Remember the dumpy club Malibu way out on South Ponca Street?

No?

Don't worry -- you didn't miss anything.

I went there in the fall of 2006, shortly before a brutal two-week span in late October when 12 people were stabbed, cut or beaten in the club.

Well, it looks like someone has renamed the space and is trying to resurrect it as the Lava Lounge.

The address for Lava Lounge is 1130 S. Ponca St.

And the address for Malibu was 1301 S. Ponca St.

I could be wrong, but from the photos on the MySpace site, it looks like the same building to me.

Anybody know more about the Lava Lounge?

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Before I went, I heard the new Mother's on the Alley expansion would be big.

But I wondered -- would it thin out the typically crammed Mother's bar?

It did, but just barely.

Mother's on the Alley is huge. The bar itself is more than 60 feet long.

And just past midnight last Friday night, lines for drinks were two to three people deep the whole length of the bar.  

Mother's on the Alley is most certainly Federal Hill's hottest new bar -- just like Ryleigh's Oyster was a year ago and Stalking Horse four months back.

Now the new place to be is Mother's on the Alley.

And I'm sure it will stay packed for some time to come.

(Photo courtesy of the bar)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Punk outfit The Death Set is responsible for some of the freshest music coming out of Baltimore these days.

And tonight, the band is stopping by for a show at Sonar before resuming an international tour in support of its Counter Records debut titled Worldwide.

If you like punk and electronica, you'll probably like these guys.

Here's their MySpace site. 

(Photo by Josh Sisk) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Here's the new Mosaic in three words: What a letdown.

The recently renovated and expanded club in Power Plant Live was only a third full at 11:30 on a Friday night.

Keep in mind -- it's only open Fridays and Saturdays in the first place.

And yes, it had rained earlier in the evening.

But there was a line outside the Lodge Bar, MEX's deck was comfortably full, and Babalu Grill looked packed inside.

Speaking of IAFs, Mosaic's got plenty of them.

When I asked for an Absolut martini, I got some strange orange concoction with a slice of lime in a martini glass.

The glass that held Amie's well-made gin and tonic had a chipped rim. That's unacceptable.

The DJ and decor were the only high points.

I love the new mezzanine, with its plush, antique furniture and the upside-down lamps hanging from the ceiling.

And the DJ seamlessly jumped from Sade's "And I Miss You" to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing."

But the question stands: Why would you spend time and money expanding a lounge you can't even fill twice a week?

(Photo by Colby Ware/Special to The Sun) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

So, kids, what'd you do this past weekend?

Anything exciting?

Friday, Amie and I went to Mosaic (at long last), then to the new Mother's on the Alley.

I'll tell you more about them in a bit.

Saturday, we had a delicious dinner with friends at the Annabel Lee Tavern, and later dropped by the Metropolitan Coffeehouse and Wine Bar for a nightcap.

Finally got the farmer's market Sunday, and then I went to see Iron Man.

It rocked. 

How was yours? 

(Photo by Andre F. Chung/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

Due to noise complaints, the folks at Charlotte's (1542 Light St.) are scaling back their live music lineup to only include acoustic music and jazz.

The complaints put the bar's liquor license in jeopardy, according to bartender Biff Baker.

"We have a very good relationship with almost all of our neighbors," he said.

"It's pretty disappointing. We were really starting to get some great bands in there." 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Remember Junior Senior?

Warning: If you click on this video, you'll probably get the song stuck in your head all day.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

If you're ever thirsty in Raleigh, N.C., stop by the Raleigh Times.

This bar/restaurant sits in the building that used to house the Raleigh Times newspaper.

Their beer's not bad, and their cheese fries are some of the best I've ever had.

Plus, they have old clippings from the Times framed on the walls, which is cool for news junkies like me.

Although, their clientele was questionable the night some friends and I were there.

This guy one table over started taking our pictures with his fancy camera.

When we asked why, one of the people in his group told us he was a professional photographer and was taking our photos for an upcoming exhibit.

That was not cool by us, so we told him to bugger off.

Then we made paper airplanes out of our menus and flew them at him. 

Put that in your exhibit, photo man! 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

This just in: The renovations at Mothers Federal Hill Grille are complete, and the new space in the back of the building officially opens tonight.

If anybody goes, let me know what you think of it. 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Little known fact: The photo I ran in today's Fab Five Friday post is actually the first (and only) time I've appeared on the cover of LIVE.

The photo was taken to accompany a story I did about tribute bands.

It ran a couple years ago.

In case you're having a hard time picking me out of the crowd, I'm the one with the KISS mask on.

Heh.

