For those about to rock, the Rock Shop salutes you ... and for free, no less.
One of the best kept secrets in town is the free concerts offered during the work week by the nightclub located at 106 S. Eastern Blvd., in downtown Fayetteville.
    Founded about a year and a half ago by Shawn Adkins and then business partner Dave Johnston, owner of the Huske Hardware House, the duo opened the club to meet a demand for a live rock facility.
    “I was doing shows all over Fayetteville, and I was renting out places to throw bands and the turnout was so good that Dave approached me and was like, ‘You know man, you could open a club.’ And I was like, if you want to go in with me, let’s do it,” said Adkins. “And the next day we were looking at this building and it happened that fast. I bought him out seven months into it. He helped me out tremendously.”
    Shawn says business has been gangbusters on the weekend, drawing in nationally known acts as well as top local bands, such as Gasoline, Scarred for Life and Falling in Two.
    “We do have incredible local bands; we do have touring bands coming in all the time,” said Adkins. “Weekday shows are always touring bands. Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life are these free shows. People are just mind-boggled at how good these bands are and they keep coming and coming.”
    Adkins adds that the Rock Shop is gaining quite a reputation nationally, as he receives mountains of tapes and requests to play the club from all across the country — many of whom will wind up playing the free shows.
    {mosimage}And to further increase the interest in the free shows, Wednesday features $3 for any drink and “the cheapest beer prices in town,” said Adkins.
    In a more intangible shot at increasing the quantity and quality of it’s audience, the Rock Shop is trying to create a “good vibe” for live music — a term Adkins uses so often that the theme song for the club should be the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.”
    “We have a very artistic vibe,” said Adkins. As if to prove his point, kids with spiked hair and blue hair, all covered in menacing black leather and chains, traipsed peacefully and good-naturedly through the Rock Shop, awaiting punk band Private Radio, one of the four free bands playing that night.
    “We’re really trying to bring a good vibe to Fayetteville, it’s not all about making money, we just want to bring a good vibe to Fayetteville,” said Adkins. “If you walk through the door trying to be all hard, you don’t belong here. We want stand for it. You need to just be yourself. And also, good music brings culture to Fayetteville.”
    While Adkins admits the Fayetteville music scene is dominated by metal and hard rock — the night of this interview featured punk metal — he does want to bring diversity to the club. He wants artists from all genres: bluegrass, blues, rockabilly, country, rock.
    Some of this diversity will be on display June 20, which will be a night of rockabilly and straight-ahead rock when the Bo Stevens and Tater make the scene.
    “Good music is good music, no matter what the genre,” said Adkins.
    In the meantime, Adkins hopes music fans of all ages and tastes will visit the Rock Shop for one of its weekday live shows. Upcoming free shows include back-to-back performances on June 26 and June 27, featuring Endway and The Future Kings of Nowhere, respectively.
    “It’s really some of the best live music you will see,” said Adkins. “And you can’t beat the price.
    The Rock Shop is located at 106 S. Eastern Blvd. You can check out what bands are playing when at www.therockshoplive.com, or www.myspace.com/huskehardware.

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