Monday, September 22, 2008

Opening Bell at Mosaic in Dallas to have official grand opening October 11

By Zach Lewis of Zlew.net

Zach Lewis

For the last few years, Opening Bell at South Side Lamar has been one of my favorite spots to hang out, have an adult beverage or two, and enjoy some of Dallas’ finest live music. I guess it was about a year ago when Pascale, the owner of Opening Bell, told me that she was planning to open a second location in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas. As with most construction projects, there were a few obligatory delays, many moons passed before the doors finally opened last month for business. After much anticipation, Opening Bell has officially opened their sister location in the bottom floor of the Mosaic Building in the heart of Downtown. The soft opening was a few weeks ago, but Pascale has kept things pretty low key and hasn’t really marketed or put the word out about the new spot just yet. All of that should be changing soon, as the grand opening scheduled for October 11th is sure to get some attention. I hope to have more details on the grand opening soon, and it looks like it might be Kristy Kruger with a full band show (author's note: Kruger rocks!).

Zach Lewis

A view of the coffee shop or quiet side of Opening Bell, through a connecting window on the stage side.

My first impressions of the new location last Saturday night were very positive indeed! First of all you have to love the location; it is in the Main Street District of Downtown Dallas, which has been growing exponentially and is now one of the places to be for Dallas night life. It is within easy walking distance of the City Tavern, Ten Sports Grill, Sol Irlandes, Iron Cactus and many other great spots. The space itself is pretty large compared to the South Side location, and it is broken into two connected areas; I think this is one of the coolest key features of this location. On one side you have the coffee shop with the main ordering counter and plenty of seating. Don’t let the term “coffee shop” fool you; along with great espresso and brewed coffee you can also order from their large selection of beer, whine, and daiquiris. This side of the shop has plenty of space to hang out, and is more quiet and relaxed than the stage side of the shop.

Connected to the coffee shop side by a small walkway, and a large glass window is a larger room with a large elevated stage, surrounded by tables, chairs, and cushy bench seating. This area is really cool, and opens up so many possibilities for Opening Bell. I’m sure this area will be used for overflow seating or, like last Saturday night, for its primary purpose of hosting live music. The stage is much larger than the small corner stage at the South Side location, and is even better laid out for larger bands. However, I think there are even more things that could happen on this side than just music and coffee consumption. I could see it becoming the night club side of Opening Bell; there is plenty of room for a dance floor area, and room to stand and mingle. The two areas are separated well enough that you can enjoy your coffee and surf the net on one side, while just a few feet away there is a live performance rocking out. Pascale tells me that she has already had people show interest in renting out the room for private events.

Zach Lewis

A wide view of the stage side of Opening Bell.

The entertainment for the evening was Merry and the Mood Swings. This was a great show, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen a band that was anything like this one. The group is made up of all girls…..well, actually it is made up of all middle age-ish women. I know what you are thinking, and all I can say is you are terribly mistaken! These gals came to rock, and they did just that. The band was a five-piece band, with a few brass pieces and at least three people taking on the lead vocals for different songs. Even though they did play up the middle aged/mom/girl band theme a little bit, these ladies are real musicians and not just some novelty band. Their sound was pretty rocky with a 80’s/90’s flare; I’m confident they could pull off anything from Joan Jett to B-52s covers/style music if they wanted to. Some of the tunes were funny/satire songs, and others were just good old fashioned rock and roll. They had several original songs, and played a few covers including some 90’s-era Aerosmith. Their show was a lot of fun to listen to, and you could really see how much the ladies enjoyed what they were doing up there. You should definitely check them out of you get the chance; don’t be afraid to let the middle-aged mom band kick you in the teeth a little bit.

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Related stories

• Zlew.net’s October 2008 local live music picks (part 1) (Oct. 1, 2008)

See more stories in:

• Hospitality Industry > Restaurants and Bars
• Arts > Popular Music > Alternative / Indie
• Arts > Popular Music > Blues
• Arts > Popular Music > Folk
• Arts > Popular Music > Jazz
• Arts > Popular Music > Rock
• Arts > Popular Music > Singer / Songwriter

Comments

Bill Holston Verified

Way to go, Pascale. I can't wait to catch a show there. Opening Bell is just the best. Nice to see new places downtown.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

geopunk Anonymous

Yeah cheers.....I love beer and whine!!!

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

David Gouldin Staff

I can't wait to play a show there. (nudge nudge)

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Zach Lewis Verified

GeoPunk: Yes sir, I have to stop writing these things late at night. Then again, it wouldn't be a zlew blog post if there wasn't at least one thing that was spelled wrong...or made no sense (cents?) at all. :) Zach (Zlew.net)

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Travis Bush Verified

Or buy a glass of whine! :D

Being cereal now..looks interesting. Downtown needs all the help it can get.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )