Showtime: Unwed Sailor and Noble Rocket at Propaganda

Johnathan Ford of Unwed Sailor.

First off, as local bars go, Propaganda is actually quite a find. It’s laid back — couches in the back, good alcohol selection, friendly staff — but still has a fun motif. Faux Commie slogans line the walls and everything is red and black.

Nick Eberhardt of Noble Rocket

In addition, the sound quality is excellent — you could tell from the first note of local band Noble Rocket’s first song. It neither blew me out of the room nor got completely lost in the rafters.

OK, it’s no Bamboo Room, with its acoustic baffle system. Few bars in the US have that good a set-up, let alone South Florida. As your local pub goes, though, Propaganda’s got a good set-up.

And in a fairly competitive bar market in Lake Worth, that’s saying something. When you can very easily head right up the street to Little Munich or down to Brogues and Dave’s Last Resort (and its twin, Igoes), you have to have more than a little going for you.

Had the chance to listen to both Noble Rocket and Seattle’s Unwed Sailor, an instrumental combo who combined exploration with economy — a tight sound, but still interesting. Unwed Sailor’s Johnathan Ford has been to South Florida before: “I always get a little confused with all the beaches and lakes down here, but I’m sure we’re in Lake Worth tonight!”

Noble Rocket has a more direct knowledge of the area, of course, and these days seeing them is an inexpensive treat — Nick Eberhardt leads the sometimes trio, sometimes four piece with a tight, slightly country-based sound.