After opening Rock-A-Billies in Arvada nearly two year ago, Jimmy Nigg is gearing up to open a second location in the Slam Bar space in Greenwood Village early next month and plans to have a grand opening the weekend of September 14. Since Slam Bar isn't open for lunch, he's using that time to do some remodeling, hanging artwork and installing a speakeasy that will also act as a green room, with a door that looks like a bookcase.
Part of the reason Nigg knew he had to expand the concept was that he people driving in from various parts of town and as far away as Colorado Springs. "They would come up here," he notes, "because this was a place where they could go see their favorite bands. They could get good food, and they could get a free show, and those aren't necessarily things that some of the other venues offer all in the same place."
Nigg says the new spot will be twice as big as the Arvada location with 6,000 square feet and about eight to ten times more parking. The new space also has a dance floor, which the Arvada bar didn't have. As far as live music goes, Nigg says he's going to have bands on Friday nights, and if customers indicate they want live music on Saturdays, he'll do it then, too.
"I've been in the business for a while, but this was the first bar that I opened," he says of the Arvada location. "My brother and I had this idea that when we opened this bar up, we'd play rockabilly music and '50s and '60s music until about 10 p.m., and then the younger crowd's going to come in. We'd change up the music to maybe some punk rock or maybe some of the modern rock. The idea was that it was a tribute to guys that started rock and roll, and then it's kind of an evolution; as the night goes on, we'd play some different genres.
"What ended up happening," he goes on, "was that at ten o'clock, I couldn't get the old guys to go home. They wanted to stay there. It just really turned into something cool, and it definitely turned into something bigger than I expected. The challenge with live music is keeping my identity and still be able to book the kind of music that's going to fit and the kind of music that my customers want."
The grand opening for the Greenwood Village Rock-A-Billies kicks off with Jonny Barber headlining on Friday, September 14 with the High Gear Daddies opening. The Atomic Drifters headline the next night on Saturday, September 15, with Adam Lopez and His Mighty LoCasters opening. There's a car show on Saturday, and, on both days, there isn't a cover.
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