Best of 2003: Best Wheelchair Rock

Belly Up Tavern
143 South Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach
www.bellyup.com
858-481-9022

"I saw a good band there...from Colorado...they had an electric cello, a couple guitars, a banjo." Vern taps his hand on the side of his wheelchair. He's never going to remember the band's name. He recalls the place, though. "Acoustically, the Belly Up rocked; any band sounds good in that place. The people that work there make it comfortable. They'll pull you up front, if you want. If you're up front, in front of all the people, if you can get a guy to notice, they'll get you out of there. They use flashlights to get people out of the way. Maybe they are the way they are because the Belly Up is owned by someone in a wheelchair. But they're crowd control anyway; it's in their best interest to keep us out of the way...and happy!"