What to Expect

The Venue: Draft Day Pub Greenwood

Game Day Pub: Pizza || Beer || Axe Throwing… I oughta quit while I’m ahead. I mean seriously, where do you go from there? Give me a second—I’ll be right back. Okay, I’m back. I made the trek down to Game Day to check out the vibe (really, truly, I did—I went just now).

First of all, it’s a great location in Old Town Greenwood. Easy public parking is just adjacent to the building. The building itself is warm and inviting—exposed brick. You walk in and feel like you’re putting on a warm glove.

Even if you weren’t going for music, it’s a great destination spot—they have indoor and outdoor seating. The food and drink menus are on point. For drinks, they have beer and mixed drinks. They brew their own beer and have guest taps as well. I tried Draft Day’s “Sports Balls,” an easy-drinking IPA.

The food menu is like a who’s who of great gastropub fare. They have nachos and wings, pizza, sandwiches, and salads—if you are pretending to watch what you eat.

I do have a spot of potentially bad news, though… they may have axed axe throwing? I can’t confirm that, but I was told by a reliable source that may be the case. I’m guessing the band would prefer you didn’t throw axes anyway. Regardless, if you had your heart set on axe throwing, you may want to call ahead

The Band: Straight Up Chumps

The name of the band tells you most of what you need to know them—a group of good dudes playing music without taking themselves too seriously. And honestly, with how smooth they sound, they could probably get away with being a little pretentious… but that’s not their style.

Straight out of Greenwood (IN), the Chumps musical style is hard to pin down. They move between originals, jam rock, and fusion-style covers, blending hip hop, rock, and psychedelic sounds into something that doesn’t really sit in one lane.

As someone who’s seen Straight Up Chumps more than a few times, you start to pick up on their “tricks.” A song will end, they’ll drift into a groove, and you’ll catch yourself thinking, wait… I know this. This is…Next thing you know, it turns into it is “Fight for Your Right” by Beastie Boys and then whole place is in on it.

When it comes to cover songs there can be a healthy debate between those who expect to hear a note-perfect copy of the original, and those who think a song is enhanced when another artist interprets it and puts their personality into it. The Chumps fall into the latter category and are brilliant.

The vibe overall is easygoing and welcoming. With a brewery in the background, it’s the kind of show where you can hang out, talk with friends, grab a beer, and still find yourself getting pulled into the music.