Pirate Journalism

It’s not just the owners who can get me to come visit their favorite place to be. Anyone can e-mail me and ask me to come on down. For example, last week Phil from the Inlyn Gruve band e-mailed me to come down to Spencer’z South to see them play. This gave me the perfect excuse to head down to Murrells Inlet and check out Spencer’z South.
At the intersection of Pendergrass Ave. and Highway 17, Spencer’z South is a huge place with great character from the moment you walk up the steps to the front door. Inside, the place is virtually split into two separate areas. Immediately upon entering, there is a comfy bright barroom with several tables, a digital jukebox, dart games and TVs. If you keep going, you come to the short flight of stairs leading down to a huge room with high ceilings and plenty of space for tables. On a raised platform, there is more seating on the “backside” of the bar from the other room. What a great design effect. I fell in love with the place immediately.
On the lower level, there was a second bar against one wall, and on the opposite end of the room was a stage and a spot for a couple of pool tables. The back of the room had an extension that looked like it could be partitioned off as a private banquet room if needed.

Inlyn Gruve is in the House!

The stage was big enough to fit all of the members of Inlyn Gruve and their guest members. They played a great mix of classic rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll. There was enough room in front of the stage for some couples to dance.
Also hanging out at Spencer’z that night were the Myrtle Beach Roller Girls. The place wasn’t packed when I was there, but more and more people were rolling in by the minute.
I had a chance to talk with the owner, Bill, and he said the plan for Spencer’z South was going to be more entertainment-oriented than its sister bar in Surfside Beach. While there was plenty of TVs for fans to catch the March Madness games and other sports, Bill said when the college tournament was over, there were plans to bring even more bands and entertainment to Spencer’z South’s big stage.
Bill also assured me that the food was just as good as it was at the original location. It was well past my dinnertime. I resisted the urge to order one of the gigantic chef salads that I love, and ordered a “Big Ben” burger with fresh cut fries. I also decided to get the “Thundering Herd” appetizer sampler plate. The plate included cheese sticks, fried mushrooms, zucchini stix and an onion blossom.
To be honest, it didn’t sound like that much, but when it came, it was a massive amount of food. I killed the burger and a good hunk of the fries and appetizers, but still had more than enough to take home, share as a late night snack and have a good sized lunch the next day.
Spencer’z South may be the second Spencer’z, but it doesn’t take second place.