Concert review: Robin Lore at World of Beer

On Saturday, I was looking for a different place to get my music fix, and since I had been hearing about this place called World of Beer over on West Seventh Street, I thought I might give it a try. With a little digging I found out that Robin Lore would be playing that night, so I headed out there.

I found a table near the stage and looked around. The stage area was small (enough for a duo, or a really small trio), and had a decent sound system and lighting. Behind the bar was a huge cooler that was essentially a wall of beers, and the place was comfortable and clean. I heard it had a full menu, but nobody brought me one so I looked it up online while the band — Robin Lore (guitar, vocals) and Stu Reever (guitar) — played.

They played Under the Milky Way (by the Church), a folksy version of 867-5309/Jenny (Tommy Tutone), some originals and Paul Revere (Beastie Boys) — no, I’m not joking. It was awesome.

“My friend and I,” said Lore about the Paul Revere cover, “used to have this little battle back and forth about the most ridiculous songs we could come up with.”

I thought I could get a server’s attention while the band took a break, but they just scurried past me with drinks or food, or stood by the bar and stared at their phones. I used my phone to see if I was the only one who had experienced this phenomenon, and from the reviews I found it was a common occurrence — some people are just invisible to the wait staff at World of Beer.

When Lore came back, we got Runnin’ Down a Dream (Tom Petty) and Hot in Herre (Nelly), and quite a few more originals. This was the third gig the duo played Saturday, and while you couldn’t tell from their playing, after the show, both musicians were worn out.

The guitar work was on point, and Lore’s vocals have an emotive, raspy quality that draws you in. Lore writes songs about relationships and life experiences. She grew up in New York, then moved to California, then toured the country for nine months. She kept going through Dallas and it grew on her, so when the tour was over, she came back to stay.

“I miss real people. California — that was what was lacking,” said Lore. “I already knew when I left California I was not going to go back. I just liked it here.”

Lore is in the process of recording a new album in Nashville, and has dreams of making her living writing songs. She certainly has the talent for it — her original tunes are well-crafted and perfectly executed. While I loved her take on the Beastie Boys and Nelly, her songs are what I would pay to hear.

World of Beers, for a corporate chain, has so much potential to be a great small-act room for singer-songwriters. If it can get its customer service issues ironed out, this could be a great addition to the Seventh Street corridor.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Concert review: Robin Lore at World of Beer."