The Minnesota Music Note logoThe MinnesotaMusic Note
Venues

Venue

Podcast guest

Bogart's Entertainment Center

Longtime live music room known for top cover and tribute bands, dueling pianos and acoustic shows in its Back Alley Tavern.

Bogart's Entertainment Center is one of the best-known live music rooms in the Twin Cities market. It seats about 275 to 280 and holds 500 or more standing. Live entertainment runs from mid-September to mid-May, with bands most Fridays and Saturdays, dueling piano shows, and solo, duo and trio acoustic shows in the Back Alley Tavern and outdoors in summer. On this episode events manager Carl Xavier III, who has booked the room for 31 years, and owner Chris Loth, who leads marketing, talked about how bands get booked, their Wednesday residency, and the state of independent venues.

On the Minnesota Music Note

MN Music Note - Ep11 - Bogart's Entertainment Center

10mo ago

Open episode page

Fun facts from the interview

  • The room was Shaboom's Nightclub, a 50s and 60s theme club, before it was remodeled into Bogart's in 1992.
  • Its first house band, the Casablanca Orchestra, was a 10-piece band with three horns and three lead singers that grew out of Carlotta and the Coolots.
  • Early bookings included the Johnny Holm Band and GB Leighton, plus national acts like Molly Hatchet, Edgar Winter and Eric Burdon.
  • Bogart's celebrated its 50th anniversary this fall with an outdoor show.
  • At recording time Bogart's was booked through most of January, with dates already set into May.
  • New bands are told to build a following in smaller clubs, out-of-town rooms, VFWs and Legions first, and to keep their social media active.
  • Rival 5 holds a Wednesday residency and drew about 200 people on November 5. The residency continues February through April.
  • The residency idea came from seeing Dr. Mambo's Combo's long-running Sunday night at Bunker's.
  • Bogart's once booked two Iron Maiden tributes, Maiden Minneapolis and Two Minutes to Maiden, on the same night.
  • Bands now start around 8 p.m. and finish by about 11:30.
  • Bogart's is part of the Minnesota chapter of NIVA, which worked on all-in ticket pricing that took effect in 2024.
  • Carl recommended Johnny Holm, GB Leighton, Tim Mahoney and Chase of Chase and Ovation as future guests.

Something here look wrong or out of date?