Thursday, June 26, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Music: Return of the Boston

Local music gets new and improved headquarters

By Brock Radke

You know it's probably not going to be the same old Boston when the owner puts you on hold so he can confirm an upcoming gig by A Flock of Seagulls.

The Boston, that dirty little bar on Jones Boulevard formerly known as a home to local rock bands and plenty of complaining, is reopening Friday. But it's in a new place (close to UNLV at Flamingo and Cambridge) with some new features, and co-owners Rob Bassett and Mark Patel are looking to carve out a new niche.

The phrase heard most often when describing the changes is "night and day." But Bassett said at least one thing will remain the same: "The local music commitment will be pretty similar."

In addition to a full-on, 24-hour East Coast-flavored menu, the bar and restaurant plans to host different musical events each night of the week. While local rockers will dominate weekends, Thursday's are Ladies '80s Nights (with real '80s bands; General Public starts the trend July 3) and Sundays are Wild Cards, a spot for acts that don't fit in anywhere else.

"The '80s nights will be national bands," says Kat Kellams, formerly of the Huntridge Theater and now head bookstress for the Boston. "And then there'll be other cover bands to go with them. We want it to be a place for locals. We're trying to keep that old feeling and ditch the bad stuff from the old Boston."

The old Boston closed last August, leaving a gaping hole in the local music scene. It had built a reputation for being the most locally committed of all venues, and while there were constant complaints about sound quality and band treatment, it was the most capable and consistent venue in town for local performers.

Almost a year later, things have changed in the scene. Most of the bands that took charge Saturdays in the old Boston have disbanded or left town. The Huntridge Theater's reopening brought a local boost, but plenty of local bands do not fit into the Huntridge format.

"We're hoping this is going to be good for the scene in general," says Mike Szuter, singer/guitarist for Magna-Fi, which headlines the opening party Friday. "The Huntridge has become very specialized, which is fine. And unless you have a good connection, you as a local band are not going to get to play the House of Blues or the Joint, so I'm hoping the Boston will be the place to fill that gap."

Szuter says Bassett consulted him to get a musician's viewpoint on what the new Boston needed, and the result is a much larger stage, improved sound and a much bigger space overall, almost 10,000 square feet.

"It's going to be everything you love about your favorite bar," says Kellams. "Plenty of TVs, sports, good music and good food. We knocked some walls out in there to make it bigger, but we kept some of the alcoves to create a cozy feel. You can be right in the thick of things or off in the corner with some friends."

After opening night the new Boston probably will have outranked its previous version as a cool place to hang out. But the true test is whether it will outdo its old self in the music department. In addition to those crazy '80s bands, the bar has already booked a strong Saturday night local show with Slow to Surface and Pilot to Orion, and future performances will include rapper Bonafied and underage rockers Jr. Anti-Sex League. The booking appears to reach all genres.

"There's so much good local music here, and there's plenty of room for it," Kellams says. "Stillhaven is a younger band, too, that we're bringing on with this first show, and then we also have 33Degree, which is made of the old members of God Among Men. So we're going to see what works together. I want a good mix."