By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
Eichardt’s Pub has hosted live music longer than some of the people who play there have been alive. The iconic pub is a comfortable, cozy spot to dip into for a pint and a hot meal to check out some of the area’s best musicians do their thing.
One of the most prolific new musicians to grace Sandpoint stages is Liam McCoy, a young guitar phenom who plays his axe with a grace usually seen in much older players.
McCoy has played and sat in with numerous local bands over the past few years, always bending his electric guitar to the limit of its abilities. His proficiency on guitar is evident with his masterful licks. He’s even played on the biggest stage in town while sitting in with The Real McCoy during Community Night at the 2025 Festival at Sandpoint at War Memorial Field.
Since Eichardt’s publican Jeff Nizzoli is always one to promote the arts and local culture of Sandpoint, McCoy now hosts a weekly music night with a revolving cast of players.
Liam McCoy and Friends play the Pub every Thursday evening at 7 p.m.
The “friends” part of the ensemble always includes Sheldon Packwood on bass, with a grab bag of Sandpoint’s notable musicians joining in when they can.
“It’s always guaranteed to be me and Sheldon, but it really depends week to week,” McCoy told the Reader. “Sometimes John Firshi will swing in. Benny Baker recently said he was going to come join. It’s really casual, never set in stone.”
McCoy likens the Thursday session to the Monday Night Blues Jam at Eichardt’s, which began in the 1990s with Truck Mills originally hosting and has been carried on with host John Firshi. McCoy himself has sat in with the band on Monday nights, always adding a zesty vibe to the gigs. The main difference between the Monday Night Blues Jam and Liam McCoy and Friends on Thursdays is the curated aspect of the latter.
“There’s not a whole lot of planning that goes into it,” McCoy said. “It’s sort of a living room vibe. The biggest difference is that Monday nights are more of an open thing where everyone can join in. We’ve tried to not do that as much because it’s a lot harder to manage. It’s a little more invitational, but the same casual on-the-fly vibe of it.”
Liam McCoy and Friends play a healthy mix of tunes from a variety of genres, usually rock, folk, country and blues.
“It depends on the night,” he said. “Some nights we’ll go way more one way than we have before and next week there will be a little more variation. It’s always a mixed bag.”
Catch Liam McCoy and friends every Thursday night at Eichardt’s (212 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint). Music starts at 7 p.m. and there’s never a cover charge.
