KING WEST BEAT: LIVE MUSIC at LOU DAWG’S

At 589 King Street West sits a bar called Lou Dawg’s, serving up Southern-style food and the sweet sounds of live music. Open until 4:00 a.m. Thursday through Sunday (Lou Dawg’s closes at 11:00 p.m. the rest of the week), the place is a great spot to hear some tunes.

Walking into Lou Dawg’s transports you from King Blue to King West’s cowboy country. The log-cabin style room, stone and wood bar and smell of barbeque in the air,  made for a surprisingly different King West experience. The rolls of brown paper towel on the tables offered a rustic, authentic touch.

There’s entertainment aplenty in this bar and it all kicks off with Fat Tuesdays, lively evenings with Irene Torres and the Sugar Devils  playing good old-fashioned ‘Nawlins’ (New Orleans) jazz. The sultry Peruvian-born Torres leads her band through energetic sets of sexy tunes, daring you to sit still for more than song.

On tap for Friday nights is usually Jeff Eager and his funk/soul/rock covers, but the Friday night I stopped by, Daniel Gagnon was filling in. Gagnon is an occasional sub throughout the week and describes his style as more country/folk; his raspy voice definitely did justice to covers of Stevie Nicks’, “Landslide” and Bruce Cockburn’s, “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”.

If you’re out and about after the sun sets on a Saturday, then Don Campbell is your man for entertainment starting at 10:00 p.m. each week. Campbell mixes things up with popular covers and a few original songs thrown in, his repertoire spans several decades, and he’s open to the occasional request. He’s always got a song to please just about anyone.

Sunday is a real treat at Lou Dawg’s. From 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the King West crowd gets a taste of Patrick Wright for “Blues Brunch Sundays”. With Wright playing some kick-ass blues for Caesar-sipping brunchers, this is a fantastic way to spice up a Sunday afternoon with live music on King West.

If standing up and participating is more your thing, Lou Dawg’s in the King Blue hood has just introduced Karaoke Thursdays. Why not stop by and give the old vocal chords a workout? Because nothing goes better with a shot of Jack Daniels and pulled pork barbeque than belting out some Freebird.

With a variety of live music several days a week, free daily offers on Twitter, a Southern-style barbeque menu and a game on the screen, there’s not much more you need at Lou Dawg’s. Just beware, their website isn’t current, so it’s best to Like the bar on Facebook or follow Lou Dawg’s on Twitter @loudawgs.