Just as it seemed that Salem’s music scene was contracting with the closures of the Space, Wasteland, Coffee House Cafe and Cafe Noir in the past year, a couple of venues have popped up to revive a bit of the excitement for the local music community.
In August, Salem Weekly reported on the opening of Roxxy Northwest (which is scheduled to open later this month). The other new venue is Papa G’s Blacklight Bar, which is a funky little spot in Cafe Noir’s old location (610 Marion St. NE). Papa G’s is the product of McMinnville entrepreneur Mike Goddard, who owns the adjacent record store.
Though the venue has had a few soft openings for concerts, and is open daily each morning for coffee, the venue hopes to be a bar and has a liquor license that is pending approval by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. “We can get our liquor license at any time,” says Goddard. “It could be here tomorrow, the next day, or in a few weeks. We just don’t know.” Bands that are currently scheduled may not know until the day of their gig if it will be a 21-and-older or all-ages concert.
As far as the size of the venue, Goddard estimates that the capacity of the venue has grown to more than 200 with some interior modifications. He adds that most of the capacity is in the performance room, with additional capacity in the bar area.
The location’s interior appearance has changed drastically from the light and airy coffee house vibe that Cafe Noir emitted. Blacklights and dim lighting obviously dominate Papa G’s, but the motif also includes a lot of music-related collectibles and classic rock concert posters that morph the spot into a funky-fresh alternative to the other venues in town, rather than a wannabe-slick club one may imagine. The venue also has a pool table with glow-in-the-dark balls that is free to play for customers.
Goddard says the venue will host an eclectic variety of music from techno DJs to rock, blues, country, rockabilly, jazz and everything in between. He plans to host touring acts as well as local and regional bands, and stressed the quality of the performances as a priority.
As far as non-music-related business, Papa G’s plans to provide a barbecue-based menu and has already opened as a coffee shop. After the venue receives its liquor license, the projected hours of operation are 7:30 a.m.-2 a.m. on the weekend and 7:30 a.m.-midnight on weekdays (subject to change based on needs).
Bands interested in performing at Papa G’s Blacklight Bar should contact Goddard at blacklightbar610@gmail.com, or stop by during the day and talk to him in person.
come check out papa g’s blacklight bar. great food and awesome drink specials with live bands every weekend!!!