The Cabooze music club will have grand reopening next week under new ownership

The Cabooze — a funky, cinder-block music bar on Minneapolis’ West Bank that has catered to college students and bikers for five decades — is reopening next week under new ownership.

Entrepreneurs Nabil Ghebre and David Grady bought the bar, at 913 Cedar Av. S., this winter and plan a grand reopening on Sept. 11 followed by a series of 50th anniversary celebrations this fall.

“They are very committed to restoring the Cabooze to its proper standing,” said talent buyer Jeff Taube, a longtime Twin Cities agent and manager. “They want to see local bands of original music of every genre.”

The first few shows will be free, kicking off with Twine on Sept. 11, a Wednesday-night house band led by Will Effertz, formerly of Frogleg.

Obi Original & the Black Atlantics, along with Miloe, will throw an Afrobeat dance party on Sept. 13 at the Cabooze. Saturday will feature popular Twin Cities rockers the Belfast Cowboys and the Dan Israel Band. Singing Tony will lead the weekly Sunday night reggae party, starting on Sept. 15.

Later this fall, the Cabooze will stage 50th-anniversary shows with such Cabooze veterans as the Suburbs, Lamont Cranston, Flaming Oh’s, the Butanes and the International Reggae All Stars.

“I’m trying hard to be really inclusive,” Taube said. “We want music of all genres, all ages. Nothing is out of bounds. We want it to be a room that everybody feels comfortable in.”

Opened in the summer of 1974 in a former warehouse, the Cabooze has a long history of presenting well-known national artists including James Brown, Leon Russell and Snoop Dogg as well as such local bands as Willie & the Bees, Greazy Meal and Tina & the B-Sides. In the past couple of years, the Cabooze has been open on a sporadic basis. One of the last noteworthy events there was a celebration of the late Minnesota folk-blues legend Spider John Koerner on June 23.

Taube said the Cabooze has undergone modest remodeling, including adding a second green room and new LED lights, upgrading the restrooms and re-carpeting the stage. The kitchen at the adjacent Joint bar has been remodeled, and food and THC beverages will be available at the Cabooze.

Ghebre and Grady have promoted DJ and live events under the banner “Strictly R&B” at the Pourhouse, Fine Line and elsewhere. They also purchased the shuttered Whiskey Junction, another bar on the same block as the Cabooze, but it remains dormant.