Billiards, live music and beer are on tap at Denver’s newest bar, now open at a familiar address.
Velvet Banjo, which made its public debut at 741 E. Colfax Ave. over the weekend, hopes to be a hot spot for lovers of “newgrass” music by spinning tunes from a CD-powered jukebox and hosting bands on a small stage. The opening weekend lineup featured local acts Alyssa Medina and Ben Rafferty, among others.
Given its proximity to other venues on Colfax, the owners of Velvet Banjo hope it will become a stop on fans’ trips to or from concerts. General manager Patrick McNally billed it as a beer-and-shots type of haunt with six taps serving predominantly Colorado craft brews.
A red yeti greets customers at the new Velvet Banjo in Denver Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
The concept was originally inspired by McNally’s experience playing league pool. He and his seven partners wanted to create a space where the music they loved was a hallmark of the soundtrack. Co-owner Josh Kravette describes newgrass as bluegrass music with modern influences from jazz, funk, jam, electronic music and other genres – think the likes of Billy Strings and Kitchen Dwellers.
The bar gives new life to a space that previously centered on a musical ethos: the two-decade-old Sancho’s Broken Arrow, owned by Jay Bianchi. That bar was forced to close in 2022 as part of a public nuisance settlement with the City of Denver. McNally and his partners confirmed that Bianchi isn’t part of the ownership group, and they hope Velvet Banjo will be a welcoming space for the community.
“We burnt sage all over in the basement as well as in the bar, so we hopefully got the bad spirits out,” McNally said. “Really what it means to me is an opportunity to change that narrative for this place.”
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That opportunity has been a long time coming. Velvet Banjo was originally slated to open in the early months of 2024, but was delayed by the permitting process, McNally said. It also underwent a name change along the way.
When the Denver Post first spoke to the owners last December, they planned to call the spot Yonder Bar. They changed the moniker to Velvet Banjo after the build-out to match the texture of the walls inside, McNally said. (He insists it had nothing to do with potential confusion with other establishments using “yonder” in the name, despite an Instagram post that suggests that was the impetus.)
Velvet Banjo offered happy hour all weekend long during its grand opening on Saturday and Sunday. Going forward, happy hour run 3 to 6 p.m.