I first heard about this place when browsing www.pollstar.com, which is a great site to browse the concert schedule for virtually any city in the world. I noticed under the Greensboro page that some bands I liked were scheduled to play at The Flying Anvil. Having never heard of this place before, I was intrigued. I love going to concerts, and with a new venue located just a short drive away, I had to go.

The Flying Anvil opened in spring 2006, and has already made a name for itself by getting some relatively big names from all kinds of genres to play their stage, including Leon Russell and New Riders of the Purple Sage (one of Jerry Garcia’s old bands). Some upcoming names of note on their schedule (at www.theflyinganvil.com) include such jam band favorites as the (Benevento/Russo Duo), (Tea Leaf Green), and (Particle), as well as rap pioneers (Dead Prez), not to mention critically acclaimed folk duo The Mountain Goats.

Trying to find the place might prove a little difficult as the street the club is located on seems to dead end, but if you go around the corner to your left you will find it. The Flying Anvil is inside an unassuming white brick building, which once served as a garage and repair shop. Inside, patrons are treated to a very clean and wide-open venue. This is one of the larger music venues in the area, with a capacity of about 700.

This place is unique from Ziggy’s in that it is essentially split into two: one half featuring the bar area, and the other the stage and concert viewing area. There is a lot of space in front of the stage for those who like to stand or perhaps even dance while watching a show, while in the back there is a three-tiered seating section for those that want to relax while enjoying the music.

The 55-foot-long bar provides a perfect first stop for the over-21 crowd. Featuring a wide variety of tap beers ($4 for all 16 oz. drafts), including Stella Artois and Red Oak lager, not to mention a rotating selection of beers from Greensboro’s own Natty Greene’s brew pub. Coupled with their selection of domestic bottles ($3), import bottles ($3.50), wine ($5 a glass), and sodas and bottled water ($2), there is surely to be something to wet your whistle.

After grabbing a drink you might want to try out the pool tables ($0.75 a game), arcade video games, or foosball tables ($0.75 a game) located in the bar area while waiting for the show to start. Or perhaps you might want to view the collection of paintings and sculptures created by the artists of Greensboro’s Lyndon Street Artworks, which are all available for purchase if you’ve got a couple of hundred bucks to spend.

Watching a show at The Flying Anvil was an overall enjoyable experience. Asheville’s (Toubab Krewe) delighted a crowd comprised mainly of college students and young people; it was a progressive scene, but then again, most concerts are. If you get the chance to see this band, which blends West African music with traditional rock and roll, you should go.

The Flying Anvil has a great sound system, but the volume was pretty high given the size of the venue; to combat this, they offer ear plugs for $1. One thing I enjoyed about this place (though it may be a hindrance to some) is that it is a non-smoking venue. There is a smokers’ patio located outside for those so inclined.

Although it has only been opened for a few months, people are really starting to notice The Flying Anvil. It received the award of Best Live Music Venue 2006 as voted for by the readers of GoTriad magazine. So it might be time for you to make the short drive (it’s really not that far) to Greensboro enjoy a show from a reasonably well-known band at the newest, nicest and biggest music club in the Triad.