Avenue Beat says Goodbye

VERY SAD TO hear the Quincy girls who make up Avenue Beat have decided to call it quits. Sami, Sam and Savana moved to Nashville right out of high school and have made some great music. They have one final album coming out next month and the new song is "Goodbye," and it is bittersweet watching the video.

Ruin That For Me and Delight are perfect pop masterpieces. Throw in the success of the F-2020 last year and you had a trio ready to rock the world. Before Covid, they were scheduled to tour with the likes of Rascal Flatts and other big names. They were this whisper close to "making it," whatever that really means.

Back at the beginning ... Sam, Savana and Sami.

You know what the difference between being a star and just another face in the crowd is? Nothing. The girls have more talent in their pinky fingers than anybody topping the charts these days. Just when they were ready to rule the world, the plug got pulled, and they never really recovered.

Playing and writing music for a living is a grind. "Oh, how cool, you just get to write songs and get up there and play, and it seems like so much fun!" Right. The first line from the song Goodbye says it all, "Goodbye to hometown expectations." Whether they admit it or not, I think the girls felt pressure to "make it" in Nashville. 

The other amazing line in the song Goodbye is "Goodbye to respect in the room." The girls were getting noticed, people were listening, and that's a rare and precious thing. For every amazing gig where people are paying attention, there are 10 where the crowd doesn't care and it's just a social occasion. Avenue Beat was commanding respect.  

It's a strange business. A few years ago Avenue Beat landed a spot opening for this little kid who dressed up as a cowboy and yodeled. I am not making it up. The girls killed it to an OK response and then this boy went out there and people went nuts and thought he was the most amazing thing.

Who knows why bands break up. Band are made up of human beings, and human beings are fickle creatures, to put it mildly. And the bottom line is that it's none of my damned business, or yours. The girls had a great run. They've decided to end it and move on, and that's that.

Or is it? Savana and Sam are still writing and making music. Sami has decided to step away from it and is working outside the business in Nashville, and seems pretty happy. Good for all of them. 

I'm sad they are saying Goodbye. I'm proud they are from Quincy. And kudos to Avenue Beat for rocking and rolling and living the dream.