Blooze Bar Benefits Raise $4,600; Owner Planning September Re-opening

Bnjamin Leatherman

Blooze Bar owner Tumbleweed (center) and some of his fans.

​The dollar may not go as far as it used to (especially in these tough economic times), but the Blooze Bar's Tumbleweed plans on stretching the $4,600 jangling around in his pocket as far as it will possibly go.

That's the exact amount that was generated by a pair of fundraisers this past weekend benefiting the NoPho music venue, which was gutted by fire almost two weeks ago. Thursday's party at the Martini Ranch (featuring Whiskey Six, Razer, and Michael Nitro) pulled in approximately $2,100, while Sunday's shindig at Joe's Grotto netted around $2,500.

"The amount of support the Blooze has gotten has been unbelievable," Tumbleweed says. "It's totally overwhelming and very humbling how the music community has come together."

However, there's still a long way to go, as he estimates that the fire did around $250,000 worth of damage to the establishment. Tumbleweed (who plans on spending the $4,600 on a new beer cooler and other bar equipment) is confident that he can get the place "back up and swinging" over the next couple months, and three more benefits scheduled to take place in the coming weeks, which should help him towards making that particular goal.

Tumbleweed is planning a day-long re-opening party for sometime in early September, which will feature performances by the various rock, metal, country, and rockabilly acts that have called the Blooze Bar home over the years.

"It's gonna be a weekend from hell, and a real barn burner," Tumbleweed stated, before pausing to re-consider his words. "Maybe you should say it's gonna be a real barn-raiser instead."