It's last call at the Uptown Bar
The mallification of Hennepin & Lake continues, but there's still a week of shows for saying goodbye
Chances are most Twin Cities music fans have a few Uptown Bar pint glasses lurking in their cabinets. Its stage has hosted myriad first, last, reunion, and record-release shows. At least one online magazine was conceived on its patio. Its omelets are as big as your head. As much as it’s loved for its history and down-to-earth atmosphere, it’s hated for its weird sound mix, gruff doormen, and tiny parking lot, leaving music fans to park blocks away and get lost amid the pre-fabricated nightmare that Uptown has become. Whatever it is now, this isn’t the Uptown Prince sang about back in 1980 and, once November rolls around, the Uptown Bar And Café will be gone as well.
Beginning as a tavern in the 1930s, the Uptown Bar grew into a local punk and rock institution through the ‘80s and ‘90s alongside departed venues like Jay’s Longhorn Bar and surviving mainstays like the 7th Street Entry and the 400 Bar. While Uptown grew gentrified around it—with Calhoun Square going up and a succession of stores from The Gap to Victoria’s Secret to Urban Outfitters moving in around it—the Uptown Bar stayed true to its roots, its goofy sign a throwback to a Jetsons-style vision of the future. Any fan of or participant in the Twin Cities rock scene of the past 20 years surely has memories of favorite shows (and hangover breakfasts), but for once, all the “end of an era” talk might be justified.
We all freaked out when the Turf was sold, even more so when First Ave. closed for a stretch after the 2004 presidential election, but those institutions proved durable. When the Uptown Bar closes, it will more or less take with it the last vestige of Uptown as a thriving, vibrant, diverse community of artists and cede it to the trendy, spendy club-hopping crowd that populates the bars along First Avenue during the weekend.
So maybe the plans to re-open the Uptown Bar in a different spot (still mostly a rumor right now, though its website says it's "in the process of finding a new location") shouldn’t be viewed as an accommodation, but an inevitable and welcome change. After all, Madison Square Garden isn’t even in Madison Square; why should the Uptown Bar have to be in Uptown? If and when it reappears, let’s hope the LED sign announcing upcoming acts follows it, but the new place has stage where people in the back can see the performers’ heads.
Until then, the Uptown Bar has a slate of shows for its last week of business. The last day to soak your late-night-induced sorrows in hash browns and bacon is Oct. 31, but the last show will be Sunday, Nov. 1. Here’s the upcoming schedule:
Monday, Oct. 26: Where Astronauts Go To Hide, The Invincible Kids, At Any Speed, Nallo. Joshua Pederson’s Where Astronauts Go To Hide started as a coffeehouse solo side project before evolving into a full band that still bears traces of its acoustic, singer-songwriter roots.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: The Evening Rig, Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo, Curtiss A, Box Thieves. A farewell week for the Uptown wouldn’t be complete without an appearance by scene veteran Curtiss A, who cut his teeth at the bar. The Evening Rig’s Replacements-esque squall should prove a good match to close out the evening.
Wednesday, Oct. 28: Me And My Arrow, Story Of The Sea, Chooglin’, Speed’s The Name, Death Cube, Alicia Wiley. Me And My Arrow is releasing its second EP (fittingly titled Two) at this show, assuming the septet can fit all of its members on the Uptown’s tiny stage.
Thursday, Oct. 29: Faux Jean, John Swardson, The Get Gone, Luke’s Angels. Susstones mainstays Faux Jean return with their original lineup for this show, though given the liquid nature of the group, you’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly what that means.
Friday, Oct. 30: Janis Figure, The Rockford Mules. Gutter blues-punk band Janis Figure is reuniting for their first official show in nearly five years to bid a fond farewell to the Uptown Bar. On a side note, the band had Hank Jennings of Twin Peaks (a.k.a. Minnesota native Chris Mulkey) to intro its documentary:
Saturday, Oct. 31: Lusurfer, Zebulon Pike, Buildings. After Zebulon Pike melts your face with its proggy instrumental metal, Lusurfer will deliver its distinctly Satanic surf rock.
Sunday, Nov. 1: The Twilight Hours, Happy Apple, The Hawaii Show. The Uptown’s last show will welcome back late ‘90s regulars John Munson and Matt Wilson of Trip Shakespeare in the form of their new project, The Twilight Hours. Jazz trio Happy Apple teams Bad Plus drummer Dave King, Dosh and Andrew Bird collaborator Michael Lewis on sax, and bassist Erik Fratzke of Zebulon Pike. The Hawaii Show blends stand-up comedy with rock 'n' roll, fake commercials, and faux rappers (Ludachrist and Notorious G.O.D.)—it sounds strange, but must be seen to be believed.
