Clubs
Last weekend was the grand opening for The Loft, a newcomer to the downtown lounge scene.
Located at 821 Champa St., the space most recently occupied by Club Evolution (and known to many of us as the old home of Muddy’s coffee house) the lounge lives up to its name with a classy warehouse vibe, including brick walls, gleaming hardwoods and an open floor plan on two levels. The space came together quickly and opened to huge crowds last weekend based on little more than word of mouth.
“We killed it on Friday for the opening,” said co-owner Shane Hudson, one of three partners in the lounge. “We had about 1,500 people throughout the night.”
Considering that the capacity for the space is just over 500, it was a great opening night for a group that did little advertising and pulled together the renovations of the space in less than one month.
“We bought on July 1 and we did 3 1/2 months’ worth of construction in 3 1/2 weeks,” Hudson said.
Hudson and his partners – Ji Brumley and Jamie Uhlir – designed the space as a spacious lounge rather than a nightclub. The main floor offers a DJ booth, five VIP bottle service tables, plenty of bar stools lining the long narrow bar, and lots of open space in between. Upstairs follows a similar design, with expanded seating, including a row of stylishly mod half-round VIP booths and a scattering of low cocktail tables.
The drink menu offers bottle service ranging from a $150 bottle of Stoli and a $200 bottle of Perrier Jouet Fleur, to a $600 bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. Cocktails run $7-$8, with specialties such as the Champa Chocolate martini (Stoli Vanil, White Godiva chocolate liqueur, $8) and the Vitamin C (Stoli Oranj, orange juice, Red Bull, $8).
“We don’t want a club, we want a lounge,” explained Uhlir. “It’s a Chicago-style upscale lounge, with space and flow. And it’s not too pretentious. We want to have a little culture and a variety of people.”
The weekly lineup of events is still a work in progress, but currently offers several intriguing nights. Mondays, gals (and well-groomed guys) can drop by for Martini Manicure Mondays, when a mere $10 buys you a martini and a manicure from 5-9 p.m. On Sunday nights, look for Classic Cinema Sundays to bring cult and pulp classics to the screen. Weekends bring rotating DJs spinning everything from R&B and hip-hop to retro pop hits; tonight it’s DJ Dave Peacock. Call 303-296-4604 for info, or 303-931-8143 for bottle service reservations.
Temptation Thursdays
When you think of the old TV show “Cheers,” it brings a certain setting to mind. And though Bar Luxe in Cherry Creek, with its chic décor and well-heeled clientele, doesn’t exactly fit the image of the neighborhood bar, that is exactly the atmosphere it is striving to provide.
“On Wednesdays in particular we see a lot of familiar faces,” said Jennifer Rushford, who handles marketing for Bar Luxe. Wednesdays’ service-industry night caters to Cherry Creek’s service workers, who come from the area’s many eateries and bars to take advantage of $2.31 martinis all night (the price reflects the address at 231 Milwaukee St.), but plenty of nonservice industry regulars drop by for the deal from 4-6 p.m. as well.
The newest weekly event is Temptation Thursdays, which kicked off last night with a beach-party theme.
“It’s a very islandy vibe, and we have a bongo drummer,” said Rushford. If the island grooves aren’t reason enough to stop by, the bar is offering free Temptinis – pomegranate martinis – on Thursdays through the end of August. Next week, Temptation Thursdays will feature a swimsuit competition sponsored by Bodies By Perseverance; on Aug. 24 it’s a luau party; and Aug. 31 they’ll host an end-of-summer strawberry feast.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
The Local Scene
Wayfarers
Catch traditional Irish music from Boulder tonight at Moja Magic, $10, 8 p.m., 4949 N. Broadway, Unit 117 in Boulder and Monday at the Southern Sun Pub, 10 p.m., free, 627 S. Broadway in Boulder.
Drag the River
This Fort Collins act will open for Robert Earl Keen on Saturday at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. 8 p.m. $23.
The Samples
Arguably Boulder’s most beloved band, The Samples rocked that college town’s ’90s jam scene like patchouli-scented hurricane. They’ll play Saturday at the Grand Prix of Denver, on 14th Street between Market and Larimer streets. 7:30 p.m. Free.
Julox
Texas hip-hop transplant Julox will release his latest Colorado-recorded disc at the Gothic Theatre on Tuesday, with Ace Deuce, Archie Lee, YoungDoe, Nyke Loc, E Roc Reggie, Lil Boys and Mr. Midas. 3263 S. Broadway. 7 p.m. $20.
The Railbenders
A high-profile gig opening for Dwight Yoakam at the Paramount Theatre should suit these country-rock boys just fine. Thursday, 1621 Glenarm, 8 p.m., $45.25-$30.25.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-820-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
On Tours
FRIDAY|Joe Cocker @ Paramount, $45-$65, Ticketmaster|The James Gang @ Red Rocks, $35-$70, Ticketmaster|Drew Emmitt Band @ Boulder Theater, $12.50, bouldertheater.com
SATURDAY|The Black Crowes, Robert Randolph & the Family Band @ Red Rocks, $42.50-$49.50, TicketmasterRobert Earl Keen @ Fillmore, $23, Ticketmaster
SUNDAY|B.B. King @ Denver Botanic Gardens, sold out|Marcia Ball @ Gothic, $26, TicketWeb
TUESDAY|Def Leppard, Journey @ Red Rocks, $65-$85, Ticketmaster|KPBI’s Infest with Korn, Deftones, Flyleaf and others @ Coors Amphitheatre, $10.67-$59.50, TicketWeb|Gorilla Biscuits @ Cervantes, $15, all ages, TicketWeb|Don Caballero @ Larimer Lounge, $8, bigmarkstickets.com
WEDNESDAY|Sean Carney Band @ Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, $12-$15, 303-293-0075 or lannies.com
THURSDAY|Dwight Yoakam @ Paramount, $30.25-$45.25, Ticketmaster|Bruce Cockburn @ Chautauqua Auditorium, $34.50, TicketWeb|Gary Numan @ Fox Theatre, $20, foxtheatre.com
