Every town has certain qualities it that make it unique ( except Springdale, which we all know just sucks). A personality if you will, that comes from things like the friendliness of it’s people, the landmarks, the food you find there, the atmosphere, the energy, the streets.
Sometimes certain landmarks can personify that energy. They can become so much a part of a town, and you associate them with the town so strongly, that you can’t imagine that town without that place.
Fayetteville is no different. This is a new column that will examine what we got that they don’t got. What are the things that make Fayetteville, well, Fayetteville? What are the places, the stores, the restaurants, the bars, that make this place worth living in, and conversely, what are some of the places we took for granted that we wish we had back so that maybe we can be a little more conscious and supportive of what we have while they are around?
So we can keep them around.
I started thinking about this when I read Bryce’s comment in the now infamous Fayetteville’s Bestest: Pizza column when he mentioned that one of his favorite pizza restaurants wasn’t in business anymore, JR’s Lighbulb Club and Pizzeria.
Jr’s served as an ambassador for Fayetteville to some of the most talented musicians in the world for almost thirty years. It was a big part of what formed the impression of the city for the likes of the White Stripes, Lucinda Williams, The Postal Service, Cracker, and countless others.
It was one of the only places in town to see original live music, and also one of the best places in town to get hot, delicious pizza at 1:30 in the morning. It closed during a lull in the Fayetteville music scene that had previously thrived, and I would personally pay about $100 a month out of my own pocket just to have it back. It was a great place to hang out, a great place to see live music with great sound, great bartenders, and a great atmosphere.
It was as much a part of Fayetteville as Old Main, or the NWA Mall, or Dickson St., and I’m sure I can’t be the only one that has some very fond memories of that shitty, dark, smoky brick building near the center of town.
What are some of the great shows you saw at JR’s? Who are some bartenders you remember? What would you do to have it back? Would you go to a show if they reopened for one night?
Let’s revive some of the places that made Fayetteville great, if only in our memories, and celebrate the places that make this place the unique city that we call home.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Fazoli’s. Not unique to Fayetteville, but it was truly great in only a way that fast italian food can be. Somehow we let Fazoli’s close. Damn you all for not eating there. It was every bit as good as The Olive Garden or Noodles (Not that that’s saying much) and yet everyone always gave it shit. Personally, I like the option of being able to get some quick lasagna instead of a burg or taco when I don’t have time to cook. I will forever mourn the loss of this truly awesome fast food joint. RIP Fazoli’s. R-I-P
March 13th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Also, hell yes on bringing back the pizza.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:34 am
One show that my friends and I would never miss is the Grand Street Cryers downstairs at JR’s. They’d come to play there often. By the end of the night we’d be wasted, standing up by the stage and would be shouting requests, and they’d fucking play ‘em! They even started packing their shit up once and we begged them to play this one other song. They stopped putting their shit away, turned shit back on and played it for us. They’d chill with us after their shows, just talking and hanging out. If you ask me, that stuff was JR’s personified.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I hope a lot of people comment on this because its one of the reasons I don’t up to being from F-ville sometimes. When I moved here only a short time ago, I fell in love with the Hofbrau and the college atmosphere on Dickson. Then the Hofbrau closed and I started going to Bourbon Boys for meals. Food was good, beer was cheap, and though therre was no entertainment, sitting out on the porch and watching the town was great. Now both are gone. The restaurants on Dickson seem to be getting more expensive. Add in the fee for parking and it is just not worth it. I don’t know how college students on a limited budget do it. i’ve been waiting for maybe some more “college” bars and local restaurants to open up to the west and all we got was fast food.
So lets here it. Where should I be going now for local food and entertainment that isn’t on Dickson?
March 13th, 2008 at 9:08 am
J.R.’s Light Bulb Club Concerts:
I remember the Grand Street Cryers shows. I saw Blue Mountain everytime they came. (does anybody else remember that band they sang “Blue Canoe”). I also remember the time Nashville Pussy came to town with Cherokee Parks’ sister who breathed fire.
I used to love to see cheesy tribute bands like the AC/DC tribute band “Sin City”, there was a Zepplin tribute band too, I can’t remember the name -Something like “Swan Song” or sumthin. I think there was Kiss band too… “Strutter” or something like that. That was always fun,
Bartenders:
The only bartenders I remember were Seamus the Irish Guy and Big Daddy Chris Grey. There used to be a guy named Travis that hosted Karaokee on Sunday too. (this was the mid to late nineties) Later Matt “Grub” Christie from Grub’s fame worked there. I also remember being jealous of the people who had the “Gold Cards”
Places I miss:
Chesters! The old Chesters was awesome, I don’t care if you were a hippie or not, that was a great venue.
