Calling Pisgah Brewing Company owner/founder Jason Caughman a huge music fan is, well, putting it mildly.
"I LOVE MUSIC!” he writes. “Music is a major part of my life. I'm never without a soundtrack. If I can't hear it, it's playing in my head."
Growing up in Columbia, S.C., Caughman’s parents weaned the budding beer crafter on everything from the Allman Brothers and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to The Beatles and Black Sabbath. In high school, he had to sneak away to piano lessons after football practice “for fear of being bullied by a choice few.” He bought his first guitar at age 20. For years afterward he nerded out on jazz and played in a slew of bands of all musical genres — though today he admits he's lucky to squeeze in just a few minutes of jam time.
So it’s no surprise that when he opened his brewery in 2005 he quickly melded his passion for live music with his love for great beer. Last fall he even built a new outdoor stage, which over the next few months will host such big-name acts as Galactic and Dark Star Orchestra.
Yep, leave it to Caughman to make summer taste as good as it sounds.
Hey Jason Caughman, what’s your spin?
Listening to now: Right now!? Just hit Bobby Brown on Pandora. Now Dynasty radio. Gotta have the funk for a work day. Wait, pretty much the funk, any time!
Most recent album/song bought: The most recent was De-Loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta. Wow! Great cloudy day, commute music. On in the car nonstop for the last week. And I bought the first side of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John recently. Classic.
First album ever bought: The first I personally bought was Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet. But the first I've always believed to be my first were Christmas '84 stocking stuffers. Van Halen 1984 and Prince Purple Rain. Pretty adult lyrics for an 8-year-old. Still have the Purple Rain tape.
Most recent concert attended: Phish in Atlanta.
First concert ever attended: The first concert I remember was Willie Nelson at the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, S.C., in 1981. I attended a Beach Boys show as a toddler in Charlotte. Then it was ‘80s pop and Hair Band Mania until the ‘90s. Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, Cinderella, etc. I was all over it. Seventh grade: black Mötley Crüe shirt (Kickstart My Heart), spike mullet, airbrushed jean jacket, braces and heavy-metal magazines!
Favorite local/regional act: Asheville Horns for Asheville. Funkin’ it up. Space Capone if regional includes Nashville … Can't forget about Elder John Hayes at 100.7 WRES. Shout out! That's where it's at! 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. If I'm listening to radio … this is the station 9 out of 10. Magic.
Favorite band/artist of all time: Almost impossible. That changes a lot. I probably have a top five (or six). Earth, Wind & Fire, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Phish, Paul McCartney, Steel Pulse. For varied reasons, from live performance to studio work to sheer influence.
Guilty pleasures: Anything from the skating-rink era and disco. Supertramp/Alan Parsons/Wings-type ‘70s rock, my kind of classic country (‘75-‘90), 2Pac, Blind Melon, Teddy Pendergrass. I love ‘80s music. So what? I'm never really guilty about music. Just not too much acoustic.
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