Best Bars for Daydrinking, Part 3

Well Monday has finally come, which means you’ve had all weekend long to check out all the bars featured in Part Two of our Best Bars for Daydrinking series.

Today we leave the lush tree-lined avenues of our beloved North Baltimore neighborhoods to scour the hardscrabble streets of the southside for the best of all possible daydrinking bars. Any bunch of fake-ass Irish posers can start at the top o’the mornin’ on Saint Patrick’s day, but if you’re really wicked hahdcoar, pull up a stool to open and close one of these joints. We’ll see you there.

A young Kris Kristofferson pours a beer at the breakfast table.

Take it from Kris K: If you'd been drinking beer for breakfast, maybe you could have dated Janis Joplin and hung out with Dennis Hopper and Johhny Cash too.

South Baltimore: Southside Saloon (430 E. Fort Avenue)

If you want to drink during the day, Fort Avenue is a pretty likely destination. From Delia Foley’s to City Limits, there’s no shortage of bars, most open pretty early. But your home base for daydrinking has to be Southside Saloon. The decor is about as dated as the customers, and that’s not a bad thing. With an older crowd that’s not working for one reason or another, this place can get kinda full during the day. Between the keno, lotto, scratch offs, racetrax and several video poker terminals the place is almost as much casino as it is bar. The prices though are very un-casino like… $1 bohs and $1.50 Blue Moons all day. Perfect accompaniment for the Dante’s frozen pizza on offer. First Call: 10:00 am.

Fell’s Point: Dead End Saloon (935 Fell Street)

There aren’t going to be any accidental tourists stumbling into the Dead End. There won’t be any red hat ladies having luncheon or people wanting to watch soccer for some dumb reason. It’s in a dead end street. The only people in there belong there. Although with 16 beers on tap there’s virtually no dead end of variety. The last time we were there there was a pretty sexy girl (glasses, sleeve tattoos) damn near passed out on the bar and forgetting where she lived. And this was at 2 pm. If you’re out daydrinking, it’s always good to know that you’re not the most degenerate lowlife in the place, and maybe you can take home the girl who is. First call: 11:00 am.

Butcher’s Hill/Patterson Park: Butts and Betty’s (2200 Gough Street)

Out of the way but close to everything, Butts and Betty’s is one of the few original neighborhood corner bars still holding it down with a 6 am opening time. The place has quite a lot in common with Southside Saloon, except that the decor has actually been updated since the Vietnam era. It’s actually a pretty nice crappy bar: no drop ceilings, no linoleum floors, etc. It’s so ooh-la-la the regulars even drink Yuengling. If you end up there, go ahead and order a Lager for yourself. Remember: it’s their bar. You’re just drinking in it. First Call: 6:00 am.

Canton: Sports Cafe (1226 S. Clinton Street)

There’s no link there because we’re the first site that ever wrote about Sports Cafe on the internet. Not even a damn Yelp review. It’s a shame, because this is actually a pretty decent neighborhood bar- and a great bar for daydrinking. Probably the best in the city. Happy hour is eight hours long. From 11 am- 7 pm you can get a bucket of beers for $6 and play keno all day long while you nosh on cheap food. This is an old-school spot just up from the Clinton Street docks which still serves retired longshoremen and railyard workers and not the Real Housewives of Canton. How old school? A shot of blackberry brandy is a happy hour special. First call: 11:00 am.

So there you have it Baltimore. Now you know just where to go to drink cheap beer all day every day. You could daydrink all week and still have a couple bars left to get to. What are some of your favorite choices for daydrinking? You can let us know in the comments. Just don’t call us an enabler.

Double Dagger @ Ottobar Tonight

This isn’t a music blog. It’s a personal blog. The point of this blog has never been anything more than to say “Hey, here’s what we’re doing tonight.” Kind of like Facebook, only not insipid and insidious.

So here’s what we’re doing tonight: We’re going to see Double Dagger at the Ottobar.

We were at their first show. We were probably at 25 shows after that. Tonight we’re going to their last show. If you were to ask us which show was the best, we couldn’t possibly have an answer for that. This is a band that gave 100% every single time. Congratulations guys. We’re proud of you. We always have been.

ddag

We haven’t got any more to say than that. If you want to read more, check out what’s been said around the web recently:

Baltimore City Paper (10/12) “And they did it with what they call “punk brains,” a mixture of do-it-yourself and never conforming to what’s expected, which also meant trying to push beyond the tropes of punk music itself.”

