Rams Head The Blog

It’s that nail-biting time of year when the Capital Gazette awards Annapolis area businesses with their Reader’s Choice awards. This year we’re happy to accept the title of the area’s Most Outstanding Player, taking home 4 awards and 2 finalist positions.

This year’s awards include:

Best live music venue
Best Nightspot
Best Bar
Best Guys Night Out

Finalist: Best Happy Hour, Best Beer Selection

Ya, ya – so football season’s over…. we just couldn’t help ourselves:

Annapolis' Most Outstanding Player

Just another Wednesday afternoon at Rams Head Headquarters.
Please note the detailed crossbones and “dangly” femur charm on the buckle.

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How much do you love those days when you can really let your hair down? For some it might be a slightly askew part or a little extra curl to your quaff but nonetheless you are ready to rock on with ya bad self! Whatever the flavor of entertainment we can all agree – we need to thrive, love, and dive into our respective boogie time.

This was certainly the case, January 24th 2009 at Rams Head Live’s first ever live band karaoke night with Maxxtone. Singers and not-so-much-singers flooded the stage for three hours shouting it out to their favorite jams, all the while managing to survive a sea of amp cords and pedals, no small feat mind you. As a viewer you could not help but take in the sense of euphoria flowing through each brave soul to leave the stage. And “brave soul” is no uncertain term. This is not your down home karaoke joint, (not that they aren’t FAN-TABULOUS!) but this is the big time, go hard or go home, karaoke on steroids, 400 songs to choose kinda party.

Looking around I started to realize, this is pretty righteous, leaning into a friend and yelling, “This is pretty righteous!” Every two minutes I was grabbing a stranger, a bartender, whatever, yelling, “Did you just see that?” as each performer shocked, amazed and humored to new heights.

In truth you had to walk away and appreciate how much you love those times when being a free soul is so organic.

Between a rendition of Just a Girl by No Doubt and a pretty serious Alice Cooper impersonation, these karaoke loyalists found time to throw their luck in at our Special Olympics Charity Raffle. Prizes included electric and acoustic guitars, rock band, guitar hero, things of the like. It went off without a hitch and our contributors were great! Very recently we received some feedback on the donation and could not be more elated.

As it happens, the Prince Georges County Special Olympians were able to find a little bit of their own boogie time due to the rip roaring efforts of our star-bound performers. In years past, the troop only had enough funds to take the kids for a couple practice runs and just barely outfit them for the event. Following final ceremonies other troops would sprint off to the snow tubes and let loose for the rest of the trip, celebrating their preparation, hard work and performances with some dip-dodging tube rides. Prince Georges County on the other hand would pile into the vans for a soggy two hour ride home. BUT NOT THIS YEAR! Thanks to the charitable donations made by our faithful Karaoke enthusiasts Prince Georges County Special Olympians closed out the season thrashing some snow dunes of their own. They ran off to the tube park with everyone else! How’s that for awesome?!

Whatever the weather, make sure to find your own brand of go time. Maybe it’s Jack’s Mannequin at Rams Head Live or Tift Merrit at Rams Head Onstage. Go out, get your kicks, buy your tixs, and have a blast! You deserve it and are always welcome at our stages!

Sincerely,

Rams Head: Providing kicks since 1989!

Special thanks go out to our Raffle contributors. These are the people who made it all possible!

Bay Tunes Guitars
Appalachian Bluegrass Music Shoppe
Game Crazy, Severna Park
Jason’s Music Center

From George Strait to Ozzy and everything between, I love music. No seriously, I do. My fiancé is a musician. Yes, he has written a song or two (or 8!) for me, but he’s also written songs about many other things as well – from God to hot cocoa to Cartesian anxiety. He’s a fantastic songwriter (which is a statement I believe I can make honestly without any threat of bias) but what I appreciate most about his music is its personal nature, the heart and story behind the song. Because he’s my fiancé, I get the privilege of having a permanent, all access “Behind The Music” pass – as he tweaks and practices, I get to hear the words and melodies begin to melt together as he forms the final and beautiful creation. It is a unique insight into his artistic and imaginative mind.

