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BAKERSFIELD |
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| PRACTICALITIES |
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The first town you come to across the rocky peaks north of Los
Angeles, looming unappealingly out of a forest of oil derricks, is the
flat and featureless BAKERSFIELD . This is the unlikely home of one of
the liveliest country music scenes in the nation, stemming from the
arrival during the Depression of Midwestern farmers, with their
hillbilly instruments and campfire songs. In the mid-Sixties, the gutsy
honky-tonk style of Bakersfield artists such as Merle Haggard and Buck
Owens challenged the slick commercial output of Nashville, but hopes of
luring the major country music record labels to "Nashville West"
foundered with the emergence of rivals like Austin, Texas.
Nevertheless, the numerous honky-tonks of Bakersfield are still jumping
every Friday and Saturday night. There's seldom a cover charge, and live
sets usually entail one band playing for four or five hours from around
8pm, with a fifteen-minute break every hour. Stetson hats and Nudie
shirts are the sartorial order of the day, and audiences span
generations. Most venues are hotel lounges or restaurant backrooms;
don't miss the country bar Trouts , 805 N Chester Ave (tel
661/399-6700). Closer to town, you might also try the Buck Owens Crystal
Palace , 2800 Buck Owens (661/328-7560, ), where the $6 cover includes a
show (Buck himself plays on Friday and Saturday nights), and a museum of
Buck Owens memorabilia, or the clubbier Rockin' Rodeo , 3745 Rosedale
Hwy (tel 661/323-6617), with a New Country or rock DJ every night.
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| You have to come to Bakersfield from LA by Amtrak
Thruway bus to catch the train through the valley to San Francisco and
northern California. Several Greyhound routes require changes here too,
calling at 1820 18th St. The handiest visitor center is at 1725 Eye St (Mon
9am-5pm Tues-Fri 8am-5pm; tel 661/327-4421). For eating, Zingo's at 2625
Pierce Rd (tel 661/324-3640) is a 24-hour truckstop where frilly-aproned
waitresses deliver plates of diner staples; 24th Street Café , 1415 24th
St (tel 661/323-8801), does top-rate breakfasts; Joseph's , hidden back
off the road at 3013 F St (tel 661/322-7710), serves huge calzone and
other Italian dishes; and the Noriega Hotel , 525 Sumner St (tel
661/322-8419), offers excellent all-you-can-eat Basque meals at long
communal tables. |
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from $54.80
USD