DENVER: For decades, there was a familiar roar after dark between Race and Vine streets on Colfax Avenue in downtown Denver.
“Lion’s Lair has been around for 63 years,” said Lion’s Lair co-owner Doug Kauffman. “A lot of time”.
The history of the intimate concert hall goes back even further.
“From what I can tell, since the 1940s,” Kauffman said.
First it was a jazz club.
“There were a myriad of jazz artists playing here,” Kauffman said. “Including Dexter Gordon and Clark Terry.”
The venue has hosted legendary musicians and now some modern bands.
“The Black Keys, the Decemberists, Ozomatli, Mojo Nixon,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman believes that this monarch of the Denver music scene could have the oldest liquor license of all the concert venues in the city.
“With the closure of El Chapultepec, I can’t think of any other place,” he said. “The liquor licenses are numbered and it was one of Colfax’s oldest liquor licenses. They had no records dating back that far, so they couldn’t find out at the Licensing and Excise Office. ”
And boy, the place has history. Some even believe that this hiding place is obsessed.
“Ghosts of old jazz musicians, ghosts of old regulars,” Kauffman said. “Come here and get some drinks, maybe you start conjuring them, you never know. It could be real. “
Like all other live music venues, the COVID crisis has silenced the Lion’s roar to the end.
“It’s been closed for eight months,” Kauffman said. “It simply came to our notice then. Really, it is. It’s not like his old self. “
Although the owner of the place has been patient, with so much uncertainty appearing, Kauffman and one of his employees decided to start a GoFundMe campaign a few days ago.
“A lot of people have come out of the woodwork,” Kauffman said.
He and his business partner are absolutely impressed with the support.
“It surprised us all,” Kauffman said.
More than 350 donors, starting Wednesday evening.
“Small amounts, big amounts,” Kauffman said. “The site has been moved to mean a lot to the whole community here.”
So far they have raised about $ 16,000. People in our community who value this cultural icon. The “king” of Colfax, if you will.
“We are very grateful to everyone who participated,” Kauffman said. “Go back to. I’m sure he will. “