Places I don’t miss:
LJ’s - that place sucked it
Glad we still have:
Rogers rec - I don’t go there personally but it’s one of the only old-school places left
Art’s on College - Best Philly Cheese Steak, cheap beer, pool and peanuts on the floor what more can you ask for?
Herman’s - good food and very uniquely fayetteville.
Hog Haus/Brew Pub — whatever you call it. personally, I still say “the brew pub” but it’s a cornerstone of Dickson Street. I remember when it closed down for awhile between ownership. I was sad …
George’s Majestic — If I have to splain to you why this place is cool then you’lll never get it anyway.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Who can forget Tom, the bartender everyone loved to hate? I have two favorite shows: 1) Johnny Dowd. He was so wasted at one point that he handed me his guitar and walked off stage for the remainder of the song to kind of lull around. He got back up to the mic and said, “Where’s my fucking guitar?” 2) Devotchka. Jones and I went because we were bored. It was a Sunday night, and we had never heard them before. It was incredible.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Remember when Old Styles were $1.50? That was great.
Things I remember about JRs- Seeing Andrew on Conan O-Brien, getting a beer with Steph on our first date, playing Pac-Man with Klotz, getting bitched at by Lincoln for my choice of Zepplin songs, getting the shit scared out of me when the juke box was off and then it would randomly play Les Savy Fav’s “Wake up”, tastey pie, and a bunch of other crap that only my brain cares about.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:59 am
My JRs Retrospective Thingy
Most Memorable Shows:
1. Richard Buckner AND Damien Jurado
2. Fruit Bats
3. Drums and Tuba (mostly for the copious amounts of Jager consumed)
The coolest thing about JRs to me was the variety of people who hung out there. It’s not often that you see indie rock townies, UA Greeks, and West Fork Rednecks hanging out together, and for the most part having a good effing time. The same can be said of the 40 Watt club in Athens, or the Continental Club in Austin.
The second coolest thing was being able to get in with the equivalent of piece of cardboard with the words Driver’s License scrawled in Sharpie on the front. “It Worked…Yessssss.”
March 13th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I’m probably a little more sentimental than most about that place. I saw so many good shows there, on top of playing there myself about a zillion times. Almost every time was awesome, and there really hasn’t been a venue in town step up and take it’s place since it closed.
I have so many memories in that place. The bartenders were awesome. I remember Gray and Grub and Tom, but my favorites were Basset, Dave, Andrew, and Ashley Ross. Oh yeah. Mark Covey. That. Guy. Ruled.
The last night in that place was incredible. Journey, dancing on tables, chugging Jäger from the machine, and, of course, boobs.
Plus, I met my wife there. Beat that.
Did anyone see the White Stripes there on 9/11?
March 13th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
god damn ZOSO! 5 bourbon and cokes and Led Zeppelin was right in front of your eyes…
long live JR’s.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I saw the White Stripes on 9/11. That was a particularly bitchin show because I had a ticket to move to NYC on 9/15…had to push that back a couple weeks.
I think the best show I ever saw there was friends occupying the corner booth and put the entirety of Back in Black on the jukebox and rocking the fuck out.
Seriously though, their pizza fucking sucked.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:59 am
JR’s kicked ass! I still miss it. Guess I’m probably as guilty as anyone for taking it for granted. It was one of those places that could get sweet shows on reputation alone…certainly not for ticket revenue.
Why it ruled: Unique, ORIGINAL music…Penny pitchers were fun nights…Good people (generally)…They’d pretty much let you smoke out as long as it wasn’t crowded and you kept it on the DL.
Fav Shows: Aqueduct was incredible there. Dash Riprock tore it up as well. Plenty of others…but those are the ones that really stand out in my malted hops clouded memories.
