Music venue, dance club and ‘dive bar’ in Midtown Kansas City destroyed by fire
A fire Saturday morning destroyed Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club at 3402 Main St., a staple of Kansas City’s local music scene that featured live acts several days a week.
Kansas City Fire Department battalion chief John McKie said the call came in at 8:23 a.m.
“There was heavy black smoke coming out of the back,” he said. “We did a good job getting it under control quickly.”
By 10:15 a.m., firefighters were shoveling out debris from a front door of the club. No deaths or injuries were reported.
The club, McKie said, was pretty much destroyed. The cause is still under investigation.
“Davey’s Uptown was a true Kansas City institution,” said Jim Suptic of the band The Get Up Kids. “It never chased trends and always stayed true to itself. Classic Kansas City. I have spent many a drunken night there watching the best of what KC has to offer. The loss of Davey’s is truly devastating to our community.”
Davey Markowitz opened the nightclub on Main Street in 1950, its website says, and his daughter, Michele, is the current owner. It featured a dance floor and two stages — the second, larger one added as the venue expanded in the 1990s.
Other local musicians were in mourning on Saturday as well, saying the club was the perfect venue for both seasoned musicians and those just starting out.
“What I loved about Davey’s was the dive bar vibe, where you could get a cheap drink and hear some killer music for not much money at the door,” said David George, who plays in the bands Moaning Lisa and Deege and had booked a show there for May. “I think everyone has a fond memory of playing there.”
“It just felt like home,” said Lizz Weiler, who performs in the bands Vedettes and The Mad Kings. “A real music venue that is so rare. So much history. I feel like all that wood just soaked up every note ever played there, and when you were there you could just feel it. Every band I have ever been in played there.”
“I am devastated,” said Matt Kesler of the Pedaljets. “Davey’s is where a lot of KC musicians cut their teeth. Playing there was like a rite of passage. I not only played there, I also ran sound for many years, which gave me the opportunity to meet so many people. This is absolutely heartbreaking.”
“Davey’s Uptown for many musicians was the place to debut new music (original music) and new bands,” said Marco Pascolini, of the bands Mr. Marco’s V7, Snakebite Orphans and Expassionates. “I think that kept their music calendar exciting and attracted a local crowd that wanted to hear original music. It built a community.”
“Davey’s has been a huge part of my growth as a human/musician/KC Man over 25 years now,” said Brodie Rush of the band Be/Non. “The only bar I would ever go to, and home to the best late night conversations. Always stunned at the time and wonder where the night went and why is it almost 5 a.m.?”
Kliph Scurlock of Flaming Lips and Gruff Rhys played there years ago with his first band (Slackjaw) and returned many times since.
“In some ways, it was run so perfectly and reliably that I just always expected it would be there long after I’ve shuffled off this mortal coil,” he said. “And I’m truly sad that I’ll never have the opportunity to trip over a milk crate while trying to get my drums on that stage in a timely fashion or stand on my tiptoes in a roomful of sweaty people trying to see the action on stage.”
The Star’s Maria Martin contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 11:02 AM.