2Finger Jester bringing hair metal, ‘concert experience’ to The Hummingbird in Macon

Been “Livin’ on a Prayer” since the ‘80s or ‘90s? Having “Nothing but a Good Time?” “Going “Round and Round?”

If you know the song references and love the music then the Hummingbird Stage and Taproom at 430 Cherry St. has just the thing Saturday when 2Finger Jester brings their show with 50 or so of the more popular anthems, ballads and party-rock songs from the hairband/glam metal era.

But the band’s founder, Mat Weber, said the covers aren’t just about nostalgia but are fun for anybody looking for a good time and good music. Plus, he said there are a few “more modern” tunes like ones from the Black Crowes.

“Our music is for all ages and The Hummingbird is traditionally a younger crowd who receive our music really well,” Weber said. “It’s because it’s so relatable and they hear it in movies, TV shows and commercials and it’s still popular and recognizable. We’re a high-energy band and the crowd there is very diverse, has a lot of fun and brings a lot of energy themselves.”

Aside from the music, Weber said his band’s aim is to provide a big stadium concert-style show in smaller venues with laser lights and smoke machines but without live pyrotechnics which proved too dangerous in years past. Weber said a lot of times “people like to hear their music with their eyes and not just their ears.” And he said the Hummingbird has upped its game with its own great lighting and sound.

The Bird, as many locals know it, has lots of entertainment each week with special nights of games and activities to keep things interesting. Aside from 2FJ taking over the place Saturday – yeah, that’s 2Finger Jester for short – the Bird just finished a darts tournament, has regular Happy Hour Trivia and Karaoke nights, featured beverage nights and other bands on the calendar like The Macon Sound tonight, AJEVA on March 4 and Vintage Pistols coming March 11.

Weber said through the band’s 20-plus year history they’ve seemed to click at the Bird and over time have probably played there more than any single band, especially in the Middle Georgia-based band’s early days.

“We made the decision a while back to play just once or twice a month but because of the music’s popularity we’re actually doing more,” Weber said. “We have three weeks in a row lined up after Saturday so we’re doing more than we set out to but not as much as the two or three shows a week we did for 10 years earlier on.”

At 57, Weber operates a successful business called The Pool Guy doing swimming pool repair and maintenance and he could be relaxing more in his off-time by playing golf or having some other hobby. But he said like any musician or actor or performer being up on stage and doing what you love is simply addictive.

And maybe he keeps at it because of something in his blood or the water where he came from. Born in Ohio, he said his family moved to Pennsylvania and he grew up in the same town bands like Poison and Cinderella came from and within a three-hour radius of a lot of similar groups. He said as a youngster he was more used to his parent’s musical tastes of classic pop-rock from groups like the Bee Gees. But that changed during a ride with a friend in a Volkswagen bug.

“Like I’ve said, a friend popped a cassette in his car player and for the first time ever I heard AC/DC doing ‘Back in Black’ and that was it – I loved it from that moment on,” he said. “It’s like I lost my mind, I’d never heard anything like it. I saved my money and bought everything by AC/DC then Led Zeppelin and that led to the great ‘80s bands. That’s what set the course for me musically.”

Weber moved to Middle Georgia in the 1990s and settled in Warner Robins. By the end of the decade, he wanted to put together a band playing the music he loved right here in the home of Southern Rock. He loved Southern Rock but not nearly as much.

By 2000 or 2001 the band was formed but still, things weren’t easy.

“It was hard finding people who wanted to play what I wanted to then it was tough getting gigs,” he said. “But we kept at it and started playing locally more and traveling the southeast.”

If nothing else, Weber is persistent.

The band now consists of Weber doing vocals, drummer Joe Garrett, Milt Armstrong on bass and Vince Youngbauer on guitar. All have a variety of day jobs from Weber’s pool business to Youngbauer’s professor-teaching career.

But how about the band’s name? There’s got to be some interesting or near-nefarious reason behind it, right?

“Well not so much,” Weber said. “We were hunting a good name then happened to have a group picture where one of us was wearing a jester hat, another was holding up two fingers and the rest of us doing other stuff. The name just came from what we saw in the picture and seemed to work well and have some mystery to it. It stuck.”

During the course of the evening, 2FJ’s three-hour show likely features songs from Bon Jovi, Poison, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and the like with some “lighter” heavy metal stuff like Metallica’s “Enter the Sandman” thrown in. Then there’s the smattering of comparatively newer tunes.

“The thing is, just about every song we do are ones people know and can probably sing along to no matter their age,” Weber said. “It’s just that relevant still.”

The Hummingbird’s promotion of the show says while specializing in hair metal, “2FJ doesn’t just play the music, they give you a concert experience!”

“It’s kind of crazy but what we mainly play and our popularity keeps coming and going,” Weber said. “We could play every weekend now if we wanted to but we turn down a lot of shows. There’s a market for it and that’s really cool. Every time we think it’s time to hang it up there’s a resurgence. I guess as long as everybody’s having a good time and the emails and calls keep coming to book us we’ll keep doing it.”

The Hummingbird Stage and Taproom opens at 4 p.m. most days and 2FJ takes the stage at 10 p.m. for the night’s show. It’s $5 to get in, 18 and older only. Check out The Bird at www.thebirdstage.com and keep track of 2FJ at www.facebook.com/2fingerjester

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.