The Van Dangs at Cribb's Kitchen

Two Saturdays ago I snuck into my office. My laptop had lost internet, I had taken it to the shop, and I was supposed to have something to show Robin (the CSA farmer for whom I am building a website in exchange for vegetables) the following week. I hadn't been sleeping much and my boss had just offered me a full-time salaried position at Converse - I told her I needed to think about it. Even though I had applied for the job as soon as I graduated Converse and wanted it ever since...once I started doing the work part time I was like "Holy mackerel! This is hard! They need at least a 3-person team to do they everything they are expecting out of a person and a half!"

But I digress. It was Saturday, I was supposed to be researching salaries and finding out how to haggle for my first full-time position, (and I had done some of that on my parent's flaky, virus-ridden internet) but I also was feeling backed into a corner, like I had to get this website finished this weekend OR ELSE. So I was mooching internet and air conditioning from Converse bright and early in the morning, working and praying and generally driving myself crazy, until about 1:30pm when I thought to myself, I HAVE HAD IT. I need to rest or something is going to break. The Sabbath officially begins NOW.

The Barbeque. Courtesy of Cribb's Kitchen via Facebook

I took off to get some food. Miyako Sushi Group was closed! Oh but look, there's the pawn shop, I think I'll ask them if they sell gold. They only sold gold jewelry. I remembered I was hungry and the friendly manager suggested Subway two doors down. Good idea! I was so hungry and tired I couldn't even think in a straight line and a nice footlong and cookie sounded like heaven. But it turns out that Subway is closed on Saturdays. What kind of Subway is closed on Saturdays? I was starting to get a tad disheartened at this point. That's when I heard the music. Loud, spicy...rockabilly? What? In Spartanburg? Where is that coming from? I followed my ears down two blocks to Cribb's Kitchen, where they were celebrating their one year anniversary with a giant barbeque. 

The Band. Courtesy of the Van Dangs via Myspace

The band was called the Van Dangs. Loud, proud, tattooed, and oh-so-Southern. But not obnoxious Nashville country. We are talking raw drunken finger-flying foot-stomping awesomeness. I was hooked.

Oh guess what, I found them on Reverbnation! Listen for yourself:

I got myself a heaping plate of barbeque and coleslaw with sweet tea to wash it down, and sat on the park bench about 4 feet from the bassist for the next 2 hours. They are a really talented Spartanburg-based band and played a combination of covers with some great originals. I sat there til they ran out of songs. Well, until the singer's mic blew out. But they kept right on playing, the dobro and lead guitar soloing back and forth until the entire band was about to keel over. I can't tell you how impressed I was with their energy and stick-with-it-ness, or how unspeakably happy this entire shindig made me.
I met Billy Cribb. He was really nice. We chatted for a while after the band stopped playing. We talked a little bit about working in academia. Turns out he has family connections to Converse. Oh, this is Cribbs' Kitchen in case you want to check it out. I went there when it was still Cribb's on Spring Street (I think it was Spring Street) and the food was classy and delicious.

What started out as a desperate, stressed-out day with nothing going my way turned into the kind of mellow, soul-food summer afternoon that's so good you think you're dreaming. Thank you, Cribb's Kitchen.

In case you were wondering, I said yes to the job. I'm starting officially at the beginning of September. Between now and then I am finishing a website, my aunt is visiting  from Kentucky, Matthew is spending nearly a week with me, and then I am going to Georgia to see him fly off. He starts his MDiv at Princeton Theological the same day I start full-time at Converse. A new chapter in both of our lives. I'm nervous, terrified really - trading in my freedom for a paycheck and health insurance, taking a semester off of grad school, and Matthew is starting to use the M word. But I'm terribly excited at the same time.

Matthew's latest visit: a story for a different day.

Goodnight, world!