Swan Dive, one of the Arts District’s most anticipated openings, is already preparing to move.
Harvey Graham, owner of the Downtown club Oddfellows and Swan Dive locations in Vegas, Austin and Portland, confirmed via email that he’s uprooting the club from the two-story Colorado building and moving it further down Main Street. It will be reborn as a live music venue—still named Swan Dive—alongside Ugly Duckling Karaoke Lounge, a new concept from John Brophy, founder of Portland’s cult-favorite karaoke party Baby Ketten.
Vegas’ Swan Dive opened in 2024 with a wraparound patio, built-in stage and plenty of space. Within weeks, locals flocked to the venue for shows, DJ nights and even wrestling events, turning the 450-capacity room into a reliable place for live music.
But internally, things have shifted. Tim Kam, minority owner of Oddfellows, says Graham wanted out of the space, giving Kam the opportunity to buy his shares and introduce his own concept called Bizarre Bar. After Swan Dive’s final show on December 20, Kam plans to fully remodel of the space, including building a wall to separate the bar and stage, opening the door for 18-and-older shows, pending city approval.
When Bizarre Bar opens, Kam will rely on the bar program first, while keeping familiar dance parties like goth-themed nights. Weekdays will feature more live music while weekends will be dancefloor-driven. Bizarre Bar is tentatively slated to open in February 2026. –Gabriela Rodriguez
CURTAINS CLOSE ON SECOND SAND DOLLAR
The Sand Dollar
We’re still singing the blues for live music venue Sand Dollar Downtown at the Plaza, which closed on December 14. Iconic biker bar Hogs & Heifers will soon take over the space for a temporary pop-up in January.
Sand Dollar Downtown opened in 2022 as a spinoff to the beloved Spring Mountain location. The venue brought blues, rock, R&B and punk bands to the stage each week—often without a cover. Its huge dancefloor also made it ideal for Punk Rock Bowling club shows and afterparties. It’s a sizable loss, as many local musicians used it as a launchpad for album releases. Thankfully, there’s still plenty of music to catch at the original Sand Dollar Lounge, still rocking after almost 50 years. –Amber Sampson
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT: Soft Echo, Soft Echo
Soft Echo
Soft Echo is quickly becoming one of Vegas’ fastest-rising new projects. The “grunge-gaze” four-piece—led by local music vet Zach Ryan, guitarist Taylor Milne (the Killers, Big Talk) drummer A.J. Palluck (The Rhyolite Sound) and bassist Robert John Kley (Magna-Fi)—opened for the Killers last year, and they’ve carried that momentum into a new LP that beams with tight musicianship. It opens with a heady rush of “Cerulean Blue.” Ryan’s completely lovestruck in this standout track. It’s hazy and dreamlike, the riffs washing over you in languid, cool sweeps. And it sets the tone for the rest of the album. Each track coasts off of Ryan’s hummable hooks, namely “Everything Is Wrong” and “Motel Cigarette.” And that mellow distortion of guitars, burning their notes into our memories, ties it all together. Songs about craving validation, jonesing for a relationship, trying to forget another—it’s all relatable and all present on this debut. softechomusic.com –AS
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