"The Blues Room" brings a cool atmosphere to a growing Downtown Baton Rouge

Reproduced from: theadvocate.com

The former home of the legendary Tabby’s Blues Box in downtown Baton Rouge has some new residents. Located at 244 Lafayette St. across from The Hilton Hotel, The Blues Room is the newest addition to the explosion of growth happening in the downtown area. The bar opened its doors on Jan. 25, and owner Billy Stevens and bar manager Amanda Davis could not be more excited about their new home.

“There are a lot of incentives to open in downtown Baton Rouge,” Davis said. “It’s great because we’re the only other blues bar in the area besides Phil Brady’s. It’s a great location. You have the convenience of downtown, but because of all the bars on Third Street you’re not going to be shoulder to shoulder packed. It’ll still be a little crowd.”

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Blues Room owner - Billy Stevens

The Blues Room’s unique décor and atmosphere sets it apart from many other bars in the area. Stepping down a few feet into the dimly lit bar, patrons are met with large flat screen TVs and fabulous photos of downtown Baton Rouge and the New Orleans French Quarter. The stage is set in front of the bar’s blue and white logo where the motto reminds patrons to “Enjoy the Culture.”

“We are a very laidback place where people can come and hang out and talk to their friends,” Davis said. “Our sound system is set up in a way where you can hear the music, but you don’t have to scream in order to have a conversation with the friends you came with. It’s really great because in a lot of the other bars downtown it’s really hard to socialize without having to scream at the top of your lungs.”

But even with great atmosphere, the music is still the star attraction of The Blues Room. With amazing acts like internationally known Gregg Wright and Boogie Long and the Blues Revolution, The Blues Room is already making its mark as a great venue for exceptional blues music.

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Former Tabby's Blues Box

“We want to expand with our acts and put this place on the map,” Davis said. “I want to make it a very big live music venue where people can come and listen to great music and enjoy themselves.”

The Blues Room has live acts Wednesday through Sunday. Every Wednesday night from 8 p.m. to midnight, Louis Dunn and the Dunn Deal All-Stars perform live. On Sundays, Elvin Killerbee hosts a blues jam session to which he brings in friends to play, and aspiring musicians have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

“Sundays with Elvin Killerbee is our open mic night,” Davis said. “If somebody wants to get up there on stage and sing something, they can.”

The Blues Room is open seven nights a week, and happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with two-for-one drink specials on everything in the house. The bar also serves food all night including fare such as hot dogs, nachos, po-boys and hot tamale pies and offers patrons the opportunity to play pool on two pool tables.

“We’re a new place, and it’s amazing,” Davis said. “Tabby’s Blues Box is what it originally was, and I kind of want to build off that. Tabby’s may not be open, but the legend lives on, and people can come and have a good time. It’s a great place to come and have a conversation. You can come and relax and listen to great music. We’ve got great food, and we’ve got lots of seating. You can play pool. It’s not going to be the same atmosphere of downtown in general that people are used to. It’s going to be more a homey, cozy feel.”

For schedules and acts, check out The Blues Room Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blues-Room/337180466388661

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