Hanging with the locals

By Christina Weaver
Special to the Coastal Point

	Coastal Point • CHRISTINA WEAVER Pete Tierney puts in work on the stage at The Big Easy at night.

Pete Tierney is a tall man, weathered by years in the construction business. Working now on building a new house in Bay View Park, Tierney likens the craftsmanship he employs as a master carpenter to his music. “You start with the foundation, when you’ve covered the basics, you can add the flair that give a new home its individuality. When I play, I am continually trying to add originality while being true to the roots of the sound.”

For many years, Tierney played his guitar alone, accompanying the radio or his CDs. “I grew up in a musical family in Bethesda, Md. but didn’t start playing seriously until I was 16. I guess my friends at BCC (Bethesda - Chevy Chase High School) and Gonzaga (High School) were in to other things. It wasn’t until many years later that I started to go to Michael Tracey White’s Open Mic nights at the Big Easy (now at Outriggers in Fenwick Island) that I decided to bring my guitar and play in public.”

Tierney found to his amazement that his guitar playing and husky throat singing made him one of the most popular players at the Tuesday evening jam session. “You’ve got to hear Pete, he’s a fantastic guitar player,” regulars would tell newcomers as they came in and were delighted by the abundance of talent that congregated in the bar side of the restaurant.

“At first I was nervous, I kept looking around the room as I was playing. But now, I just get so into my music, I don’t care what I look like,” said Tierney.

“This gig, playing Sunday nights, is my first real break as a musician. I’m not looking at it as a money thing. It’s just the opportunity for me to play what I think the people want to hear. And the appreciation that I get from the crowd is unbelievable. But I wouldn’t be doing this without Bob. He is one of those bass players who knows intuitively how to accompany someone and make them sound great.”

Bob is Bob Harvey, the prime “friend” in the Pete Tierney and Friends slogan. Harvey, who in some circles is known as Axel “Roaring Bull” Harvey referring to his Native American heritage, is also a veteran of open mic nights. A computer techie by day, Harvey has played bass for many bands in the Rehoboth area, but usually his place is on the side, almost in the background for others to take the limelight.

At the Big Easy, Harvey and Tierney play side by side as partners and the inter-connectivity of their playing makes their music sound as one fluid expression of soul. “This is such fun,” said Harvey, “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

And in the few weeks since they have been playing on Sundays, they have created a fan base of both local regulars as well as vacationers who prefer to stay close to where they are staying. “The place is rockin’,” said Mike Manuel, Big Easy’s floor manager. “People are loving the bar food that we serve, especially the fried oysters and, of course, our gumbo, and the $2 Sol specials are a big hit.”

Like Cajun seasoning, the music Tierney and Harvey play is hot, spicy and down home. From Chet Atkins to Hendrix to the surfing sound of the sixties, it is pure American roots music. And talking about surfing, the videos that are shown on the screen behind the guys as they play, display some of the most awesome waves you’d ever dream of catching. It just adds to the mood.

The Big Easy is located in the Sea Colony Market Place in Bethany Beach. Before having Pete Tierney and Bob Harvey play on Sunday evenings and the occasional appearance of the hot young blues band, lower case blues, on a Thursday, they were best known for their New Orleans style menu, seafood and steak!

Tierney has the last word. “Make sure you mention my daughter, Gabrielle, her mom and my mom,” he said at the end of the interview. “They are my inspiration for my music. They are what this is all about.”