Venue of the Month-Lincoln’s Roadhouse

by Ryan Edwards

It’s not easy to find, but it seems like the best venues are the ones that hide themselves in the nooks and crannies of Denver and the rest of Colorado. Lincoln’s Roadhouse is one of those venues and yet, is known on a national level for its contributions to blues music today. Established in 1999 and formally known as the Washington St. Exit, Lincoln’s Roadhouse is open to many different styles of music, and welcomes any one to come in; however, the venue dedicates most of its live music to blues, and has been a second home for local bands like the Delta Sonics, the RailBenders, Boa & the Constrictors and Eugene Sings the Blues.

On a random Tuesday night I had the privilege of talking to a couple of those bands while a blues jam was going down. Erik Boa is the lead vocals and guitarist of Boa & the Constrictors, and Eugene is the lead singer of, you guessed it, Eugene Sings the Blues. Both have been playing at Lincoln’s Roadhouse for many years and are considered house bands. I bombarded them with questions about their thoughts on the stage, the staff, the audience and really just the overall venue. Both agreed on the importance of an intimate stage in making the venue special. “[It’s] very intimate, people can walk up to the stage all night long, make a comment, ask you to play something and sometimes you can talk to them while you’re playing,” Eugene said.

The audience is somewhat of an older crowd with a table here and there of younger patrons, but despite that, the crowd is incredibly responsive. “They come in to have fun, listen to music, dance and hang out with friends,” Boa said. The staff is also incredible, and you get an amazing vibe right from the start as they treat their musicians well. “The staff is excellent and they have good food too,” Eugene said.

Lincoln’s Roadhouse is another established bar in the Denver, that has that quality and vibe of a neighborhood bar, while still drawing Denver’s broad range of music lovers. “It’s my favorite place in the entire [Denver] area,” Boa said. And Eugene’s final thoughts on the overall venue? “I love this place man, I love it. I love to play here, and I love the people here.” Well said.

Tags: denver, lincoln's roadhouse, blues, washington St. Exit, delta sonics, railbenders, boa & the Constrictors, Eugene sings the blues, erik boa

Category: Local News