I am actually wearing the Gene Simmons mask.

I believe the guy on the far left holding the inflatable guitar is Evan Haga, the managing editor of JazzTimes magazine. 

That shoot was a blast. 

(Photo by Doug Kapustin/Sun Photographer) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Ever wonder what RZA from Wu Tang Clan is up to?

Well, lemme tell ya.

Right now, he's working on a website called WuChess, among other things.

Here it is.

The skinny: People who love chess and hip-hop can go to WuChess and play each other live online.

I think I speak for everyone when I say:

Huh?

Or, more suitably:

Wuh?

I mean, how many people see Kanye West on Saturday night and then spend all Sunday playing online chess?

Workitmakeitstrongerbetter ... knighttakesrookcheckmate. 

Personally, I'd rather play War Games.

But that's just me.

(AP Photo) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

At first, I thought I'd list my favorite fake band names.

But you guys had so many awesome suggestions, I couldn't compete.

So I'm not even going to bother with my own.

I'm just going to rank yours. 

No. 1 gets a prize. 

Some of them were sick.

Some of them were hilarious.

Some of them were hilariously sick. 

Here they are, your five best fake band suggestions, in order ...

Continue reading "Fab Five Friday" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 6:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Now that you've listened to the Madrid-based indie rock band Baltimore, I'll bet you're wondering why a trio from Spain chose the name Baltimore.

I asked them that very question in a MySpace message.

Here's what they wrote back ...

Continue reading "More on Baltimore the band" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

Earlier, I promised a reprint of my Light Street Station review.

It's not so much of a review as it is a recount of my night there.

Here goes ...

Continue reading "My night at the Light Street Station" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

I was in the bathroom at Regi's American Bistro on Light Street when I thought about that post from a couple of weeks ago on old-school doors.

Regi's has one of the smallest bathrooms in the area (I think the award goes to LP Docks).

But Regi's also has one of the oldest, scariest set of doors.

They must be from the 1800s.

And, to make the room even smaller, they open inward. 

(Photo by me) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I probably spend an hour a day looking for story ideas and listening to local music on MySpace.

Last week, I came across the band Baltimore.

They're an indie rock trio from Madrid, Spain.

They're not half bad, either. If Baltimore were from Baltimore, I'd probably play its song "The Food Hall" on Baltimore Unsigned.

You can listen to four tracks (all in English) from the EP Here You Are!!! on their MySpace site.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Have any of you guys been to Bobby's Jazz Club & Cigar Bar?

Being a fan of both jazz and cigars, I'm gonna check this place out soon. It's at 1140 S. Paca St.

The club's website says you can smoke cigars on the second floor and outer deck because the business is technically a tobacco retailer.

Hmm.

It must have opened fairly recently, because there was construction there until a few months ago.

I'll let you know how it is when I go.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

I was talking to an experienced bar manager recently about Angels Rock Bar in Power Plant Live.

This manager seconded a point made by a few friends of mine who have been to Angels: It has a reputation for incredibly attractive female servers (IAFS).

Judging by its MySpace site, this seems to be one of the venue's selling points.

I hear the servers get up an dance on the bar a few times a night, too.

However, hiring a staff of mostly IAFS can have its downsides, this manager said.

From his experience, beautiful women may make for good eye candy but few of them are actually good at serving drinks.

So he avoids hiring IAFS in favor of servers with experience behind the bar.

I'm sure there is a middle ground, and I definitely don't want to make broad generalizations.

When I went to Angels, the service was fine. 

And Hooters has built a reputation on IAFS. 

But I'm curious: Would you go to a bar for IAFS even if you knew the service would be horrible?

Do you care? Or would you rather go to a bar with average-looking servers knowing the service would be stellar?

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
                    

Say goodbye to the Light Street Station (pictured).

The Federal Hill neighborhood bar near the intersection of Light and Ostend streets has been sold.

The new owners plan to open a bar/restaurant there called the Rowhouse Grill.

This news makes me sad and gleeful at the same time.

See, I only went there once. It was a wild, hilarious trip -- one of my most favorite nights out in Baltimore.

I never went back, because I knew if I did, it could never compare to the awesomeness of my first time there.

So I'm sad the Station closed. But I'm kind of glad that I got to it before it did.

I'll dig back through the archives today and post my review of the Station. I think it's one of my crazier nightlife columns.

(Photo by me) 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Some of the story behind why the Lo-Fi Social Club closed went dark is starting to emerge.

Peter Goode, who booked the club for about six months, sent me an email statement Monday with his side of the story. ...

Continue reading "Behind the scenes at Lo-Fi" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)