Thu 10/9
The Euclid Tavern was University Circle’s funky little hangout for longer than any of us can remember. With over a century of history as a neighborhood bar, it became known as a blues hotspot with the Mr. Stress Band in the ’70s. In the ’80s, the jammers flocked there to hear Oroboros, while Stress, Alan Greene, and the Armstrong-Bearcat Band continued to play the blues. And in the ’90s, it was the most happening underground scene in town, booking a who’s who of indie noise/post-punk/math rock bands, including Helmet, Guided By Voices, Soul Coughing, and the Jesus Lizard.
Sadly, as that scene petered out, so did the Euc, closing its doors in 2001. New owners ran the club from 2008-2013 but they never really found a groove or an identity, and the place was at underpromoted to the point that it was hard to figure out if it was open or not.
But a year and a half of lights-out is coming to an end this week as the Euc flings open its door anew, freshly scrubbed and somewhat reconfigured but still redolent of the dive bar it always was. Last year, it was taken over by the owners of the near west side’s hippest hipster bar, the Happy Dog, with plan to reopen as the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern in the spring.
That was set back when Happy Dog co-owner Sean Kilbane died in a fall at the club in January. But the other owners soldiered on, completed the work and now are set to open today. Expect bookings there to be very similar to the Happy Dog’s: lots of local indie rockers, intriguing but obscure touring bands, talks, forums, poetry readings, and special events.