The name says it all—almost. The Attic Music Bar, the city’s newest bar and music venue, is housed on the second floor of a beautifully renovated 1929 brick building at 4247 S. Kingshighway, just south of Chippewa. The building hosts live music inside and out on weekends, as well as Cajun fare from Who Dat Southern Food Bar & Grill on the ground floor (slated to open July 31). Here’s what to expect.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect that this restaurant is not affiliated with Who Dat’s Southern Food, with locations in Collinsville and Columbia, Il.
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The Atmosphere
On weekends, music lovers can drop in to hear three groups perform on two stages, indoors and on the venue’s patio, which also offers a fire pit, bar, and alfresco seating. Live music starts at 6 p.m. and goes until midnight on Thursdays and from 6 p.m.–1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Look for such bands as the Rhythm Rockers, The Kingdom Brothers, Power Play, and Firelight, as well as solo acts and duos such as Strings Attached, Gene Jackson, Casey Reeves, Luau Lenny and Hula Hemo, and singer/songwriter Justin Jagler.
The Menu
The owners leased the ground floor to a new Cajun/Creole restaurant that features many Cajun/Creole staples: jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, po’ boys, as well as more unexpected dishes, such as a seafood-stuffed twice-baked potato. (Tip: Consider arriving early on weekends and sitting outside to hear music, as the restaurant and music venue share the patio.)
The bar upstairs serves beer, wine, cocktails, and house specialties, including frozen hurricanes and jalapeño margaritas. Look for five draft beers, including three from local breweries, as well as a thoughtful bottle and can selection that’s heavy on session beers and includes Urban Chestnut Big Shark radler and nonalcoholic WellBeing Heavenly Body Golden Wheat. Soda and flavored waters are also available.
The Team
The Attic Music Bar is both a passion project and tight-knit family-and-friends affair. Co-owners Mike McCarron and Justin Pfaff have been best friends since grade school, when Pfaff’s mom was their teacher while attending kindergarten in Farmington. Pfaff, who’s co-owner of Anderson Building Company, helped oversee the renovation and handles the business end of The Attic’s operations. McCarron’s cousin, Camille Wulfers, serves as the beverage director and bar manager.
It was McCarron who originally had the idea for the venue. “I wanted to hear my dad play music again,” he says of his father, co-owner Rod McCarron, who goes by the nickname “Rockin’ Rod” and helps book acts at the venue. He’s been a vocalist and keyboard player since the ’60s, playing in a range of bands before retiring years ago to raise his kids in Farmington. This is the second time that McCarron has prodded his dad to get back into music. “My son asked me if I would fill in for the organist one Sunday at church in Farmington, and I did,” he says, adding that the one-time gig turned into full-time music director.
“I told Mike there are important dates on my calendar when I’m not available to play,” he says. “I won’t be here on any of my grandchildren’s birthdays or on family’s birthdays. And if it’s gonna snow, my three dogs are coming with me; we’ve got an office with a couch that will work just fine as a bed.”
