Opelika, much like its college-town neighbor, has begun to develop a thriving nightlife in its historic downtown.
With its own brewery and taproom in Red Clay, a distillery and bar in John Emerald and iconic restaurants, such as Ma Fia’s and Zazu’s Gastropub, Downtown Opelika has established itself as a destination for a classy night out as well as a proper good time.
One business has remained a Downtown Opelika staple is the music venue Eighth and Rail.
The bar was originally opened by Richard Patton and K. Cooper Ray in 2002. After the venue closed down in 2011, Mike Patterson bought the historic building to reopen it as a piano bar.
“I was looking for a way to kind of get back involved, not exactly playing out, but a way to get involved in the music scene in the area,” Patterson said.
When the piano bar idea didn’t take off, Patterson, a musician himself, decided to begin featuring local musicians and original music.
“It’s kind of metamorphosed into an outlet for songwriters and musicians and that’s really where we put most of our emphasis,” Patterson said.
Eighth and Rail features a jazz music night on Tuesday, open jams on Thursdays and live bands every Friday and Saturday.
“I feel like it is an outlet that is needed since Auburn’s music scene is geared more toward DJs and cover bands," Patterson said.
Though Patterson does book cover bands as well, he consistently tries to maintain a solid foundation of songwriters.
“I’ll have people come in and say ‘Is it okay if we play originals?’ and I say ‘Absolutely play all that you can,'” Patterson said.
These personal touches have led to a heartfelt reverence for the venue in the local music scene with musicians and patrons alike.
“It’s one of the only places around here where you can go and play original music and everyone listens and everyone loves it,” said Brett McDaniel, a local songwriter who sometimes performs at Eighth and Rail.
Beyond the musical appeal, Eighth and Rail features a cocktail menu as well as a rotating beer selection which features 45-50 beers at a time. From Red Clay Brewing Company down the street to breweries based in Atlanta, Birmingham and across the country, Eighth has an impressive selection for even the pickiest beer snob.
Patterson’s 16 years of experience in the restaurant industry inspired him to try something different with the food menu at Eighth. The venue features a sushi menu with many choices including a secret menu item, "The Chuck Norris," a spicy roll that is not for the faint of heart.
For those with sweet cravings, Eighth and Rail serves signature cheesecake, ranging from classic flavors such as blueberry to the ever popular peanut butter cheesecake and cookies and cream.
Patterson’s main focus at Eighth remains music, and he hopes that he can use his resources in the future to further serve the music scene in Opelika.
“A lot of it is how to get them more exposure, especially for their original music, hopefully getting them some larger scale exposure to further their careers,” Patterson said.
While Patterson doesn't get into specifics about his plans for future events, it is apparent that wherever Eighth goes from here it will continue to have the artist’s best interests in mind.
“Everything that I’m doing is geared toward helping local musicians better themselves and ideally get them where they want to go,” Patterson said.
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