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Elliott, who was the owner of Scruffy Murphy's for five years, says they're hoping to bring in acts similar to those you might have seen at his previous place: a lot of rock and punk bands. Since Elliott is part owner at the Park House Tavern, which is a few blocks east of the Bluebird Theater on Colfax, he says he also has a link into the alt-country and bluegrass scene. They're looking into bringing in national acts to play on the newly constructed stage, which is next to the huge Elvis Presley mural in main room of the bar.
Elliott says he also wants to bring in touring acts to do "secret shows," like he did with Street Dogs and Flogging Molly at Scruffy Murphy's, or getting to be on part of the tour like someone like the Mahones, who are playing gigs in a variety of sizes of spaces.
At the smaller upstairs bar and patio, Elliott says they plan do singer-songwriter or duo shows, or possibly host a pre- or post-show for somebody who's playing at the Bluebird or Ogden Theatre, where' they'd have the act play a few songs and host a meet and greet.
"We're really excited to be out here in the Bluebird district," Elliott says. "It's the perfect location. What drew me to space was the variety of things that we can do. Two outdoor patios - one upstairs, one downstairs, two bars, one upstairs, one downstairs - it's an awesome space we can do live music and parties. Just a little bit of everything for everyone."
Since taking over the space last year, Elliott says they've changed the vibe of the place for the better. "Certainly that's the feedback we've getting not only from neighborhood and the community but from people who might have been in three or four years ago and decided to never come back," he adds.
In addition to amping up the taps to 25 brews, including a number of local craft beers, Elliott brought on Tony Giovanni, who did the bar program for places like Gaetano's, Linger and Green Russell, to be the new bar manager and to create a new cocktail menu. Elliott says the new cocktail menu includes some really accessible cocktails and a lot classics, much of it in the $6 to $8 range.
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