(have to agree with jmb, the pizza sucked…but i guess it was ok for 1AM)
March 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I miss jr’s so much. I started out hanging out with Tussey and Seth Cooper during the day at jr’s while they worked the lunch shift. Do you remember the lunch? It was pretty damn good. When I first started working there, Don, Anna and Dillard would bartend and by the end of the night be so wasted that they could barely stand up. Dave, Tom, Andrew and Bassett will always be my favorite, oh, and do you remember yeager? the bouncer that would kick you out at exactly 2:00 and start taking your beers away. Everyone hated him. We all had to be at work at 9:00 and we would set up and then all go down stairs and do a shot of jager before letting people in. I had so much fun there. I loved to watch the American Princes and I had a really big crush on the guy in Fulton. The crazies always came out for karaoke night on Sundays and the bartender upstairs would play a movie for all of the regulars who also hated karaoke night. And the jukebox. I think that jukebox should be in a museum somewhere. Everyone loved that jukebox and it wouldn’t play certain songs and people would get pissed and ask for their money back. Also, the rockstar booth. I miss the rockstar booth.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Well, I’m old enough to have had both some great times at JR’s and some mixed feelings aobut the place. When JR’s first got started i was playing in local garage bands and had been part of a collective of musicians who worked on putting on shows that we controlled and (theoretically anyway) profited from (the icehouse.) Our endavor had fallen apart as such things do, but i still had hopes for doing something like that, that took the (alt) music scene out of the commercial bars. Our inability to keep our shit together created an oppourtunity taht first River City and then JR’s took advantage of. JR’s was easily the better of the two, culturally, as it wasn’t a clearing house for counterfeiting and it didn’t have bouncers who liked to hurt people. Jimmy (and later Chris and Benton) weren’t scum like Jim Poe, but they also were just in it for the money, and whatever they did for the scene was just a by product of their attempt to make some money off the music. This meant that
so: I hate JR’s because it didn’t fulfill the punk rock dream? No. I had some great times at that club, worked sound there and at the ballroom, saw great bands, and appreciated the home they gave to local powerhouses like Punkinhead and Dali Automatic and Furioous George/Mr. Guilty…on and on. I’m grateful for what it was. In the later years,when Wade Ogle was part of the management/ownership there was someone who cared deeply aobut music and the local scene at the center of the club too. But I can’t look back on it without also seeing what might have been.
March 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Yeah there were some pretty great nights at the JR’s. I started working karaoke there when I was 18 and managed to work as door girl/lunch waitress/bartender on and off for about 6 years. Some of my favorite shows were Dah-veed, Aqueduct, The Tares, and every Skirt show was a Girls Night Out! The bartenders would fight for nights off when ZOSO, Supagroup, and Drums and Tuba were in town. The White Stripes on 9/11 was such a big one because like two months later we were watching them on the TV downstairs on the MTV awards. And the bar watching Aqueduct on Conan made me weepy.
My favorite nights were Sundays when Miletus and I did themed movie nights with goofy drink specials. What a disaster “Little Johnnie Cusack” night was when we had $3 suicides/Long Island Teas to honor Better Off Dead. People were so fucked up halfway through the first film that I think we told people we ran out of Long Island Tea mix. Yeah, they believed it. Kill a Commie for Mommie” night had everyone chanting U-S-A at the end of Rocky IV and that’s the first night we played Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” (before it made it to the jukebox) and there were people singing on tables.
So instead of favorite bartenders I thought I’d list some favorite customers - John from Cheap Thrills was my favorite. The architecture boys - Lankford, PR, PT, and Baribeau were always fun. Justin Cornwell and Tion, Jake and Adam, the Hugo’s crew…
It was a great place while it lasted, but if the music slump had lasted much longer it would’ve just gotten to be a sad little tuneless bar we all made fun of. Oh, wait.
March 16th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
LUCERO @ the Lightbulb Club was a great thing.
Great band and bar that were made to be together. It would be Lucero’s 2nd best girl in NWA.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
From the old days: Dig
From the not so old days: TV on the Radio
Both those shows killed.
Im confused why Fayetteville decided that it no longer needed a hole in the wall bar with dim lighting and character. That used to be what Fayetteville was known for. Somehow chrome and concrete took the place of wood and wear. They made a good attempt with the Crown Pub. That place is a good hang out, but its no replacement for JRs. I also miss Chester’s. That was easily as much of a Fayetteville institution and regardless of whether you considered yourself a tree lover or hippie hater, there was some great music being played there.
P.S. JRs pizza was fantastic.
March 26th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Oh, God. This makes me want to move back and open up a dive bar so, so bad: get that Fayetteville music scene kickin’. JR’s was a second home in college.
Favorite bartender: Erin F., of course!!
One of my favorite shows: Alejandro Escovedo. Left the stage, walked to a nearby table, and played acoustic for a few songs. Gorgeous…
Favorite drink: Long Island Iced Tea. Thanks, JR’s, for serving me those when I was…ummmm…not quite legal.
And ohhhh, the rock star booth!! The discussions and debates!! Who would win a bar fight: John Elway or Brett Favre? Who had it worse: African-Americans or Jews? Why did God give us freedom of choice when he wants us to be sinless?
I hit on my now husband there. I licked Paul S.’s bass guitar there. Most birthdays, holidays and celebrations were there.
Awww….
April 14th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I’d say $100 a month would be about right. I probably spent double that every month in that place. If JR’s opened for one show I would absolutely go. Most likely I would stay upstairs and play the jukebox instead of seeing the band (I guess it would depend on who it was). I would go, though. I would sit in one of those wonderful booths or maybe even the rockstar table up front. I would drink vodka/tonics until I probably should have had one or two less. I would stay until past closing because I was a regular and I used to work there, and I would raise my voice and sing along with everyone else left there when “Don’t Stop Believing” came on the jukebox. I would f***ing enjoy that.