I dropped by the Heart of the Hammer Café last Thursday to catch a set by The Highnote Ramblers. A local group that my bud Jeff Griffiths was playing drums for. We’re talking craft beers and home-made tunes in a part of Hamilton that’s still too cool to be popular. The place seats about 30 and it was pretty much standing room only by the time I left. The seating matched the patrons,eclectic. I slumped into an old beige velvet arm-chair. I was kind of disappointed there were no doilies on the arms. A young couple grabbed the couch and the person beside me was perched on a stool. Two old birds staked out the door so they could duck out for a smoke between songs. All in all it worked out OK for all of us.

Unfortunately I didn’t get the lead singers name but she was great,covering a wide range of music along with some of her own material. She even managed to pull off a respectable version of Patsy Clines I Fall to Pieces. You need a lot of hurt in your soul to do Patsy Cline justice. Coming close is more than acceptable.

I keep hearing the stories about Hamilton. About the bikers, the strip joints, the car thefts, the junkies in Jackson Square. Crime and depression always seem to get top billing whenever the town comes up. The very name brings a hush over conversation and furtive glances. Go ahead, try it out. Next time you’re with some friends give them a serious look and say. “I’m heading over to Hamilton this evening”.

Experience leads me to believe that every city has its warts and regardless of the place, if you act like a dork you’ll likely be treated as such.

I like Hamilton. You can cruise it’s trendiest parts without a Lamborghini. Most of its architecture has escaped the blight of condos consuming what’s left of downtown Toronto. There’s a human scale to the place and a feeling that people get paid for working with their hands, making things you can actually use. Yeah it’s a little grimy, but so what.

If you are in the area put it on your list of places to see. Do it soon and you’ll be able to say you got in on the action before it became hip. At some point in the not too-distant future designers will start spraying flat black paint on fake brick to create the latest “Industrial Chic” look. Go see the real thing while you can…and if you happen to stumble across a neat coffeehouse with a terrific band, Bonus!

 

Heart of the Hammer Café

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