{"id":3561,"date":"2014-01-16T23:15:45","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T23:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/federal-bar-opens-new-underground-venue-and-speakeasy\/"},"modified":"2014-01-16T23:15:45","modified_gmt":"2014-01-16T23:15:45","slug":"federal-bar-opens-new-underground-venue-and-speakeasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/federal-bar-opens-new-underground-venue-and-speakeasy","title":{"rendered":"Federal Bar Opens New Underground Venue and Speakeasy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Photo courtesy of Federal Bar<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy converting 1920s bank buildings into restaurants and music venues; just ask Knitting Factory Entertainment (KFE) CEO Morgan Margolis, who opened Federal Bar<\/a> in the historic Security Pacific National Bank building on Pine Ave. last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first got to North Hollywood, everyone thought I was nuts,\u201d Margolis says of the once-run-down neighborhood where he opened the first Federal Bar in 2011. \u201c\u2026[but] I try to build places and keep the integrity of the original building. If the vault doors are gorgeous, why not incorporate them into our concept?\u201d<\/p>\n

At Long Beach\u2019s Federal Bar, the old vault doors are central to Margolis\u2019 latest concept\u2014the Federal Underground, a 300-capacity music venue and 90-seat speakeasy that occupies the subterranean storage rooms beneath the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Designers and contractors have spent the last five months tearing out popcorn ceilings, building a wooden riser stage and installing state-of-the-art sound equipment in the main room, which, after its grand opening this Friday, is expected to host at least one local show and one national touring act every week.<\/p>\n

\"federalbar3\"Though more recently focused on its hospitality wing\u2014which includes the two Federal Bars, North Hollywood\u2019s Latin-themed Bow & Truss, and a gastropub in Spokane, Wash.\u2014the Knitting Factory is an empire with deep roots in both the local and national music industry.<\/p>\n

Since closing its three-room Hollywood venue in 2009 (concert houses in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno and Spokane remain active), KFE has maintained solid artist management, booking and publicity firms as well as several record labels that have kept the company just as active behind the scenes, helping promote some of music\u2019s top names.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this L.A.-based experience that the Federal Bar Underground hopes to utilize and strengthen in Long Beach, a city that\u2014despite a roaring music scene\u2014remains devoid of a similarly-thriving venue network.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, we want to use the Knitting Factory roots and history to make it more of a music venue than North Hollywood,\u201d Margolis says, noting that the event space in North Hollywood\u2019s Federal Bar is larger and less conducive to live rock music. \u201cI feel like Long Beach needs it and it\u2019s got the right framework. And there\u2019s not a lot of competition so we can bring in a lot of national acts down here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prospect of a medium-sized all-ages venue that can draw major recording artists to Downtown Long Beach is an enticing one for music fans who have long had to drive either to Hollywood or, in recent years, Orange County, to catch touring acts.<\/p>\n

Locally-popular venues like Alex\u2019s Bar, DiPiazza\u2019s and the Prospector are not only too small for many bigger artists, but their non-central locations make it difficult to convince outsiders to visit Long Beach for a concert. Federal Bar\u2019s multipurpose Pine Ave. space is public transit-adjacent and will offer concertgoers access to drinking and dining options throughout Downtown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get hit with more radius clause issues in North Hollywood. It\u2019s hard to drag bands away from the Troubadour or the Roxy,\u201d Margolis says of contractual obligations that prevent some bands from playing shows too close to one another. \u201cIn Long Beach, I think there are more opportunities to grab those bands and bring them in. I want to have a home for more of a Knitting Factory presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Nicholas Noell<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to the anticipated weekly alternative-music shows (KCRW is reportedly interested in sponsoring something), the Federal Underground will also be available to rent out for private events like weddings and bar mitzvahs. And on the weekends and off nights, the space might become a dance club where those of legal drinking age can shimmy to 80s tunes, afro beat or electronic dance music.<\/p>\n

The speakeasy\u2014with its red leather booths and steampunk-style lighting fixtures\u2014will hopefully be open a few days a week as a bar on its own. Separated from the main show space by a three-ton vault door that has been cemented open, the speakeasy can be accessed by a separate entrance in the back of the upstairs restaurant. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want the other venues [in Long Beach] to worry that we\u2019re here to swoop down and take over their market,\u201d Margolis says. \u201cI\u2019m looking to work together. We\u2019re not a 1000-cap venue and we\u2019re not coming in with a House of Blues or a big Knitting Factory concert house. We want to make well-booked space that benefits Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Federal Bar Underground opens with a show by Long Beach-based Dengue Fever on Friday, January 17 at 7:30PM, Tickets $15, available at TicketWeb<\/a>. Federal Bar is located at 102 Pine Ave. For more information, visit knittingfactory.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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