Venue of the Month-Benders
by Ryan Edwards
In downtown Denver, at a prime location on 13th and Grant, Bender’s Tavern is known as a venue that allows local musicians to express their talents. Bender’s has landed on the radar for many local and out-of-state bands, looking for a place to play. A few years ago, employees, Luke Schmaltz and Jennifer “Mamma” Foreman, bought out the venue. One of the most interesting aspects of this venue is the setup of the stages. Walking into the bar, any patron will get the obvious vibe that this venue plays music, however, I found there is more to this venue than meets the eye. There is another stage–not noticeable at first glance–set behind padlock doors. There is a mural of the Reservoir Dogs, and the sole attention of the patrons is on the music.
The second, larger stage gives Bender’s something that most other venues in Denver do not have–character. As owner, Luke Schmaltz said, “We wanna have something going on other than sports. We don’t have TVs, we just have music.” Unlike many venues around town, the appreciation for music that Bender’s has is not biased, no matter the genre. One stage could be punk, and the other could have anything from country music to open mic.
Bonnie and the Beard, a folk/rock band with Spanish gypsy influences and their catchy original songs are new to the venue. Band members Megan Fong (Bonnie), and Tony LoVerde (Beard), were surprised, but happy, when asked to answer questions about the stage, staff, audience, drink specials and the overall venue. “It’s nice to play somewhere, where people are involved. Good crowd in an intimate room,” LoVerde said. Aside from that, Bender’s is known for taking care of their musicians in regards to drinks for the night–often taking care of the tab for a good show. Bonnie and the Beard have every intention of playing again Bender’s.
After looking into the bigger stage, I had to find out about the smaller one. And, like Bonnie and the Beard, the acoustic guitar duo of Dave Connelly and Brad Wilson are newbies. They concur that Bender’s is known for having a pretty damn good sound system, and about the dedication the owners and the staff have for the bands. According to Connelly, “[Bender’s is] a great place for bands who aren’t big, who are trying to get big.”
Category: Planet Buzz
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