On the penultimate night of the Gas Lamp’s existence, the music venue filled with couples dancing hand in hand, smiles stretched from ear to ear, the energy of the music from Bob Pace & the Dangerous Band practically palpable.
Since 2011, the Gas Lamp has given the community a space to unwind after the work week, providing great entertainment and a reason to dance every Friday evening at 1501 Grand Ave, Des Moines.
Though the end was bitter, it had been prepared for. Players and patrons have been aware of Gas Lamp’s imminent closure since Feb. 13.
“As most of you have noticed, they have been revitalizing the area recently and our building will be one of the next to be renovated,” a Facebook post from the venue read. “While we do not know the exact timeline we do know that Gas Lamp is not a part of the final plan … We will be closing our doors for the last time on July 9th, 2023.”
According to local rapper Andre Davis, formerly known as Anthony Parnell, the loss of Gas Lamp is a brutal blow to Des Moines’ music scene.
“I think it’s going to either force newer acts to find a new space or force some of these venues that are already here to open up their space for newer acts,” Davis said prior to Gas Lamp’s closure.
According to Davis, what made Gas Lamp a Des Moines gem was the ability to showcase talent from the Central Iowa music scene while also presenting a mix of artists, from music veterans to up-and-coming acts. It allowed artists to find themselves on stage and become comfortable with performing.
“This is the spot to do that,” he said. “At least from my perspective, it was a good training ground. If I’m trying to try something out or I want to see if this actually works, this is the spot to try that at.”
The venue occupied its spot in the Butler Building starting in 2011 under the ownership of Ryan Flattery and James Thyberg. Now, the Krause Group — a local real estate development firm (and the organization that owned Kum & Go before selling to Salt Lake City-based Maverik – Adventure’s First Stop) — plans to move forward with renovations to the building.
These renovations come as a result of $23 million in state incentives that the Krause Group received in 2021. Included in this plan — set to go into motion in 2025 — is a hotel and six mixed-use commercial buildings. This won’t be the first time the Krause Group has developed in that area. Last year, the firm flipped the old Crescent Chevrolet dealership into Des Moines Big Grove Brewery & Taproom.
Gas Lamp’s closure in the face of these developments is saddening but not surprising to Davis.
“I think I kind of saw it coming only because the [Vaudeville] Mews had already closed and after the Mews closed, in my mind, I’m like, all right, so clearly the spots for all the up-and-coming artists are kind of dying out,” he said. “So, if the Mews went first, I’m pretty sure Gas Lamp’s not going to be too far behind it.
“These spots are rich in history when it comes to the Des Moines music scene, but they’re also the spots where a lot of new people come through.”
Davis expressed concern for Lefty’s Live Music, another beloved local venue in the Drake Neighborhood, though he believes Lefty’s has been adaptive enough to survive.
At least one set of Gas Lamp regulars, Bob Pace & the Dangerous Band, is also adapting to survive, having now brought a final Work Release Party to the venue.
The Work Release Party has been a weekly event for 25 years in the Gas Lamp space, which has gone by other names with changes of ownership in the past, including Viki’s Pour House, The Grand and Blues on Grand. Though last Friday’s show was not the Gas Lamp’s final bow — that came a day later with performances from Erf, the Other Brothers, Some Friends and the Holy White Hounds — it did mark the end of Bob Pace & the Dangerous Band’s Work Release Party in that place.
Going forward, the long-standing weekly event will live on at xBk Live in the Drake Neighborhood starting July 21.
“We’re super excited to have Bob come over here. It’s unfortunate the circumstances that got him here, I wish that wasn’t the case. But, given what is happening, we’re really excited,” xBk’s owner Tobi Parks said. “I think we will complement each other really, really well.”
With the closure of Gas Lamp, Parks — who strives to create “a musician’s venue” — feels a new responsibility to not only continue to provide an inclusive space, but also to welcome the Gas Lamp family. Parks is not currently concerned about Pace and his band having to find another new venue any time soon.
“I’m really lucky I own that building. So you know, nobody can kick me out of it,” said Parks. “I think we have to do all the things we can to make sure that the folks who are creating culture, and the people who are creating these spaces for people to come together, have some kind of ownership over the future.”
Parks described Gas Lamp as a harbor of local culture and hopes its building’s new future has purpose. “I hope it’s not just, like, condos that go up there. That would be very sad.”
With the Gas Lamp and the Vaudeville Mews both closed, Parks hopes xBk can, at least in some part, help serve as a space for local artists to play.
“I do absolutely feel a responsibility to help try and fill that void, not only just as a space for the artists that would play there, but, there’s staff that are losing their job,” she said. “It’s hard all the way around.”
