Musicians and patrons converge at Sir Benedict's Tavern
By ZACH GRILL
DCN Reporter
In a town like Duluth, there is no shortage of establishments that offer an environment that includes good beer, good food, local music and a friendly Minnesota attitude. What makes Sir Benedict’s Tavern http://www.sirbenedicts.com/, or Sir Ben’s to locals, special is that those qualities are offered every day and all are welcome.
On any given afternoon one can sit down and enjoy a meal while listening to an aspiring local musician play his or her heart out on stage no matter how many people in the crowd are actually paying attention to anything more than the bowl of soup in front of them.
One of those musicians is Ben Miller, a grad student at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, who plays his version of acoustic folk whenever he needs to get away from the stress of school.
“It’s a nice way for me to relieve stress and have fun doing it because I get to do something I’m passionate about and play it to a crowd, even if sometimes it’s only my girlfriend and a few others,� Miller said between sips of his beer.
Musicians aren’t the only ones who enjoy the afternoon atmosphere at Sir Ben’s. The relaxed feel of the bar and grill is also inviting to students who want to get a little reading in over a meal. UMD junior Andy Olson decided he wanted a beer with his lunch and chose Sir Ben’s instead of lunch at school.
“I can get better food down here than at the food court and if I want, I can have a beer too,� Olson said with a raise from his glass. “Plus it’s actually quieter here than it is up at UMD. I can get more done with a beer beside me than I can with a group of freshman girls.�
As Miller packed up his guitar and left the stage to scattered applause a young man in his twenties named Matt Peltier quickly approached the jukebox and started picking songs. The soothing style of Miller’s folk guitar was seamlessly replaced by the hearty rhythm of Steely Dan.
“I just got off of work a few hours ago and decided to come down for a few drinks. Nothing beats getting off early and kicking a few back,� Peltier said. “And hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right.�
Peltier’s jovial attitude seems to rub off on others as he is immediately joined by a co-worker in a toast to their early release from labor.
Steely Dan is replaced by the Eagles on the speakers and the bartender notices that he no longer has time for anything more than brief exchanges with his patrons before moving on to the next. The easy-going afternoon is being replaced by the bustle of late afternoon diners and early evening drinkers and still more people who are only concerned with the bowl of soup in front of them.