Photo by Erik Hess

Here's METZ opening for Archers of Loaf back in August at the 400 Bar.

With 2012 breathing its final breaths, so is a West Bank landmark and live music institution. The 400 Bar, located at 400 Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis, is closing its doors after 17 years of hosting live music in its intimate environs under the management team of Tom and Bill Sullivan. And after several years of shows prior to that.

In recent months, the gritty bar had hosted a diminishing slate of shows -- which admittedly were filled with plenty of sweaty evenings of indie rock lore. Archers of Loaf, Mission of Burma, and a two-night stand for Conor Oberst's punk side project Desaparecidos all hit the space in 2012. The Sullivans recently shifted to co-promoting role with AEG Live for a pair of shows as "400 Bar Presents" that had grown larger than the 400's walls -- Cat Power and Sufjan Stevens -- at Mill City Nights.

See Also:
Cat Power at Mill City Nights, 10/30/12
Desaparecidos at 400 Bar, 8/9/12
Archers of Loaf at the 400 Bar, 8/25/12
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Via Google Maps

Taking the Twin Cities music scene's temperature can be simple as heading over to Craigslist. Pull up a chair in the "Musicians" section of the "Community" postings and just listen for a while. Most folks are looking for a bandmate (Can You Sing AC/DC?.... Ladies?) or offering up their production or teaching services. Then there's the case of the 22-year-old West Bank bar/restaurant/venue the Red Sea.

A week ago, folks at the Sea put out a call via Craigslist to find some new bands -- "Punk, Indie, Metal, Rock" to play at the Red Sea, and then the community's collective teeth began to gnash. Anonymously, of course.

While there's hard to find a "right" answer within this back-and-forth of threads -- and it appears that many comments have already been deleted -- it does provide a lot of colorful viewpoints about the approach new bands can take to getting heard, and how venues should handle their business. (A big 'ole typographical [sic] through all of what follows.)

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See Also:
Jane's Addiction at the Brick, 3/19/12
Jane's Addiction fans criticize the Brick, form "The Brick MN Sucks" site
The Brick moves four sold-out shows, unveils renovation plans

After a four-month run in downtown Minneapolis, the Brick is no longer the Brick. Not only has the AEG Live venue officially unveiled a series of renovations aimed at addressing opening-night complaints, but the nightclub has been re-branded with a purple skyline logo as Mill City Nights.

Back on March 19, things got off to a rocky start when a highly promoted Jane's Addiction show proved to be congested, confusing, and hard to watch for a crowd that was already annoyed for being kept out in the rain. The complaints were swift, noisy, and pointed, and general manager Jeff Kehr took them all very seriously. Seriously enough that refunds were offered, shows moved, and construction plans hatched.
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Photo by Steve Cohen

Here, you can see the rugged majesty of the Icehouse's soon to be well-traveled steps to the upper level.

After a few events already this week to ease into full-fledged business, Eat Street eatery and music venue Icehouse is now officially open to the public. Last night's grand opening party featured a couple of Honeydogs' frontman Adam Levy's other associated projects, Liminal Phase and Hookers & Blow, but it would be fair to say that the luxurious wood on nearly every surface in the place is going to be a headlining feature of every evening in the space -- located on Nicollet Ave. between 25th and 26th Streets.

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Photo by Ted Bradford

​This place suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. It's an Ethiopian restaurant, it's a lounge, it's a bar for beer geeks, and it's a nightclub. And although it doesn't excel in any of these functions, the Blue Nile succeeds at all of them. The food is good and reasonably priced, the tap selection is eclectic and carefully chosen, and the environment may be shabby but the layout encourages comfortable socializing. You can belly up to the bar to watch the scene or cozy into more private booths and create your own vibe with your friends.

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Photo by Ted Bradford

​Gluek's is one of those places that has been a part of the scenery in downtown Minneapolis for so long that it has begun to disappear into the backdrop--but it's a resilient fixture to be sure.  The stone façade, vaulted ceilings, and detailed woodwork give the accurate impression of a place that has a lot of history.  Built in 1902, the Gluek Building has been home to a bar and restaurant for nearly a century.  After struggling through Prohibition, the business was sold in 1933 to the family that has owned it--through four generations--ever since. Tragically, a fire gutted the building in 1989 leaving nothing but the walls.  It was reconstructed immediately and designed to recreate the original design as closely as possible.  To this day, Gluek's feels so much like an old German beer hall you wouldn't know you were in Minneapolis in the 21st century if it weren't for the televisions and the view of Jimmy John's on 6th street behind the stage.

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Photo by Tadson

​Bunker's Music Bar and Grill
761 Washington Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.338.8188

Bunker's floats on the outskirts of downtown like a satellite tethered by Washington Avenue.  If it weren't for the neon sign on the corner of the building, this well-established Minneapolis venue would disappear into the backdrop of the warehouse district.  And, on the chilly, windy autumn night that I ventured out, the corner of 7th and Washington felt particularly desolate. But I could hear the insulated thump of rock music from down the block and as I locked up my bike I could see that, despite appearances to the contrary, a decent crowd had come to see G.B. Leighton.


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Photo by Peter Lee

Roe Family Singers

​Freelancer Ted Bradford is on a quest to find music venues that offer recurring house gigs and provide patrons with a place to not only catch great local music, but to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ambiance. The first stop on his journey of Twin Cities clubs was the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis.

I dropped in at the 331 Club this past Monday night to catch some of the Roe Family Singers. I haven't been to the 331 very often, but I've always been fond of its style and atmosphere. The thick blue drapes covering the walls and the high-backed red vinyl booths create a casual elegance that is softly accented by the glowing light fixtures lining the room (they look like they were borrowed from an art deco movie theater, but are actually just upside down lamp shades). And, just to add a little Northeast Minneapolis artistic detail, there are two very interesting paintings on display that always generate compelling conversation. A little investigation revealed that the drapes are in place as much for acoustic reasons as aesthetic, but that only reinforced my appreciation for the space; a nice blending of form and function.

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