Recently the Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats out of Asheville descended upon Highlands and attendees said they put on a great show at The Ugly Dog Public House, 294 S. 4th Street, Highlands.
“It was really great music,” said Meredith Carter of Statesboro, N.C. “It was cool to listen to and easy to dance to. I haven’t heard their music before but I’m really enjoyed it. They are awesome.”
Many of those who saw the show at the Dog said they played very well, including Cheryl Laws of Highlands who was celebrating her birthday.
“The band’s music is amazing, absolutely amazing,” she said. “I really enjoyed it.”
Elizabeth Carter was celebrating her bachelorette party at the Dog and was pleasantly surprised with the show.
“We always come up here for vacation and I wasn’t expecting anything but they were awesome,” she said.
Ivey Carden from Camilla, Ga. said she had a great time listening to the music as well as visiting Highlands.
“I think their music is really cool and Highlands is so beautiful,” she said. “The atmosphere at the Dog is awesome.”
13-year-old Trevor Reese was even getting into the groove.
“I think they’re doing a great job,” he said.
Asked if he would hit the dance floor and show off his moves his answer was simple, “No sir, I will not dance.”
The Rats have played in the Highlands-Cashiers area several times and Guitarist and Lead Vocals Andrew Scotchie said he always enjoys the drive up to the plateau.
“It’s so gorgeous, and it’s not too far from home,” said Scotchie.
Drummer Eliza Hill said she always enjoys traveling to Highlands to play gigs.
“There’s a lot of cool people here and so many outdoorsy things to do,” she said. “That and you get to meet people from all over.”
The Rats recently released a new album “Family Dynamo.”
Scotchie said the entire band put a lot into this album and they are very proud of it.
“It’s a very honest album,” said Scotchie. “It’s a mixture of rock, punk, funk and psychedelic.”
Hill said the Rats gave the album the time it deserved to come out right.
“We started working on a lot of the songs a year ago and started recording in mid-November (2017).”
Bassist Keith Harry likes to think of their music as high energy rock and roll and said it was a relief to finish the album.
“We’re really proud to get it out because we worked so hard,” he said. “It helped us release the pain and all the good things we put into this record.”
For more information about the Rats, click HERE.
Article and photos by Brian O’Shea
plateaudailynews@gmail.com
