Louisville Night Life and Music: Main Street Lounge

Main Street Lounge on Main Street is working to become a new spot for Louisville music. They want to feature more original bands and revive interest in the Louisville music scene.

Main Street Lounge has two different rooms and a patio. For years, they hosted the Friday night goth night, but discontinued the themed night last year after deciding to take the bar in a different direction.

With some slight redecoration, the place still has the feel of a goth or industrial club despite the band nights and hip hop nights they have weekly. From someone who spent many a fun night there in the past, it seems the club is having an identity crisis.

I think it's great that the club is trying to support Louisville music with their Wednesday night WLRS contest. The contest allows bands to come in and play and runs over a couple summer months. By the end of it, the band who has had the most fans come to see them will win a coveted spot at the LRS Fest, a popular annual Louisville music festival. It's a great opportunity, but also another example of the attitude amongst many Louisville bars that the only reason to book bands is to make them magically make people appear in their bar. Even bands with followings appreciate some promotion on the part of the bar. At least MSL is doing that by working with WLRS. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be anywhere near competing with 93.1 The Fox Louisville music promotion on Wednesdays at Phoenix Hill Tavern, and the rest of the week seems pretty dead at the once busy goth /alternative venue.

To an MSL regular, it is very sad to see the place absolutely empty on Friday nights while remember times past when the place was so packed you could barely walk through it. If dancing on the busy floor got to be too much, you could find interesting conversation on the long and shadowy patio by candlelight.

No matter how hard they try to push Louisville music and have hip hop on the weekends, MSL still looks like an alternative club. Fortunately for the industrial crowd, they have decided to have an industrial/hard electro night on the third Saturday of each month. This may bring some of their old regulars back, but some of them seem to have had their feelings hurt and are holding a grudge as many familiar faces are missing.

Main Street Lounge has a great atmosphere, though, with a fire place, large screen, stage, plush seating, and two bars. and drink prices are low compared to other downtown clubs. To further support Louisville music, they are having original and cover bands on Friday nights, but that has yet to really take off. I hope they stop trying to be something they're not before they die. I became attached to the place over the years. I really would like to see their music endeavors work out for their sake and for the sake of the Louisville Music Scene having another place to support them. However, their desire to keep pushing on an empty club makes me wonder if the club is now a tax write off for the owners who also own the popular Bardstown Road club "Willy's" and a deli on Main Street. It's going to be really hard for them to compete on Wednesdays with Phoenix Hill who not only showcases music but has 75 cent beer night.