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Rocking
the Deep South East
DV8 does
will not falter
By
Sam Dodge Soule, pdxguide.com
Outlying
South East Powell Boulevard
is well-known for being
a congested sprawl of
Asian noodle shacks, car
dealerships and strip
clubs. Lot's of strip
clubs.
And
the few dancer-less taverns
and bars that dot this
seamy mix are generally
sketchy dives held together
by promotional beer flyers
or cookie-cutter liquor
malls catering to surbanite
kids hooked on MTV. No
one heads deep east to
brave Greshamites and
reckless traffic for a
stiff drink and a tough
rock 'n' roll show.
But
all that they may be changing
now that club DV8, which
in past lives was home
to girlie flesh revues,
is now becoming a vital
live music venue.
This
squat, bright purple cinder
block fortress draped
in cheesy flashing neon
has the promise of being
both a comfortable hangout
for neighborhood barflies,
as well as an underground
music nightclub with the
power to draw a faster
living set away from the
hard-won glamour of the
downtown bar scene.
There
is something almost elemental
about DV8. Basic and unimposing
in layout, it also manages
to create an immediate
and primal atmosphere,
much like a strip show.
Patrons
enter DV8 through the
backdoor, immediately
establishing something
of an underworld vibe.
A small, tightly outfitted
game room softly defined
by a series of knotted
drapes leads into a nightmarishly
dark lounge space. It
is a simple set-up of
bar, non-descript tables
and shadow-sitting, low-slung
booths. Walls alternate
between exposed brick
and more purple paint.
A roaring fireplace goes
a long way in cutting
the cheesieness factor
with a touch of the cozy.
The far end of the bar
opens up slightly in a
performance space featuring
a slick wood dance floor,
scads of rotating mirror
balls and an intimate
stage raised just a half
foot off the floor. Simply
put, DV8 is a very cool
place to see music.
Bands
take the stage on Friday
and Saturday nights. Tuesdays
regularly feature Karaoke
from Hell, a band of seasoned
scenesters who back-up
customers on everything
from classic to punk rock.
DV8
benefits from its owner's
reputation. DV8 is run
by the same group of folks
responsible for transforming
downtown's Ash Street
Saloon from a fading hippy
graveyard into a serrated-edge
nightclub, one of the
most popular venues in
the local loud rock scene.
Furthering
DV8's cache of "street
cred," Jason Sabolas,
longtime promoter for
the Satyricon--"the
longest running rock club
on the West Coast"--will
soon be taking on most
of the bar's booking responsibilities.
But
DV8 knows that by virtue
of its remote location
on Portland's hipster
terrain, it has to work
hard for attention and
thus lavishes customers
with a bevy of happy hour
drink specials and dirt
cheap diner grub fare.
The regular happy hour
runs Monday through Saturday,
a formidable six hour
span (2pm-8pm) with $1.50
pints, $1.75 micros and
domestics and $2.50 food
specials; half-size, one-topping
pizzas and Spanish Coffees
are both $4.50. Food from
the kitchen, open until
2am, is well-prepared
with an average price
point in the $5-$7 range.
A
recent visit to DV8 was
on a Wednesday when the
nightlong special is half-off
drinks for holders of
an OLCC card. "Service
Industry Nights" (SIN)
are standard around town,
but the discount at DV8
is now also offered to
people in bands. How does
one prove membership to
a band?
Sabolas,
who also bartends at DV8,
seemed non-plussed by
my confusion. "I've
been booking bands in
this town for two years," he
explained matter-of-factly. "I
know everybody."
Makes
sense, Sabolas also personally
called fifty musicians
to let them know about
the night's expanded special.
Like
I said, DV8 is willing
to work hard for your
attention. So, why not
give it?
The opinions expressed
within are those of the
author and do not necessarily
reflect those of pdxguide.com
or The Columbian Publishing
Co.
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