Cincinnati in the 80's Early 1990's (Monroe, Covington: nightlife, suburbs, basement)

[klg2005]

Yep, it was Burgundy's! Thanx! Remember when you could drive from the "burbs" and not be parinoid? Always lived north of 275 but there were only a few places to go unless you went to clifton or downtown.

[kemodiva]

Who could forget CADDY's, Flannigans, Second Street Saloon, January's and Oodles! What fantastic times the 80-90's were..

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by kemodiva

Who could forget CADDY's, Flannigans, Second Street Saloon, January's and Oodles! What fantastic times the 80-90's were..

But nothing comes close to the Big Red Machine of the 70s. If not for it the places you mention would have never existed. Success begets success.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by kemodiva

Who could forget CADDY's, Flannigans, Second Street Saloon, January's and Oodles! What fantastic times the 80-90's were..

Sleep Out Louie's.

I'll tell you though, the Islands was the cat's ass.

[PopeyeJim]

The nightclub on the corner of Calhoun and Vine started out as The Lighthouse, then Reflections, then Burgundy's, then PrimeTime. I tended bar there for several years when it was Burgundy's and PrimeTime. It was a wild and crazy place to party, much less work. The police hated us. Locals loved us. Had a great time. (Now, if I could only have those brain cells back.)

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Sleep Out Louie's.

I'll tell you though, the Islands was the cat's ass.

OMG you are bringing up memories of my youth!

[luv2flydl]

Who remembers the Mad Hatter in Oakley? The best disco ever!

[rstevens62]

I raced BMX at the old Riverstar BMX center off Kellogg Ave, starting around 1985.

That place was packed at nearly every race.

[Tammer_77]

Originally Posted by luv2flydl

Who remembers the Mad Hatter in Oakley? The best disco ever!

It was around in the early 70's. Loud music with a live Drummer and a lighted dance floor.

[blickcd]

After graduating from college in 1989 I moved to Cincinnati. If going out to bars was your thing, and it was mine at the time, there was no shortage of nightlife. Earlier posts have covered things pretty well, but what I remember most is the variety of live music there was.

For example, heavy metal: Annie’s, and Never On Sunday. Country: The Silver Saddle, and the Covington Landing (a destination that was only around a few years and might deserve its own thread). Jazz: Blue Wisp. Rock n’ Roll cover bands were all over Cincinnati, the suburbs, as well as some dives in Newport and Covington. Lots of original rock and alternative in Clifton at places like Sudsy Malone’s, which was a bar and laundromat combo.

There were also some bars with live bands in places you might not expect, such as the basement of a bowling alley on the west side. Might have been Western Bowl. There was another bar (think this was also in a basement) with live country music at the Stoney Ridge truck stop. Yeah, it was in Monroe off the I-75 exit but close enough you would make the drive at least once, out of curiosity.

If you were a musician and had no objection to playing covers, which I was at the time, there was no shortage of places you could play, make some okay cash, and get some free drinks on the weekends. This was all before the internet and a lot of the social networking was done through local music stores, and contacts you developed over the years of playing with a few different bands.