Motorists driving down South First Street may have noticedbright designs on the side of a building across the street from theLincoln County/Brookhaven Government Complex, with a sign invitingpeople to stop and “Eat.”

Teresa and Eric Moyer said Recess 101, their restaurant andskateboard shop, was born of a need in Brookhaven for bothmusicians and music lovers to have a place to go where they couldgather and enjoy a laid-back atmosphere and hear and play livemusic.

“There’s really no music scene here,” Teresa Moyer said.

Eric Moyer agreed.

“Brookhaven has always had some good bands,” he said. “We’ve gota lot of local talent.”

But, Teresa Moyer said, it’s also about giving Brookhavenites ahang-out venue where they can gather with friends and justsocialize.

“We wanted it to be a place where people could meet and see eachother, a laid-back place where people can stop by and see otherpeople they know and enjoy the music,” she said. “McComb gets allthe good business from Brookhaven because they have places whereyou can go listen to live music.”

Employee and friend Will Porter agreed that the musical outletis a major plus for local talent, and he said if more people wouldlearn about it, it could become an even bigger scene.

“Some of the most creative people I’ve ever met are inBrookhaven, but there’s no outlet for them,” he said.

But it’s not just about music, the Moyers said. It’s also abouta venue for artists and thinkers, music lovers and locals who arejust looking for something that feels different. Outside thebuilding is the mural in progress, being painted by 2006Mississippi School of the Arts graduate Lorrin Webb, who is alsoPorter’s girlfriend. He said the mural painting will resume as soonas she returns from school in Starkville, where she’s studyinggraphic design at Mississippi State University.

“We want it to go from the daylight pictures that are theretowards some happy night life scenes,” he said. “There’s a lot ofillustrated lyrics in it, and we’re only about 40 percent done withit.”

Porter said there are other messages as well.

“There have been a lot of people that ask, ‘Are they open,’ andwe want the mural to kind of say, ‘There’s food here, and music,and good times,'” he said.

Meanwhile, the Recess 101 crew said they’re happy to let peoplehelp with the mural painting if they want to.

Artwise, on the inside there’s even more to look at.

On the wall that backs up to the mural, there are three groupsof abstract shapes in black, gold, red and blue.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Eric Moyer, a Brookhavennative. “The black and gold is for Alexander Junior High, and theblue and red is for Brookhaven High.”

The tables are also interesting, with old clippings from RollingStone magazine, old album covers, and even one whole tablededicated to disc golf, which is one of Eric Moyer’s otherhobbies.

And the Moyers said as public awareness has gone up, people havebegun coming in more regularly. One of the joys of the job, TeresaMoyer said, is getting to know the customers.

“I love meeting new people,” she said. “I love talking topeople.”

Recess 101, at 312 South First St., hosts live music eachweekend, sometimes with a small cover to pay the bands.

“I really felt like there was a niche for it here,” said EricMoyer.