Baltimore City Paper: (cover and feature, 10/19) “a giant-sized photo of the band, which we plan to assemble and display in a prominent place for whenever we start to forget what it was like to be at a show trying to move away from point-Dagger Nolen Strals on one of his frequent sweaty forays into the sweaty crowd while we’re stuffing toilet paper in our ears because we forgot our earplugs. We invite you to enjoy this poster and start a band.”

Washington City Paper “Double Dagger has chosen to go out in style, building an eight-date minitour that ends with one final hometown blowout on Friday in Baltimore. Before setting out, Strals and Bowen took some time to discuss the timing of the breakup, their posthumous work, and the band’s relationship with D.C.”

Washington Post (Click Track Blog) “The theatrics were memorable and the noise was righteous — but that wasn’t what stuck with me the most. I left obsessed with one song they played. Something about luxury condos…”


JoshSisk.com
“They also are a band who managed to write songs about important topics in out lives, and within our communities, but at the same time kept them fun & catchy… something so few punk bands have managed to do. So many of their songs resonate to Baltimoreans (but I imagine, everyone also) as reflecting aspects of the city and community we live in. It’s great to see so many younger kids at their shows… inspired not just by the wild stage hijinx (though there is plenty of that), but by the thoughtful content of the songs.”

The Baltimore Sun “Double Dagger’s end won’t be the last we hear from its members. We spoke to Willen — Strals passed the phone to the bassist because the singer was losing his voice — about the final tour, surprise guests and how he hopes his band is remembered.”


Brightest Young Things
(6 streaming tracks with band commentary) “if you HAVEN’T seen them live before, this is your last chance to do so, so GET TO IT. And if you haven’t listened to their records before, fear not, we asked Denny, Bruce and Nolen to pick their “greatest hits” and break them down for you below. ENJOY (and see you all tonight)”

DCist “It’s always something of a punch to the gut when a likable band breaks up, especially when they put in one of our favorite performances of 2010. What’s more, they played at the Black Cat in April with the band that topped last year’s list to put in a strong bid for our favorite show of 2011!”

Tiny Mix Tapes “Double Dagger of Bawmor are shuttin’ down after nine years and playing dair last show downey Ottobar on a Fridee in October. B’lieve. For people not from Baltimore: Double Dagger are calling it quits and playing their final show October 21”

Impose Magazine “Are people telling you things that are touching you in any way since people know this is the last time they will be seeing the band?

Definitely been getting a lot of that. Online and especially at the shows, a lot of people have been saying the band has been really important, has meant a lot to them. People coming up to us to say that the band has helped them get through some hard times. That’s really incredible for us. Lots of big, extended hugs from sweaty people.”

Village Voice
“Double Dagger is a Baltimore trio who’ve been antagonizing audiences with their fourth-wall-dropping post-hardcore squalls for more than nine years. Last month, they announced they were calling it quits–rather than fade away with a whimper, the Wham City vets decided to tour ferociously one last time. Tonight, they’ll play their last New York show ever at Death By Audio, so we spoke with drummer Denny Bowen, who also plays with the Dan Deacon Ensemble and Roomrunner, about breaking up, Cake Shop memories, and piss ice.”

Baltimore City Paper (Noise Blog, 10/21) So it is that today, Oct. 21, 2011, marks the last-ever show for Baltimore’s own Double Dagger. City Paper has done an appreciative feature and a do-it-yourself six-panel poster, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer some more words from the band. In researching the former, I sat down with lead singer Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen to discuss the band’s music, funny stories, favorite shows, and much more. Selected highlights are below.

And finally, here’s the Baltimore Chop inteview with Nolen from 10/12/2011.

Best Bars for Daydrinking, Part 2

There are a lot of great bars in Baltimore, but many establishments are great for different reasons. The bar that’s great in the hour before last call is seldom ever also great before noon. Yesterday we laid out our criteria for what makes a great daydrinking bar. Today, we’re here to give you some of our top choices for daydrinking bars in Charm City.

In a place that used to be a three-shifts town, we’ve got a long history of neighborhood taverns being open almost around the clock. With GM, Crown Cork and Seal and the like gone, and Bethlehem Steel in its last throes of operation, beer and scrambled eggs at six AM aren’t a feature in most neighborhoods anymore. If you know where to look though, you can still quench a mighty thirst while the sun is still high in the sky.

