Bob & Patti's No Wake Zone, R.I.P. Photograph by Thomas Crone
In the city of St. Louis, there were once twenty bars located between Bates on the north and the city limits on the south. These days there are less than a dozen. It appears that at least one, Jo-Netti’s, has enjoyed its final last call: while unofficial, this is based on several recent drive-bys, with the lights off and the club empty.
While Jo-Netti’s never cracked my regular rotation of corner bars to visit, I can certainly remember many good afternoons and evenings spent at that bar’s predecessor, Bob & Patti’s No Wake Zone. A fishing-themed bar found at the intersection of Loughborough and South Broadway, the No Wake Zone was a corner bar with that extra something, that little bit of genutlichkeit that makes a random customer a regular. Truth be told, I miss it still.
South Broadway is dotted with the bones of many an abandoned tavern. For example, Slo Tom’s, which shuttered within a few months of a total reconfiguration within the past two years. While the new bar wasn’t without merit, it failed to capture the earthy appeals of the previous incarnation.
Here’s my list of 21 other favorite haunts. The perfect number for obvious reasons. What’s yours?
1227: Home to punk, goth and college rock favorites, 1227 would morph into the more successful The Galaxy, though early clubgoers on Washington Avenue will remember the original venue at this notable address. The room played host to Nine Inch Nails (twice), Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Social Distortion, and a host of now forgotten 80’s and 90’s touring acts. Possibly the defining club of the early Wash Ave scene.
Alternative Music Pub aka AMP: Featuring the best in new wave, music was at the core of AMP’s appeal, as was the fact that this proto-Grove venue served a remarkably diverse gay-straight-black-white-young-old audience.
Bernard’s Pub (Midtown): While it would move to The Landing, for many the Bernard Pub name is firmly fixed to the long demolished building at Lafayette and Thurman. The club played host to many leading lights of 1980s punk, and remains a legendary touchstone for groups that played that music during St. Louis punk’s golden era.
The Creepy Crawl (Downtown): A one-of-a-kind music club/dive bar, The Creepy would move though the original location remains the standard for many of its patrons. With a literal fence keeping underagers in place, the room had an immediate detention center vibe for certain shows. That said, the bookings of three to seven bands a night kept the club relevant, the natural evolutionary link to Bernard’s Pub.
Cummel’s Cafe: Though it called three different addresses home, the earliest incarnation on Locust remains the most memorable. Art Rock and vegetarian food co-mingled nicely in Janese Henry’s low-key, culturally progressive environments.
Dino’s Bungalow Bar: A favorite stop for Peter E. Parisi and his Worldwide Magazine cable show, The Bungalow featured a house band of seasoned musicians, who played to an equally seasoned audience. Now known as Super’s Bungalow, the venue remains, but the old school magic is but a memory. R.I.P. Dino.
Ernestine’s Scorpio Lounge: Truth be told, I visited this place only once, a dusty survivor of decades on the edge of Gaslight Square/The CWE. Remembered, though, are the old lamps, classic bar fixtures and the namesake bartender who regaled with stories of the club’s popular past. Waited too long for a second visit; by the time inspiration struck, the bar was closed.
The Fortune Teller (circa 1990): Way before the re-birth of Cherokee, the original Fortune Teller was a waystation for neighborhood residents and what passed for a hipster in the 1990s. While the name remains, the old bar was a different animal indeed, half the size of the current space and possessing maybe one-tenth of the current stock. And, yes, fortunes were told there too.
Frederick’s Music Lounge: This impossibly quirky bar on Chippewa lived several lives. At the time of its closing, it was known as a bastion of Americana, bawdy open mikes, and a nightly celebration of the weird and wacky. No bar since has featured an in-house bubble machine to the same effect, nor has any club been home to weekly viewings of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. A generation of South Siders still shed lonely tears.
The Great Grizzly Bear: Though its been continuously named The Great Grizzly for decades, the earliest version of the room was a very different than the current. With new wave bands featured every Thursday and blues groups holding down Friday and Saturday night sets, this Soulard venue satisfied two very different audiences. Many successful groups sprang from this unassuming tavern.
The Hi-Pointe: Overlooking the busy intersection of Clayton and Skinker, The Hi-Pointe combined a popular first floor dive bar with the second floor dedicated to darn near anybody who wanted to play music. What it lacked in amenities it made up for in character. Its role in the local music scene has arguably never been replaced.
J’s Hideout: A lively link between several clubs on MLK, J’s played host to an older head group of drinkers who enjoyed telling tales. Located in the historic Ville neighborhood, J’s had no frills, deep pours and no lack of ambiance.
Kennedy’s: Though not necessarily a well laid out room for live music, this Landing staple provided a home for many of the leading rock bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s. A sequence of bars in the same space have never found the same magic as the Second Street Company.
Mississippi Nights: Though the room itself wasn’t necessarily notable, it was memorable. Largely because so many of us spent so many evenings seeing live music there. In many respects, this single room was enough to bring otherwise Landing-suspicious patrons to that area.
Other World: Todd Zahner is best known as Jo-Jo and his lasting contribution to St. Louis remains Other World. With two rooms, live and dance music co-existed and blended in a way that was unique to the mid-‘90s. The club, located just west of what is now The City Museum on Delmar, was notable as a home for industrial, dark wave and goth bands, along with a larger array of touring talent, in a location that stretched Wash Ave westward.
Prestige Lounge: By the time Lou Bonds shuttered the Prestige in the early ‘90s, the venue had already outlasted all of its peers in the surrounding Gaslight Square. For many of us that history was lost on us; we simply enjoyed the old school, true lounge feel of this midtown music club.
The Side Door Music Club: Located on the back of the Hot Locust Cantina, The Side Door hosted a number of groups that would gain fame in later years. It also served as a home to young talent; many players today count among their first gigs shows at The Side Door. Though it didn’t last for too long, the room had impact and provided a nice early complement to the nearby Schlafly Tap Room, which was then finding its own footing.
Slo Tom’s: Truly a classic corner bar, Slo Tom’s was home to a battle-tested group of regulars, as well as the occasional tourist. With its smoky interior, dirt-cheap beer prices, and low dropped ceilings, the place had a feeling all its own. A recent reboot proved unsuccessful.
Tangerine: The flagship of Blake Brokaw’s many Washington Avenue clubs, Tangerine offered winning vegetarian fare, a fun cocktail menu, and St. Louis’ best foray into Tiki culture. Another room that has been replaced by multiple bars, none have achieved the same popularity or success. Missed are the DJs, the fun lights and sound, and that long elbow-to-elbow walk back to the bathroom.
Wabash Triangle Cafe: Calvin Case’s bohemian outpost stretched the University City Loop into the city of St. Louis. A home to live music, slam poetry and arts of all sorts, the club was cut short by a fire, which claimed a room that spiritually dated back to Gaslight Square.
Zach’s Lounge: A real livewire, this bar, just a block off of the MLK strip, featured DJs, insanely strong pours and regulars who called the place home every night. The deep red lighting added to the noir effect.
