by Robert Davis

Many musicians dream of playing at Denver’s famous venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Mission Ballroom, and the historic Paramount Theater. But locals say several smaller venues are just as noteworthy, if not more so. One such place is the Skylark Lounge in the Baker neighborhood.

The Skylark first opened in 1943 at 58 South Broadway as a bar for local workers. It stayed in the same building for almost 60 years before moving down the street to its current location at 140 S. Broadway in 2003, according to city property records. Locals know Skylark for its well-stocked horseshoe bar and the checkerboard floor that decorates the upstairs concert hall known as the Bobcat Club.

The bar was put up for sale in May 2020 by its previous owner, Scott Heron, who had purchased the bar for about $82,000 in 1998. Heron told Westword at the time that he didn’t think the bar would sell anytime soon because the coronavirus pandemic was just getting started. But the sales tag caught the eye of one well-connected local, Bob Ashby, who has been living in Baker for almost 20 years.

Ashby contacted his long-time friend Nathaniel Raetliff (yes, the one who makes music with The Nightsweats), and the two formed a partnership of investors to take over the venue in 2021, Westword reported.

“It was kind of a no-brainer,” Ashby told Westword. “We both love this neighborhood. It’s been really important to us, and we really want to add something back to it.”

After some light renovations, the Skylark reopened in January 2022 and has provided both upstart musicians and touring acts a place to perform for a Denver audience. The venue hosts live music most nights of the week, and ticket prices often range between $5 and $15, according to Skylark’s website.

Rachael McCuaig, a local musician who performs under the pseudonym Lonely Choir, told Denver VOICE in an interview that the Skylark offers an “encouraging environment” that makes it easy to book recurring gigs there.

One way it promotes that kind of environment is by separating the live music from the bar crowd. When Skylark first opened, the live music stage was tucked into a cramped corner of the room, which made it uncomfortable to play and easy for the bar crowd to tune out the entertainers. Now, the live music stage is upstairs in the Bobcat Club, where the room is oriented around the stage, and concertgoers have their own bar.

“It’s just one of those places you walk into and you see it’s a peaceful and safe environment,” McCuaig said.

McCuaig added that the attention local acts receive from Skylark’s sound technicians during gigs is another thing that separates it from other venues in Denver. McCuaig said she has played at venues where it felt like the staff was rushing her up on stage to sing into a half-working microphone for a half hour before getting rushed back out the door. She added that those kinds of situations don’t happen at Skylark.

“The Skylark is definitely a place that has pushed me to continue to want to play around Denver and to pursue music as a career,” McCuaig said.

Orin Bregman, the vocalist for local funk-rap group Coast to Ghost, told Denver VOICE that the Skylark helped his band network with other local acts, get exposure to new fan bases, and pay their rent on time.

Bregman added that Skylark stands out among the other venues along Broadway because of how close it is to neighborhood restaurants like Voodoo Donuts and Illegal Pete’s. That makes it easy for local acts to get a good bite to eat after they perform, Bregman said, and for concertgoers to continue their night out after seeing a concert.

“They know how to cultivate a vibe at Skylark,” Bregman said. “It’s a great spot to grab some drinks and see a show. And it has this institution-like identity here in Denver. It’s really a hidden gem.” ■

You can check out who will be performing at Skylark by visiting their website.

Skylark Lounge holds its own against Denver’s more famous venues

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