By Emily Ferguson, Westword | Yonder Bar’s landlord had one stipulation: The concept going into 741 East Colfax Avenue couldn’t be another Deadhead watering hole. Patrick McNally, the general manager and co-owner of the soon-to-open bar and music venue, laughs as he shares that memory. He’s fully familiar with the reasons for his landlord’s demand: McNally often went to Sancho’s Broken Arrow, the building’s former resident. That Grateful Dead-themed bar was forced to close in October 2022 after a string of incidents that started with being open against orders during the pandemic; the final straw was an investigation by the Denver Police Department over a cocaine deal. The bar lost its liquor license and settled with the city over a subsequent public-nuisance case in January 2023.
The closure left a hole in the hearts of those who would venture there after Fillmore shows across the street and revel in cheap beers and general wookery, as well as those who skipped the shows and just spent the night there.
Now Yonder Bar is poised to fill that hole — but with big improvements. Even though it isn’t open yet, it’s already full of good vibes. “When I came here in the early 2000s, when this place was in its early days, there was a lot of fun in here,” says McNally. “It was a community, and we want to create a community in here.”
The bar, whose emblem showcases a banjo-wielding sasquatch throwing up a peace sign, will cater to bluegrass music and place more emphasis on a friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere. “We’re gonna have three [pool] tables in here, really nice ones — go back to a nice pool community as well as the music community and bluegrass communities,” says Todd McWhirter, Yonder’s treasurer and co-owner.
“With the drink prices that we’re going to have, no music venues’ prices can compare or even touch us.”
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Read the rest of the story here:
https://www.westword.com/music/yonder-bar-takes-over-former-sanchos-location-in-denver-19536002
[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]
Photo: Yonder Bar | From their Facebook page (sad to see they painted over their murals)
March 14, 2024| Colorado Music-Related Business| Barb Dye