of the audience they have a huge fan-base.

The next set was performed by Aaron Pritchett and his band. Again, super country JRfm type tunes but Aaron had a pretty amazing voice… and dang were his arms muscular… but I digress. Duane started to get in the country music groove relating to such lyrics as, “hold my beer while I kiss your girlfriend.”

Before Armchair Cynics took the stage we discovered something unsettling; Ianiv was being hassled at the bar because they wanted him to pay for a glass of water. Apparently the Red Room has a policy that tap water is only free if you order it alongside a purchased alcoholic beverage.

Being the designated driver for the evening he was not about to order a rum and coke so he disputed the charge they were enforcing for a single glass of H20.

With a bitter taste left in our parched mouths, we sat through two songs of the set by Armchair Cynics and took off. For a girl who never has and never will like country music, the first half of the night was the most enjoyable by far - until we ran into the Red Room’s preposterous “designated drivers must pay for tap water” policy. As Duane said, “what, you want me to go drink from the toilet?”

Tomorrow we’ll check out some more talent but I’m afraid I will not be stepping foot inside the Red Room at any point in the foreseeable future.

For more of this evening’s coverage, check out Duane’s Flickr photos, and Ianiv’s wrap up post including his photos as well.