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Club caters to USC stud( Group' gives By JACK DUNN Qtoff \A/rif^r wioiM VVIIIOI Tucked away in its own little corner of Five Points, away from the main traffic that crowds the streets every Friday and Saturday night, is a bar called Group Therapy. Situated next to Superior Feet on Greene Street, it's easy to miss unless you've been there before. One of the fixtures of Five Points, it has remained under the same ownership since 1979, and has been a source of enjoyment over the years for many USC students and graduates. It is one of the few places that remains open "Our specials are the same things we've had for months and months. We don't change things every weekend to lure customers." George Meares, Owner i until 3 a.m., a great number of people who frequent other places often end up at "Group", as it is affectionately called. The owner, George Meares, has a good philosophy about running a bar and about the people he likes to see come into his place. "Let all the people who want to cause trouble go somewhere else. We're just a regular bar, a place for peqple to socialize and have a good time, and not have to worry about the people around them," Meares said. When asked about what specials they had planned for the weekend, Meares simply laughed. "Our specials are the same things we've had for months and months. We don't change things every weekend to lure customers. We're happy with the business we have already. Don't get me wrong, we're not ll m **> jyll :|Mm ivA aHi mm * ifS- ' Ill ii WBmm fri^HPit f Wt n K r I Ii wfe- *- Mwf i^|u i ^jm|L . 'M/Hm w _y ..IF y^K xHHHHfjBr "*jpgpir | hk (Mgg ..* , &#**. ?^pSFJt m X.4bH 3^pr iLj|H v p'-. |L^^^|hh| Courtesy of Todd Turner From left to right, Todd Godd, Bryan Williams, Brian McCarter and John Furr make up the band, Blightobody. 'High energy' By TINA JOWERS enj?y a "free pour" for an hour. Staff Writer Bar manager Johnny Jones said Th^D^F^ry, a new club 'hc new. ?'ub surpasses all other at the Sheraton on Bush River dan5f. <:'uba ^ Columbia Jones Road, will add a new dimension to *'dhave a b,g em" Columb.an.ght Me when ,t opens Beginning Sep( , ^ eveiy Wcd. ltSThTgrand opening' party will nesda>'wil! f nif' Sinf r ? j women will be treated to valet caLU,e Prl/cs u ln8 an parking when they arrive at the tunny to dance you way to Hol y- Sheral?n Male models wU, ^ car. wood for the 1991 MTV M m ; hors d Vtdeo Awards. The best dancer c|ub wj,] a|so ide a will be chosen from the crowd. All ^ ? rose . oi tne contestant wm receive a ?orwj? w? i pair of L.A. Gear shoes or a Paula f"dy and?a year s suPply of Pan" Abdul CD tyhose will be given on a weekly There will be opportunities to basis' win premiere passes by listening to The Dance Factory will replace WNOK. Pass holders will be ad- Saints. mitted at 7 p.m. where they can "The new club will be more AimMHilMliiM / mts and grads custoi mif I Bruce Fennell, left, and Scott Harlirl animais insiae. anti-business, but we're not overly comrr Meares also made it clear that all are ful of the other customers. "We don't ca Many of the people who work at < grads. They all agree that it is a great pi; David Ludwig, bartender and a gra worked at Group Therapy for three mon City tc By KIPP SHIVES Staff Writer This week, we celebrate the death of an institution. Perhaps I am too kind. And don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about the Communist Party. Dennis Shealy does that enough as it is. I mourn the loss of a friend, this week, a part of the Columbia nightlife that has meant a lot to some of us around these parts. No, not J.D. Sticky's. Sticky's passed on a few weeks ago. I'm talking about Greenstreet's. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many great shows have been held between those walls. I don't have to. Most of you have been the, e too. I understand that in hard economic times, business is tough. Alcohol sales are down. Liquor taxes are up. And getting ripped is almost faux pas with DUI arrests and the new Columbia city ordinance limiting public drinking. The death of clubs like Greenstreet's is inevitable, just a harmless casualty % club to high energy," Jones said. The club has also been remodeled and will feature a huge video screen as well as three televisions. New sound and lighting has been added which Jones describes as "awesome." Another feature of the club will be the chance to get a VIP card, which will entitle cardholders to priveledges to the sauna, weight room and restaurant as well as reduced rates on rooms. Applications will be passed out to people standing in line and the cards will be mailed. Upcoming weeks are going to bring more grand opening parties which will include a lot of cash giERIENCE HMMMi A iters g< f _ i relax late Thursday evening with lercial either," he said. welcome as long as they are respectiter to snobbery." 