Blog 20 anniversary questions for Harmony Bar owner and lapsed Parrothead Keith Daniels

Since 1990, the Harmony Bar & Grill has carved out a well-deserved place right in the heart of Madison's Atwood Avenue neighborhood. Before the bar's 20th-anniversary celebration this Sunday at the Barrymore Theatre, The A.V. Club grilled owner Keith Daniels with a searing set questions about food, live music, and the Brewers.

The A.V. Club: Have you always been in the tavern business?

Keith Daniels: I grew up in one. My parents had the Harmony Bar in Burlington, Wisconsin. That's where the name comes from. But, while I was in college I found myself in the bar all the time anyways so I thought to myself, "I might as well get paid to be in there."

AVC: What was here before?

KD: It's been a bar since 1950. From '50 to '80 it was two Greek brothers that owned it and from '80 to '90 it was a dive called Lee's.

AVC: What shape was the place in when you bought it?

KD: It was a dump. I spent the first month just cleaning. Total dump, but that's why it was cheap.

AVC: Have you always had the green-and-white décor?

KD: No, the floors were black and the ceilings were black. We replaced the floors probably 18 years ago.

AVC: Was it always this big?

KD: Have you been in the other room yet? There was a drop ceiling and where that beam comes in, the other side of that wall used to be a tattoo parlor. That worked perfect because when they were about ready to go, we were ready to expand.

AVC: Who created the walnut burgers?

KD: My ex-wife, Jo Ragozzino. A lot of recipes we still use are hers.

AVC: How essential is the blue cheese to the Harmony's hot chips (homemade potato chips)?

KD: I think it's totally essential, but I also think that Tabasco sauce is equally. I like putting the hot sauce on the chip and then dipping it into the bleu cheese.

AVC: What was the first band to play here?

KD: There's an argument about that. Tony Castaneda thinks he was the first band but he's wrong. Chris Powers thinks his was first with the Bluegrass Survivors but he's wrong. The first band that ever played here was actually a rock 'n' roll band called the Falcon Eddies.

AVC: What was the biggest or most famous show?

KD: Junior Wells, Marcia Ball, BooZoo Chaves, W.C. Clark.

AVC: You must be a big music fan. Do you play?

KD: No. I played the trumpet in high school. I would not say I'm a practicing musician by any means.

AVC: You are a big Brewers fan. Are you just as big of a Cubs hater?

KD: YES!

AVC: How'd you get the County Stadium seats displayed behind the bar?

KD: When they were tearing down County Stadium, you could get a seat for $175 or you could get a signed seat. Ours are signed by Hank Aaron, [Paul] Molitor, and [Robin] Yount. Those were considerably more, but that money then went to inner-city schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs. So, I decided Bud Selig didn't need the money, the charities did.

AVC: How do you like the Brewers' chances this year?

KD: World Series, baby! World Series!

AVC: Have the political slogans on the door been a part of the Harmony since the beginning?

KD: It's a part of me and the Harmony is me. And you'll notice they all lean to the left.

AVC: Can you tell me about the letters on the wall?

KD: There's all kinds of stuff. Actually, there's an article that's published by the Smithsonian Institution talking about Wisconsin and how important the neighborhood bar is to the culture of Wisconsin and they chose us to write about.

AVC: Do any famous people ever come in?

KD: Sure. Russ Feingold spent New Year's Eve here. Tommy Thompson was here but I threw his glass away when he was done with it. Tammy Baldwin played on one of our first volleyball teams before she was a Congressperson.

AVC: You do an annual Jimmy Buffett night. Are you a Parrothead?

KD: I'm a no-longer-practicing Parrothead.

AVC: You host Sheepshead games. Is that game as confusing as it sounds?

KD: Well not if you grew up playing it. It's a great game but less and less people are playing it, but I love it. It makes Euchre look like War.

AVC: What's your favorite part of being a bar owner?

KD: People, I love people.

AVC: Any plans for the next 20 years?

KD: I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking about what I'm going to do next, meaning retire, because I'm really good at vacation. Put it this way: There won't be a 40th anniversary, and a 30th is probably unlikely too. Maybe a 25th.