Remembering Herman’s Hideaway, a Local Music Powerhouse // Commentary by Chris Daniels

By Gil Asakawa, Westword | As the cliché goes, change is inevitable. Progress — whether it’s good or bad, whether it can even be considered “progress” — happens whether we want it or not.

Herman’s Hideway is no more. On July 1, the building’s new leaders took over the “fiercely independent” venue at 1578 South Broadway and immediately began transforming it into Coco Bongo’s, a Latin dance club; all upcoming shows were canceled. The business is signed to a three-to-five-year lease.

“Once complete, Coco Bongos at Herman’s Hideaway will be a premiere Latin night club while maintaining a focus on booking local and national touring bands as well,” wrote Mike Roth, who’d been managing the club founded by his grandfather, Herman Roth, in a July 3 post on Facebook. “Over the last 65 years we have been blessed to serve Denver and S. Broadway with over 40,000 bands/sets and we’re excited to see what happens in the future. Thanks for the opportunity to be Denver’s home for so many bands and friends over the decades.”

Since that announcement, much of the attention has been focused on the rising bands that Mike’s father, Allan Roth, had the foresight to book back in the day: Dave Matthews, Phish, Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, Faith No More, and Jonathan Richman — who never became a big star, though he still performs to this day.
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When I first went to Herman’s, it was a small bar with the booze along one wall and a stage and tables for audiences taking up most of the small room. It soon expanded to double its capacity as those local bands went national. Along the way, I got to know Sharon, the sassy gatekeeper at the door, and Allan, the affable owner who loved hanging out in his joint. It wasn’t just a business for him — clearly, it was his life. While I can’t remember all the Denver bands I saw there, many I did achieved various levels of “commercial” success locally, including 40th Day, the Fluid, Chris Daniels and the Kings, and Captain and the Red Hot Blues Band.
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Read more of Gil’s story here:
https://www.westword.com/music/denver-venue-hermans-hideaway-closes-was-local-music-powerhouse-21250871

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Commentary From Chris Daniels (of Chris Daniels & The Kings):

Gil Asakawa did a beautiful job writing about Herman’s. Chris Daniels and the Kings were scheduled to play there this September for our annual birthday bash – it was kind of a tradition for us. All good things as they say…

We first played there in 1984. As I remember it – foggy at best – the stage was a collection of red-shag covered blocks we pushed together and we brought in our own PA. Back then bands did what are now called “residencies” – 4-night-stand. It was the norm. Six nights at Basin’s Up and same for Cajun’s Warf and The Little Bear. Four nights at The Walrus and JJ McCabes. Ya got good or you got out of the music business. Herman’s was a “ proving ground.” If you couldn’t get folks on the dance floor, sell booze and have a line around the block and a standing ovation and encore you were done. But Herman’s was a cut above. It was THE Denver venue that launched our career along with David Booker, Big Head Todd, The Samples, The Subdudes Opie Gone Bad, and countless others. It was also the place where touring acts got their first Denver gigs including Wide Spread Panic and Dave Mathews to name only two. And Sharon Rawles was our den-mother, music lover and booster- and settlement goddess. She was an actual fair club manager – and a good friend. Same with Allan Roth.

If you played there, the stairs down to the dressing rooms were a real sobriety test. And if those walls could talk (god and the funky couches), lordy, the stories they would tell. When my wife and I were first dating there was this one night … well that’s another story. Tons of balloons and birthday cakes and album release parties and incredible music.

AND – most of all it was the interaction between the musicians and the audience. It was an electrical exchange of voltage back and forth that could make the clouds part and a shaft of light come down out of the sky like a Gost Busters movie. If you were playing or in the audience on one of those nights you will never forget it. It was electrifying!

Funniest memory… The KINGS were doing a show for a huge charity event about a week after our Herman’s gig – and they bought a billboard – huge thing – right across from Herman’s to advertise it. I remember walking out of Herman’s at 2am with Pinki and looking up and there we were plastered on this giant flippin billboard – and we’d just “ killed” at Herman’s. As Bonnie Raitt sang, “…we used to rule the world.” Thanks Allan Roth for giving us a shot, and giving so many a chance, thanks for all those unforgettable nights, thanks to the amazing Denver audience that loves live music and a heavenly thanks to Sharon. Herman’s you will be missed.

~ Big hugs ~ CD

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From Barb Dye: Allan was kind enough to take a chance and helped promote a show of “unknowns” – the winner of American Idol 2006 Taylor Hicks and the runners-up. Margaret Day, the president of the Taylor Hicks Fan Club in Denver, contacted me about Taylor and his band needing a place to play in Denver close by to the Pepsi Center after the American Idol Tour Concert. I recommended Herman’s and the show was set up. Although Herman’s was not usually open on Mondays, Allan agreed to let Taylor play and it turned out to be an AWESOME night! The place was packed and customers got to meet Taylor, Katherine McPhee (Smash, Scorpion), Elliott Yamin (touring artist), Chris Daughtry (Daughtry), and Ace Young (Broadway star now from Boulder, CO)!