3roup Therapy are USC students or see to work and gather. dilate in business administration, has ths. > lose of the war on drugs. It's a shame. And what will be come of Greenstreet's? Perhaps another tacky comedy improv will spring up, or maybe a shag venue for our parents? Who knows? Greenstreet's shuts its doors tomorrow night with the Root Doctors, ending its 12 year history. The cover charge is $5. Stop by and say goodbye to an old friend. Or if Rockafella's is more to your liking, several local bands will team up with Rykodisc recording artists Barking Tribe, a semi-southern rock band with a slight edge from Alabama, on Saturday night as well. The cover is five smackers. The first, Blighlobody, is fairly well known around Columbia and Florence. Their van is of the beautiful white variety, covered with painted-on house flies. And their music is sort of neat too. Their lead singer, Brian McCarter, said of it, "Most bands sing about the world or about themopen veawavs and nri7P.s Snmp. p.ve.nts to look for include 'Dance in the Sand' and 'You Can Tan with the Band' Thursday, which will offer the chance to win $10,000 in cash and prizes and a choice of six different vacations. There will be a pep rally Friday featuring the USC cheerleaders and a giveaway of CarolinaClemson football tickets. The happy hour is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. All aance lovers going 10 me Dance Factory should be prepared to pay a cover charge and to stand in line (especially on Wednesday). So go early and take an I.D. Only 21 ancPover are admitted. United Way of the Midlands ood the 9#P '\?" \ Jm -v.. fdfll Fennell's dog, Chester, at Group Therj "We've got a lot of regulars who come ii who talk about the good times they had here, Jon Bykalo, a chemistry major at USC, Therapy. "We get such a wide variety of j nigni you couia see a guy in a tnree-piea metalhead. It doesn't matter what you look wear," Bykalo said. popula] selves. Our songs are not really wt 'about' anything. I see them as be fantastic little toys with their own lat internal laws and logic. Little worlds unto themselves." Well, w< urn, yeah . . . see for yourself, I ux suppose: otl Spigot, the other band on the m; marquee, is also from Columbia, nil Together about nine months now, ot this will be the group's second Ai visit to the Rockafellas' stage. ga Most of Spigot's past performances have been at various par- thi ties and friend's houses. pi Don't let this discourage you. th Spigot is an incredible force that yc must be dealt with. Their sound fo varies between a harsh crashing 01 chaos and more-melodic quirky keyboard riffs. They are Sonic Youth meets the Sugarcubcs. Go th see them. The cover is five dollars b; for three bands. m My apartment has free cable a< hookup. Well, it isn't free but we bi aren't paying for it. And I don't p: know what to call that. But any- di v mm Gopi Shah, a Biology senior, jumps h on the Horseshoe Friday afternoon. rapy Greg Rickabaugh/The Gamecock apy. The bar allows i here, students and older people " Ludwig said. is the night manager at Group )eople in here. On any weekend 5 suit, a guy in dreadlocks or a like or what kind of clothes you r club iy, what I'm trying to say is I've en watching a lot of TV as of e. Nickelodeon is the coolest netark. Forget MTV. Nick is just a great. I watched this show the her day that incorporates inforation about different insects and fly things like being nice to each her and stuff. It was so cool, ad at night, Nick shows all those y black and white reruns. Nick is the network that founded e show where, periodically, peoe get green gook "plopped on eir heads. C'mon. How cool can >u be? If you get free cable, or if r some reason you pay for it, try it Nick. Next week, I'll tell you about le Dave Smith Quartet, a local ind of some truly insane music iajors who perform experimental :oustic jazz. WUSC plans to ring them to the Russell House itio for a series of free shows iring lunch. Take note. UK ^Bl Greg Rickabaugh/The Gamecock gh for a frisbee thrown to him