Christy Turlington proves daydrinking can be chic.

A visual approximation of the Chop daydrinking with Christy Turlington.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, nor is it meant to be a generic top five or top ten. It’s more of a geographically based best-bet for when you find yourself thirsty in the middle of the day. It’s also not a list about popping in for a quick one: it’s about daydrinking, not day-sipping.

North Baltimore: Jerry’s Belvedere Tavern (5928 York Road)

Tavern is hardly the right word for Jerry’s. It’s more of a saloon. Saloons are perfect for daydrinking, and in 2011 a proper saloon is also about as common as a drive-in theater. Jerry’s is made of wood. The drinks are cheap. The food can really only be described as “home cooking,” featuring stuff like pork chops, stuffed shells, and even chicken noodle soup. There’s just enough light to read the paper or you can watch 1 of 2 TV’s, both of which probably have the sound up despite the fact that they’re tuned to different channels. If that’s not enough for entertainment, you can always scope out the drunkies buying bottles in the attached liquor store with what feels like a two-way mirror effect. Also: a popcorn machine. First call: 8 am.

Hampden: Griffith’s Tavern (3631 Hickory Avenue)

We’ve sung the praises of Griffith’s on this blog before. It’s a perfect bar for daydrinking. In fact, it’s basically a daytime bar. With hours that run roughly from 9 am- 10 pm, it’s definitely not for the late night crowd. Sure, there are other dive bars where you can drink cheap beer all day in the neighborhood, but Griffith’s is the only one where you’re not going to have to put up with people fencing stuff from the Rite Aid for dope money or bringing young children to the bar or any of that other Hampden shit. Instead you’re more likely to get an earful of stories about how things used to be 40-50 years ago. First call: 9:00 am.

Remington: Long Johns (398 W. 29th Street)

Long Johns is starting to gain some major indie cred with karaoke-singing cool kids coming up from MICA or slumming it from the Avenue bars (if that’s even possible). Fear not though… during the day it’s a dank dark space that keeps out both the daylight and the hipsters. The drinks are dirt cheap even before the specials and with a $5 veggie burger and fries, we can afford to eat lunch 3 times on our bender. First call: 11 am.

Midtown: Owl Bar (1 E. Chase Street)

The Owl Bar is definitely the nicest place to make this list. Sure, there are divier bars nearby with cheaper drinks, but we know from past experience that the Owl Bar is a prime spot for daydrinking. The only natural light available is filtered through stained glass, lending your borderline behavior an almost holy aspect. While you may pay an extra buck or two per round, it’s made up for in quality both behind the bar and in the kitchen. If the place starts filling up with the post-work crowd, just take the elevator up to the 13th floor for happy hour. Thank us later. First call: 11:30 am.

Downtown: Midway Bar (421 E. Baltimore Street)

Cheap Beer isn’t cheap at the Midway. A Boh and a decent tip can be $5. But where else you gonna go, huh? That’s a lot cheaper than any of the neighboring bars. It’s cheaper than the Inner Harbor and cheaper than Power Plant Live. If you want to drink downtown, you need to get to the Midway and stay at the Midway. It won Best of Baltimore awards from the City Paper in 2008 and again in 2010, and for good reason. It’s a spot to do some hard drinking among a retro-pinup-doll vibe, but there’s nothing cute about it: you get the impression that there just might be a gun behind the bar someplace. Cop a stool here as soon as they open and stay as long as you can and you’ll see the whole life of the Block pass in and out of the doors. It’s the best show on Baltimore Street. First call: 10:00 am.

That’s a lot of daydrinking already, but somehow we’re still thirsty. Join us again on Monday for the third and final installment in this series, when we cross Baltimore Street and explore the best daydrinking spots in South Baltimore.

Best Bars for Daydrinking, Part 1

Sometimes you just can’t wait until happy hour. Every once in a while You have a day that’s so good or so bad or so pointless that you find yourself on a bar stool before noon. Hey, we’re not here to judge you. We’ve been there too.

Maybe there’s some random daytime sports thing you want to watch. Maybe it was a morning funeral or you went to work just to find out you didn’t have a job anymore. Maybe you’re just downtown with time to kill and you’d feel a hell of a lot more comfortable in a decent bar than in a coffee shop full of minor poets and grad students on macbooks. You need a good bar for daydrinking.

Chales bukowski day drinking

Charles Bukowski: proof of the correlation between daydrinking and greatness.

