Las Vegas Weekly : - R.I.P. Art Bar (May ’05-September ’08)

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R.I.P. Art Bar (May ’05-September ’08)

Downtown venue stirred up the scene during its short lifespan

Spencer Patterson

Thu, Oct 9, 2008 (midnight)

Photo: Ryan Olbrysh

When Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes dropped his pants onstage last February, he ensured the Art Bar would live on forever in Las Vegas concert folklore. It appears that’s the only sense in which the Downtown site will continue to exist.

The once-hip saloon and sometime music venue located at the southern tip of the arts district shut its doors on September 18, when owner Jesse Garon (a local Elvis impersonator) slipped out in the night following what he describes as a longtime clash with his landlord. “We had seven years left on a 10-year lease, but she wants to sell the property so we’ve been in court four times,” Garon says. “It wasn’t worth fighting anymore.”

From the Archives: A rockin' philosophy (3/16/08); The Art Bar Plants Its Flag (9/8/05)

The colorfully decorated bar, which opened on May 5, 2005, at exactly 5 p.m., offered sanctuary for area artists, along with local and visiting musicians (Ratatat, The Album Leaf and The Rentals were among the bigger names to stop by), and quickly emerged as a hot spot for Las Vegas’ emerging Downtown crowd. “The place was anything but corporate,” Garon says. “We never took a buck from the artists, which is unheard of.”

On February 13, 2007, the Art Bar’s standing as a live music hub was solidified with a jam-packed performance by Athens, Georgia, indie crew Of Montreal, which saw Barnes, the band’s frontman, strip naked for several songs mid-set.

Scenester/concert promoter James Woodbridge says it was downhill from there, however. “At first, it was a cool place to hang out, and then it started to pick up with bigger and bigger events, and it looked like it was on track to become a centerpiece of the scene,” Woodbridge says. “But it peaked with that Of Montreal show. Nothing was ever as big again, and it got trickier and trickier for bands to perform there—it didn’t have a good sound system, for one—and promoters became less enthused. Then there was a huge turnover in staff. And by the end of last summer, people were done going there.”

Garon, who has been selling off the Art Bar’s remaining treasures from his garage, attributes the club’s faded fortunes to growing competition from the Fremont East District and to a decline in First Friday attendance. “It got to where I had to throw a party with midget tossing or a camel-toe contest just to get people in,” he says. “But I loved every minute of being a club owner.”

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1 Comment So Far

Please Read!!!!! I was the last artist that showed my work consisting of 11 paintings in the Art Bar. They closed down and never contacted me to come pick up my work. I have called every number i could find including the manager Erik and the bartender Joey., all the numbers I have tried have been disconnected. I also emailed Erik and I have been searching for Jesse Garon. I even called the police to see what I could do to get my art back. This was my first art exhibit and I am devistated about losing what I have worked so hard for. If anyone knows the location of the owner or any help at all, I would greatly appreciate it. Just write back in the blog and we will find a way.. For those who don't know anything please pray for me that I get my art back. Thank you for reading!!!
Liska

Posted by: liskazalewski on 11/17/08 at 12:28 p.m.