Everybody needs to make hard decisions this year about what to drive, how to live, when to give up the ghost, whom to bail out and whom to leave in the dust.
The one choice you won't have to make New Year's Eve is whether to ring in the new year plugged in or unplugged, because this year's shindig at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub promises a good deal of both.
The David Grisman Quintet plays acoustic sets of mellow, thoughtful bluegrass and folk, while the Sam Bush Band plugs in and ramps up.
"Sam's shows are definitely more upbeat, a little louder, a little more jumping around," said Dan Fiacco, who booked the concert.
Fortunately, both bands have come to Alaska before and appreciate the way audiences dig live music. Alaskans get hungry for good tunes, said Fiacco, and Grisman in particular has always had a good time here.
"The only hard part is that because he's not plugged in, there's been frustration on his part because of all the talking and chattering," Fiacco said. "It's a different venue, and he plays a lot of sit-down halls."
Not that Grisman's music can't go into overdrive. After the band's New Year's Eve show in 2004-05, a Daily News reviewer said band members "used their unique mix of Latin, jazz, bluegrass, classical and funk to lead the audience on a set of musical travels, winding from the sounds of a steamy veranda in the tropics to a back porch in the Appalachians."
The show will feature three sets, opening with the David Grisman Quintet, rolling into the amped set by the Sam Bush Band and finishing with Grisman and Bush.
Fiacco feels lucky to get such high-caliber acts to Anchorage over the holidays.
"To be honest with you," he said, "it's getting harder and harder to book acts year-round and definitely during the high-travel times because of airfare. There's no margin in these shows; we're basically doing it for the community. The cost of holiday travel is out of control, and a small-time promoter takes a pretty big risk."
No doubt, the Tooth's solid base of beer and music fans will inevitably (if tardily) snatch up all the tickets. Fiacco expects the concert to sell out and a few tickets to swap hands via Craigslist.
If you miss out, look for more First Tap concerts in months ahead. The hip-hop Latin band Ozomatli (www.myspace.com/ozomatli) will perform in April, the funky rock blues band Mofro (www.mofro.net) in March, the pop/rock/folk singer songwriter Mason Jennings (www.masonjennings.com) in May and roots rock band the BoDeans (www.bodeans.com) in June.
• Find Daily News reporter Dawnell Smith at adn.com/contact/dsmith or call 257-4587.
By DAWNELL SMITH
dsmith@adn.com