| Last call |
Downtown bar
attracts crowds
to theme nights
John Henry's events are just as varied as its decor;
it has everything from burlesque shows to '80s night
BY RYAN NYBURG
PULSE EDITOR
One of the most noticeable things
about John Henry’s is that it doesn’t
look like it belongs in the middle of
downtown Eugene. This is one of its
most appealing attributes. The dimly
lit bar bleeds atmosphere all over
and, despite the fact that the current
location opened after the indoor
smoking ban took effect, still smells
like stale cigarettes and cheap booze.
(It’s a smell that never goes away. It
infects the furniture. In thirty years,
the place will probably still smell like
the Marlboro Man just finished a
three-day-long hoe-down.) The decor
is concert posters, road signs, T-shirts
witn naughty words
on them and abstract
art. No, I’m not
kidding.
There are really
only a few things you
need to know about
John Henry’s: It has Pabst on tap (ah,
Oregon, my Oregon), free pool most
nights and plays lots of hard-edged
rock ‘n’ roll (ladies and gentlemen,
The Cramps!). I realize this might
make the place sound like a dingy bik
er bar, but there is balance. Its theme
nights are some of the best times to be
had in Eugene, some of the coolest
rock acts in town play and the booze
selection is large enough to meet the
needs of any member of the commu
nity’s population of social and/or
r
problem drinkers.
According to the staff, the bar’s
biggest draws are the theme nights,
particularly ‘80s Night every Thurs
day, which packs the crowd to the
rafters (all the more impressive in as
much as the building does not, in
fact, have rafters). Not to be over
looked is the Sunday night Broad
way Revue, which is like a strip
show, only more fun and without
the pathetic mix of pity and guilt.
"One of the best things about this
place is that there is always some
thing different going on,” head of se
curity Jason Cronk said. “But it’s not
a scenesters club.”
The bar itself has undergone a wide
MORE INFORMATION
What: John Henry's
Where: 77 W. Broadway
Online: www.johnhenrysclub.com
variety of changes.
Opening in 1992 at a
West 11th location, the
place was practically
built by Eugene’s under
ground music scene and
spent much of its time
supporting a wide array of comically
named punk bands throughout the
1990s (personal favorite: Portland’s
The Sweaty Nipples). By the end of
the decade, St. Vincent de Paul’s took
over the property and decided to build
low-cost housing on the site (weak!),
and John Henry’s moved to its current
Broadway location.
“I’ve got my name carved in the
concrete outside of this place,” Cronk
said. “I helped build this place.
JOHN HENRY'S, page 9
A.
A**.
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
« Bartender Molly
McKeown pours a
Washington Apple
at John Henry's on
/ Broadway.
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