I recently had a sit-down conversation with a Prague pub owner. One particular statement of his stood out among the rest: nothing works, but live music always works.

Translation: with rising prices, tourist traffic reductions due to flight cancellations, and the challenge of trying to stand out in a crowded market of evening entertainment options in Prague, a live band somehow brings in needed revenue and ensures that everyone has a good time (well, almost everyone–more on that later).

A few months ago I was at Fab Sounds concert in Žižkov. The Fab Sounds, by the way, are unequivocally the best Fab Four cover band you are likely to ever see. Not only are Archie, Martin, Anton and Kubá immensely talented musicians in their own right, but each of them coincidentally has the exact personality of each Beatle that they “play” on stage. As a result, what you’re seeing when watch them on stage isn’t a manufactured image, but an authentic experience. Close your eyes when they, and you feel like you’re in the Cavern Club with the read deal.

Anyhow, before one such show a young man approached me and we started talking about our mutual affection for the Beatles. The conversation quickly took an unexpected turn.

“Martin and I have our own Beatles-inspired band,” he said. “And we have a bass player, too. We just need a drummer.”

I smiled and said, “well, I can play drums, although I’m a guitarist by trade. If you really need a drummer, I’ll play drums for you.”

We smiled, shook hands, and I gave him my contact information. Then a good concert was enjoyed by all, and I went home, not expecting to hear back from him.

Three days later, I received a text message:

“We’ve book rehearsal space at Riton on Saturday. Can you make it?”

As a man of my word, I agreed, and boy, am I glad I did. Just like that, I made three new friends as the latest addition to Penultimate Flight, jammed out to some great tunes, and earned a whopping 200 crowns for our live performance at a hostel in Žižkov. What a deal!

And that’s not all: My newfound friends have taken to joining me for my open mic night appearances at the Globe Bookstore and Café. For a glimpse of what that’s like, check out this video of Vašek Entwistle and I.

Now, you might be thinking, “but Kevin, I’m not an aspiring Prague musician. How does this affect me?”

Well, true, but music is good for everybody. Prague’s nightlife is still vibrant, even in these uncertain times, and there is a venue for every musical taste under the sun. From the Jazz clubs to the heavy metal bars to the cavalcade of karaoke, there is something for all lovers of music to enjoy.

And for fans of the Beatles, I can’t recommend the Fab Sounds enough. John (the guitarist of Penultimate Flight who adeptly recruited me into the band) and I went to their most recent show in Anděl, and wow, what a great show! Those in attendance were greeted to the entire Abbey Road medley. And the encore featured a stirring rendition of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” with the stylings of George on guitar and Ringo on drums, just as God and Nature intended.

I could wax poetic about my favorite musical melodies ad infinitum, but instead, I’ll close with what I opened with. In this crazy word we live in, two things are true: Nothing works, but live music always works. In the meantime, enjoy this full-length video of Here Comes the Sun, because let’s face it: the annual end-of-winter witch burning is just a few days away!