But not all bars are created equal. Your favorite night spot may have an entirely different aspect about it during the day. We’ve long heard tell of the Sidebar being full of lawyers, bureaucrats and jury duty people during daylight hours. Makes sense, but we’ve never been there before 9 pm, and don’t know if they’re really still open before then. The point is, your 11 pm bar is not necessarily your 11 am bar. But what makes a bar ideal for daydrinking? Here are our criteria:

It should be open. That may sound pretty obvious, but most bars don’t bother opening until 5 pm. You can’t drink in a bar that’s closed, so it’s best to find a go-to place that’s reliably open by 11 am every day. Better yet, 6 am.

Food. Any spot where you’re going to do some serious daydrinking has to have decent food. Here’s the tricky part though… the food can’t be too good. You don’t want to be the lone barfly at the restaurant bar, getting half soused while people are ordering cobb salads and kids are coloring placemats all over the place. That will never do. Look for the bar whose kitchen consists of a deep fryer and a microwave, and not much else.

Cheap drinks. Daydrinking for real is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re in a bar before noon, odds are you’re looking for quantity over quality and it helps to know where you can get a cold beer for less than two bucks. Daydrinking is all about making every hour happy hour.

The Usual Suspects. A proper place for daydrinking has to have a seasoned daytime bartender. During the day you’re not going to get served by the cute young thing with the bottle opener in her back pocket. If you’re lucky though, you’ll get a pro dayshift bartender; one who knows when to chat, when to shut up and wash glasses, and always remembers the buyback. You’re gonna want a few legitimate barflies hanging around as well. A good bar for daydrinking will always have a corps of daydrinking regulars.

Entertainment. As much as we like the idea of a bar with no TV, proper daydrinking takes several hours, and you need something to stare at aside from the bottles and mirror behind the bar. The best spots for daydrinking have one or two televisions, but don’t keep them tuned to ESPN news all day. A newspaper on the bar doesn’t hurt either. Ideally, a daydrinking bar should have keno too. We think the lottery is dumb and we never play keno except when we’re drinking cheap beer during the day. Keno and daydrinking go together like baseball and peanuts.

Tomorrow we’ll give you a list of some of the best places in Baltimore to grab a drink while sun is still high in the sky. In the meantime though, what say you Baltimore? What are your favorite spots to drink before happy hour? Best reasons or excuses for starting your night at noon? Let us know in the comments.

Those Darlins @ Golden West Tonight

So, we guess we gotta go see Those Darlins tomorrow. We haven’t really got much choice in the matter. The show’s not gonna watch itself, as they say.

It was a lot easier to stay home the last time they played at the Golden West. It wasn’t even that long ago- March 31 to be precise. 2011 Has been a pretty long year though; not just for us, but for the Darlins as well.

Those Darlins bro down at Golden West tomorrow. 10 pm doors.

Those Darlins bro down at Golden West tonight. 10 pm doors.

At the end of March, they were a relatively obscure novelty act playing new old-fashioned country songs in the types of places where the beer special is the draw and the music is an afterthought. But that was before Screws Get Loose. With the release of their second album, Those Darlins have made a hard pivot from aww-shucks country to full-on psychedelic garage rock. They were pretty good before, but now they sound like Stevie Nicks on acid getting fucked by Hunter S. Thompson. And we mean that in the nicest possible way.

You don’t have to just take our word for it though. Now that we’re a fancy-schmancy legitimate website we can actually embed video. So just for the hell of it, here’s the video for Screws Get Loose.

So yeah. We have to go see this band tonight, at this particular point in time, because who knows? By the next time they come around they might have reinvented themselves all over again. They’re already getting a lot of love from some very ooh-la-la critics like Rolling Stone and Garden and Gun, and even NPR is singing their praises. Twelve months hence they might be too high-falutin’ for the Golden West and we’d have to go down to that awful tacky cowboy themed bar at Power Plant Live. We don’t want to do that.

And if we wait til then, we won’t get to see The Matrimonials, who are probably the single most underrated band in Baltimore right now. Don’t believe us? Go over here and stream their cover of Can’t Hardly Wait. Any band that can be so ambitious as to cover the Replacements, and make it sound better than the original is the kind of band we want to see a whole lot more of.

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Golden West Cafe is at 1105 W. 36th Street in Hampden. 10 pm doors. Dead Ships also plays.