Old South Pearl Street already has a bustling nightlife scene, with clusters of wait-listed Sushi Den diners spilling onto the sidewalks and watering holes like Village Cork, Hanson’s, the Pearl Street Grill and Black Pearl gathering their share of the strolling masses.
But there’s a cool new venue on the block: BB’s on Pearl (1475 S. Pearl St. 303-777-
DINE) opened quietly Aug. 25, bringing a new dining room and a much-needed upstairs live music club to the area.
Owner Paul Blakley and his wife, Michelle, also have the original BB’s location in Parker, but the Pearl Street spot has already generated a bigger buzz. Not only are the area neighbors discovering it the old-fashioned way – yours truly only stumbled upon the place last week while walking from Black Pearl to the Village Cork – but the word has spread quickly through Denver’s music community.
Blakley plans to focus on jazz and blues acts, and has already booked many notable locals into the space. Others are starting to look him up after hearing about the new room. “We’ve had some great music in here so far,” Blakley said. “Ellen Rucker was a huge hit, and Wendy Woo came to me after hearing that it’s a cool new room, so that was great.”
Blakley plans to have live music on Tuesday through Saturday nights, with low-key tunes during the dinner hours leading into late-night entertainment. The layout of the place is ideal for both; downstairs, the old Lola restaurant location has been transformed into a classy upscale American bistro outfitted with warm colors and clean lines.
Upstairs, the formerly unused second story of the building houses the main bar and stage area, anchored by a stately baby grand piano in the corner, a cozy rock fireplace in the rear, and a smoking patio off the back. Tonight, catch the classic Delta blues stylings of Willie Houston; Saturday brings a jazzy set with Rehka Ohal on piano and vocals from 5:30-8:30 p.m., and the Jerry Weiss Trio from 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m. For now, Blakley is waiving any cover charges, but expect to pay between $5 and $10 for weekend shows starting in October.
Gimme Shelter
Check out the Shelter nightclub (1037 Broadway) on Friday nights for a new hip-hop event with a social conscience. The “Community Development” series kicked off last week with a lineup including P.A.A.S., Spoke in Words, Life Crew’s Deca and Maneline, D.O. the Fabulous Drifter, and DJs A-What and Tense manning the turntables.
“A lot of people came out and it had a really good vibe,” said Nate Warren, publicist for D.O.’s label, Five Points Plan recordings. “It’s a fun, inclusive environment for hip-hop, and it gives local artists a platform to reach out to the scene.”
Tonight the series continues beginning at 8 p.m.; look for the entire Life Crew to show – The Pirate Signal, Deca, Ichiban, Maneline – plus a local fashion show by area designers such as Potential, i can.d, Funklectic, and more.
Better dread than Dead
Don’t bother washing your hair for this film screening. Finally, the answer to a burning question has arrived: Why do hundreds of funky white kids dread their hair and follow the road in the wake of jam bands all across America?
“Dreadheads: Portrait of a Subculture” takes a look at the dread-headed, vagabond hippies that make road tripping a way of life. The documentary follows the scene for two years, and not surprisingly, it includes plenty of footage shot in and around Red Rocks. And just like the hippie-gypsy travelers the film follows, it will make only a brief appearance in town before heading down the road.
The film just screened at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, but you can catch it again at Trilogy Wine Bar in Boulder (2017 13th St., 303-473-9463) at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-954-1568.
