Abilene Bar & Lounge, the downtown Americana club known for its cozy vibes and robust live-music programming, is set to close in mid-November, owner Danny Deutsch announced today.
In a Facebook post, Deutsch thanked the “pretty vibrant and caring community of music fans and friends” the venue has built for 18 years of “wonderful music and great memories.”
But he said the time feels right to walk away, close the venue — located in a historic 19th-century building — and possibly even sell it, along with the business itself.
“While my love of this business hasn’t changed, it personally feels time to ease up a bit, maybe shift a bit of focus, and maybe, just maybe, get to bed a little earlier!” Deutsch wrote on Facebook.
“Truthfully, I think that I’ll finally have the opportunity to visit other clubs, catch some music that I’ve longed to hear,” he continued, “and spend a bunch of time working on continuing, and in fact growing our ‘Abilene on the Road’ series at different venues around the area.”
Via the Abilene on the Road series, Deutsch has presented many concerts in the Rochester area that would simply be too big for the small club at 153 Liberty Pole Way. (Abilene’s capacity is between 50 and 100.) This weekend, the latest event in that series will be the reunion of Bahama Mama, a pioneering Rochester reggae band, presented at Photo City Music Hall.
Deutsch opened Abilene in March 2008 as a destination for roots and Americana music. The so-called “Cheers-meets-Austin club” is regularly the home of local singer-songwriters and musicians like Joe Beard as well as touring acts like River Shook. The venue took its name from “Abilene,” a song by Deutsch’s favorite artist, Dave Alvin.
In his announcement, Deutsch promised a “very special month in store” for October, featuring fundraising events and other special programming. The venue’s website lists Lynne Hanson, a Kelley’s Heroes tribute to Elvis Costello and the annual John Prine Birthday Tribute Weekend coming up next month.
“Let’s toast the good times and enjoy some more before we wrap it up,” Deutsch concluded his message. “My heart is full…and as Mr. Prine would say, ‘How lucky can one man get?'”
