Happy hour

For other uses of "Happy Hour", see Happy Hour (disambiguation).

Happy hour is a specially scheduled period of time — usually an hour or two in the late afternoon — during which some restaurants and bars give discounts for drinks, especially alcoholic drinks.

The term originated in the United States Navy. In the 1920s, “happy hour” was Navy slang for on-ship performances. “Happy” in this context means slightly drunk.

The idea of drinking before dinner has its roots in the Prohibition era. When the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act were passed banning alcohol consumption, citizens would host “cocktail hours” or “happy hours” at a speakeasy — underground drinking establishments — before eating at restaurants where alcohol could not be served. Cocktail lounges continued the trend of drinking before dinner. "Happy hour" entered civilian use around 1960, especially after a Saturday Evening Post article in 1959. Happy hour has become a tradition for many workers, white and blue collar.

The push against drunk driving and alcohol abuse has curtailed the rise of the happy hour to some extent. In the 1980s, bars started providing free hors d'oeuvres to lower the blood alcohol content of patrons. Glasgow has banned happy hours to reduce binge drinking, as has the Republic of Ireland. Even the U.S. military got in the act, when in 1984 they abolished happy hours at military base clubs.

Despite the controversy, happy hour is still alive and well at bars and clubs in all corners of the globe.

See also

• Happy Hour Band

As bands are always asked to describe their sound and genre, the best way to describe Happy Hour is as a combination. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Happy Hour can safely be described as an indie/college/alt-rock mixture. However, their collective sound is not afraid to tackle any genre. Happy Hour moves smoothly through many arrangements incorporating electric and acoustic guitars, xylophone, organ, drums and several percussive instruments to create melodic tunes for the ear.

Brent Shirey lays out intriguing, original songwriting, while Rider and Schultz also bring in their own style to create the dynamic sound of the band. Shirey’s twist and turn guitar parts and delicate-to-belting vocals fuse seamlessly with Rider’s markedly fitting drums and Schultz’s melodic bass lines. As Rider adds backing vocals and Schultz plays his wildcard role (throwing in organ, xylophone and additional percussion) the songs of Happy Hour reach no limits.

Happy Hour currently does their own booking and promotion, and has set up three independent tours: The first to NYC (playing the CBGB’s Lounge and other venues), the second as a two-week tour to Texas and back (hitting up Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Missouri and Illinois), and the third as a loop through Canada, the Eastern Seabord and lower Midwest. The band gigs relentlessly around West Michigan and is quickly expanding to other Midwest states.

Happy Hour has come together over the years to create music that is pleasing to the well-trained ear, as well as the everyday listener. Clever songwriting fused with melody and emotion.

BAND:

Brent Shirey - Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica Scott Rider – Drums, Vocals Scott Schultz – Bass, Organ, Xylophone

CONTACTS:

Scott Rider: (616) 706-9344 http://www.happyhourmusic.com happyhourmusic@yahoo.com AIM: musichappyhour

FOR MORE Happy Hour INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO:

www.happyhourmusic.com

External links

• "NYC Happy Hour Listings" - A nice directory
• R.I.P. Happy Hour from BBC News Online
• "Happy Hour" song video website, from Jazze Pha & Cee-Lo
• [1] history website