So no doubt, when I heard Jo Dee Messina was making a stop at Chesapeake College for her “Music Room” Series, I was stoked.

The Music Room Series is a little 2 ½ week acoustic tour Jo Dee’s doing to give her fans “a more intimate experience with her and her music” incorporating a large audience-participation dynamic (including a question and answer session) into each night.” The simple, acoustic performances will give concert goers a look the songs’ selection process and songwriting that went into the records that fans have come to know and love.

Jo Dee Messina will perform live at Chesapeake College on April 26th

Check out Jo Dee’s interview with CAT Country in Salisbury last week where she tells us a little more about the show’s format. Then get yer butt to the show on April 26th so you can hear the stories behind her hits like “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “I’m Alright,” “Bye Bye,” “Bring On The Rain” and more.

PS – Are you a member of the Twittersphere? A little insider tid bit – Jo Dee just joined too!

Nothing shows your true colors then a little competition; I think it’s a great place for a first date. You can check the intelligence level whille seeing if they have adolescent tendencies when they don’t get what they want. Bonus: see if they can make fun of themselves in light of being wrong. Nothing would scream run for the hills more than a guy/gal who yells obscentities, throws their chicken wings at the trivia screen and spits their beer at the competition to the table next to you. Ahhh, the joys of dating.

Therefore, I declare that Trivia Tuesday night should switch it’s name to First Date Revelations.

Rams Head Tavern Savage Mill

Trivia Tuesday. starting at 7pm.
Rams Head Tavern Savage Mill
8600 Foundry Street | Savage, MD | 20763
301.604.3454
1st dates not included. $3 beer specials available.

You’ve seen her – dressed in zebra stir-ups or faux furs matted down with gold chains.

You’ve heard her – L.E.S. Artists, her second single and infectious breakthrough hit of 2008, was everywhere: mending heartbreak on The Hills and even blogged about by one Mr. Kanye West for it’s video’s unique artistry and style.

It’s hard to miss her. Her bold and expressive sense of fashion, her flamboyant artistic expression, and her genre-fighting sound draws immediate and inevitable comparisons to M.I.A. — something Santigold herself finds to be both confusing and appropriate. That’s interesting, because that’s exactly how we feel about her Robert Palmer-esque dancers… you know, the ones that appear in every video. The ones with the old school hip hop/art school dance moves…. the ones with the Ray Ban shades and high-waisted hot pants…come one you know what one’s we’re talking about — these ones:

Wondering where she claims the best donuts can be found? What she does when she exits the stage? Her thoughts on drinking pee for desert survival? She’ll charm your pants off in this interview from Coachella ’08:

You’ve seen  her. You’ve heard her. Now experience her perform at Rams Head Live on May 31. She claims that her “favorite song to perform” changes with every show… gee, any thoughts on which track might get her Baltimore crowd hot and heavy? Maybe the one that was produced by a guy who’s name starts with a “D” and ends with an “iplo”?…

Whether you’re a regular friend at happy hour or you work alongside us in the tavern, you’re probably pretty familiar with Rams Head traditions. As a guest, you’ve been here at the crack-o-dawn for our annual anniversary celebrations. As an employee you might remember being asked to run to El Torro Bravo for a bucket of steam or to Tsunami for a left handed soup ladel. On whichever side of the family you fall, we’ll continue working hard to let you know how much we appreciate you and the time you spend with us.

No. We do not send fuzzy greeting cards on your birthday. Nor do we ship Santa-shaped tins of fruit cake at Christmas. What we will do is continue to provide you with things that you want and need… like our World Beer Club membership. We figured you’d get a little more joy and a little less indigestion (reference to Aunt Pam’s last Cajun Catfish bake) out of drinking some cold beers out of your very own cup, while sitting next a plaque with your very own name and completion number, while wearing your World Beer Club Member t-shirt, while eating the World Beer Club Sandwich.

