For the past few years, Starkville has been a place for a variety of artists to thrive in a community-oriented music scene.
Rick’s Cafe and Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern are two of the most well-loved, live music venues in Starkville. Each location provides a diverse range of musical genres on a local, regional and national level.
Rick Welch, owner and operator of Rick’s Cafe, shared what started his involvement with the music industry.
“After earning an engineering degree from MSU, I did go work in my field for a while but really missed the bar business,” Welch said. “I knew the bartending side of the business but had to learn all about booking (musical) bands, and it quickly became my favorite part of what I do here.”
The bar consistently sells out its shows and can cater to a larger audience due to the size of the venue.
Welch said he chooses artists based on customer suggestions and what is best for the space.
“I use a lot of different factors when choosing artists, mostly from customer suggestions. Being in this industry as long as I have, I also have developed a network of resources that help me decide on what specific artist might do the best in my room,” Welch said.
During almost 30 years of operation, the venue has had an extremely wide range of artists come across its stage. Welch said he loves seeing people he has worked with in the past make strides in their careers.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some amazing artists that have gone on to be super successful. I still keep in touch with some of these artists, even after they have moved on to bigger and better things … which is pretty cool, too,” Welch said.
Rick’s Cafe is also known for its collaborative efforts with university organizations, such as Music Maker Productions and Greek organizations, furthering the bar’s commitment to making the entertainment scene more accessible.
Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern offers a local perspective for live music. The bar specializes in bringing nearby and diverse musicians of all genres and styles to the stage. Dave’s specifically looks to give artists starting their entertainment careers a platform.
Dave Hood, owner and operator of Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, is also a contributing board member to the Del Rendon Foundation. The foundation was created to honor Del Rendon, who was an artist, a musician and a Starkville resident until his passing on Sept. 4, 2005.
Hood, the foundation and the Rendon family share the same passion for live music that Del did and use his memory as a motivating factor to keep providing live music to the community.
Andrew Rendon, Del’s younger brother and incorporator of the foundation, said the team works tirelessly to support the arts in the community.
“We want to give the community a reason to go out and support the arts,” Rendon said. “We embrace Del’s music and bring local live music to this community.”
The venue space itself is a smaller area that provides a sense of closeness to its audience, and Dave’s Tavern has a strong base of people who consistently support the business.
Hood said local musicians enjoy the space because they get to be one with the audience.
“Dave’s is a lot smaller, and the bands like playing here because you can’t hide onstage,” Hood said. “It’s a very intimate experience, and the crowd is absolutely electric.”
Over the years, the live music scene in Starkville has adapted to the ever-changing population. Hood puts his focus on local talent although they have celebrated larger artists like Afroman, Ryan Bingham and Cedric Burnside on the Del Rendon Stage.
He said he has a lot of hope for current local live musicians.
“There is so much hope in the live music scene in Starkville,” Hood said. “I’m so impressed by the young artists we have today as well as their fan base. Live music is thriving.”