Grumpy's Downtown
Got a quarter? Then you call the tune. Here's what you'll get at the Washington Avenue watering hole.
Jason Zabel
More Jukeboxing
Where they haven’t been replaced by charmless, trend-crunching tune-bots, jukeboxes say a lot about a place—nay, enhance the place. In Jukeboxing, Decider spends some quarters and punches some buttons at Twin Cities bars and venues. This edition takes a look at the jukebox at Grumpy's Downtown.
The Box: Grumpy’s Downtown confirms many a jukebox aficionado’s worst fear—even bars with music savvy are making the digital juke switch. This perennial beer bar and cafeteria of comfort food has a Touchtunes Rhapsody. No worries, though; this box is jammed with all of the favorites from the old CD jukebox, says bartender Ty Lahr. So what’s the upside of digital? Sure, the box may look a little plain-Jane, but it’s what's inside that counts. Song-selectors will find a metric shit-ton of music, with everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top.
Price: A buck buys two romps with the Sex Pistols, and $5 allows you to choose 12 tracks from Grumpy’s library of Dinosaur Jr.
Drinkin’ Songs: Something about Grumpy’s Downtown instigates a more melancholic type of rocking. Maybe it’s the sharp wind that whips down Washington Avenue, or the fact that the bar lies in the shadows of towers filled with confining cubicles—whatever the cause, this juke’s array of early and new Modest Mouse is perfect for a weekday afternoon hooky-session from work. “The Moon & Antarctica” is an especially apt album for those disillusioned breadwinners who just need a break.
Nerd Jams: The Dead Milkmen are weird enough to never be forgotten by the cult of followers that formed around this group in the late '80s. But today’s youth probably haven’t even had a taste of this satirical group of nerd rockers. Lucky for everyone, the collection called “Death Rides A Pale Cow” is the perfect vehicle to understanding irony in the '80s. For more on obscure sound that originated pre-'90s, select the Jesus Lizard.
Locals: This Grumpy’s may not have as much local music as its sister speakeasy in Northeast, but there certainly is no shortage of Hüsker Dü or The Replacements. Both Grumpy’s locations can seem stuck in the 1980s Minneapolis music scene, but with the digital juke at the downtown location, things have modernized a bit with albums from bands like The Hold Steady.
For Closing Time: The best way to lighten the mood at then end of a night at Grumpy’s is to select a tune that’s a bit idiotic, perhaps one delivered with loveable Kiwi accents. This is why Flight Of The Conchords exists—select “The Most Beautiful Girl” and turn your mid-winter melancholy around with thoughts of the New Zealand summer.