We got to wondering: With 100 beers to choose from, which would you pick first? So we asked some family members:

Tara Dulaney, Zooptix DOO
Member since: 2004
Beers left on wall: 70
First choice: “Lindemans Cherry Kriek-Lambic”

______________________________________________________________________________

Erin B. McNaboe, VP Rams Head Group
Beers left on wall: 54
Member since: 2000
First choice: “Fordham Seasonal, and I still carry my passport in my wallet”

(Notice the taped edges and random doodles)

______________________________________________________________________________

John Neely, Jr., VP Neely Financial
Member since: 2002
Beers left on wall: 15
First choice: “probably a Fordham”

______________________________________________________________________________

Boo Valdez, Production Manager Rams Head LIVE
Member since: 1998
Beers Left on Wall: 0 (x5)
Times Completed: 5
First choice: “Fordham Helles Lager”

______________________________________________________________________________Cheers Well, cheers to some fantastic results from such a random sample! And cheers to our World Beer Club members everywhere, no matter what leg of the journey your on.

One of Rams Head’s most celebrated musical genres, country, had it’s big night of hootin’ and hollering this past weekend.   The Academy of Country Music (yee-haw!) gathered to celebrate the best in country music Sunday night, which included the celebration of many Rams Head Alum.

Big Rams Head winners included;

Trace Adkins accepting Single Record of the Year for "Your Gonna Miss This"

Rascal Flatts celebrating "Group of the Year"

Lee Ann Womack walks the carpet in celebration of her nomination for Best Female Vocalist of the Year

But, some of the best highlights of the evenings came from their lips to our blog;

“Glad I’m an idiot.”
– Trace Adkins, after winning single of the year for “You’re Gonna Miss This,” admitting that he never thought the song would be a hit

“I feel like I just won American Idol all over again.”
– Carrie Underwood, accepting the award for top female vocalist

Don’t miss these Country All-Stars before they’re boots get too big to come back and visit their Rams Head alma mater;

 Raul Malo
w. Lindi Ortega
Monday, April 6
8pm
$35

Suzy Bogguss
Thursday, April 16
8pm
$35

WPOC presents The Jägermeister Country Music Tour featuring Pat Green
w/ special guest Randy Houser
Friday, April 17
Doors 7pm
$27.50 plus tax
ALL AGES

Jo Dee Messina at Chesapeake College

The Music Room Series

April 26, 2009

6pm Doors | 7pm Show

$60 and $40 Seats

Reserved Seating | All Agest

For Tickets: tickets.ramsheadmusic.com

Phil Vassar
Monday, June 8
6 & 9pm
$55

2009 is a big year for The Rams Head Group. As a company we’re celebrating 20 years of bringing you the freshest eats and the coldest liquid treats. While we work on building the anniversary celebration of all drunken anniversary celebrations, let’s not overlook each location’s individual milestones. Rams Head Roadhouse has decided to get this party started rooiiiight - kicking it off with their annual Kegs’n'Eggs birthday bash on Saturday, April 11th in Crownsville.

Kegs'n'Eggs 5 Year Anniversary at Rams Head Roadhouse

Join us in celebrating 5 fuzzy and wonderful years of food, fun and beers!

Saturday | April 11, doors open at 7am
Breakfast Menu, 7am – 1pm
$7: 2 eggs any style served with meat, fruit, spuds & toast.
Beverage Menu
50¢ Fordham drafts, 7am-8am
$1 Fordham drafts, 8am – 9am
$3 Fordham drafts, 9am – 1pm
$2 Bloody Marys & Mimosas, 7am – 1pm
*First 50 people through the door get free ticket to Rams Head LIVE!

Live Music
Justin Ryan, 7am – 9am
Jeremy Rossbach, 9am – 11am
Damion Wolfe, 11am – 1pm