when Angry brewing company Debuting inside Joe’s Grotto’s former home later this fall, it’ll contain a bit of DNA from the defunct North Phoenix rock bar and music venue running through its veins.
Steve Goodman, co-owner of the new brewery set to open at 13831 North 32nd Street, No. 32, says: Phoenix New Times They forwarded multiple items from 25 years of the history of the Cave of Joe During the renovation of the property during the summer.
Run by owner Joe Grotto from 1994 to 2019, the venue has hosted hundreds of metal and rock-solid gigs over a quarter century, including local acts, tours, and artists such as Alice Cooper, Flutsam, Jetsam, Saint-Madens, and Oetip. and N17 and L.A. Guns.
Joe’s Grotto was an epic part of Phoenix [music history] Goodman, former lead guitarist of the late 1990s/early 2000s, says local metal band Dominion of Pine. “It was important to me, as a musician, to make sure we could preserve some of that legacy while bringing something new to the neighborhood.”
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This includes preserving a pair of large poster-covered mirrors from the local bands of hard rock and metal that have adorned the northwest wall of Cave of Jo for years. Goodman says the mirrors are still in their original location and will be framed by a section of black wall with a drink railing built into the front.
“Keeping it was important to us. These mirrors are the history of the music in the valley and all the bands that played [at Joe’s Grotto]. My band played there at some point and our poster is buried there somewhere as well,” Goodman says. “We left them out so all these bands can still be talked about and remembered. People can sit on the drink rail and play where is dad? with their favorite metal bands.”
Goodman says that many guitar picks (and even a drumstick or two) they found during the property renovation would be painted over the top of the drink rail in front of the mirrors.
Poster-covered mirrors are by Joe’s Grotto inside the Furious Brewing Company.
Steve Goodman
The brewery’s co-owners, which also include Chef Lindsay Gordon (formerly of the Helluva Brewing Company in Chandler and Tempe’s Cotton & Copper), also use carved wood from the massive stage inside Joe’s Grotto’s main room to build the many two- and four-personal tables throughout around the place. It’s another way to look at the history of the place, Goodman says, and “it wasn’t because we couldn’t buy new tables.”
“As a Metal fan, I’ve seen Avatar, Static X, Motograter and all these great bands play on stage, and we wanted that magic to be all over it,” he says. “So the table where you’re drinking beer is where Wayne Static stood when he was playing here, which seemed like a great idea.”
Goodman says stage wood was also used to create a plank on the Furious Brewing Company bar and a giant piece of Arizona wood art that hangs on the wall.
Despite the property’s long history as a venue, Goodman says that live music won’t play a significant role in Furious Brewing Company’s future, other than hosting an acoustic set by local musicians.
“We get asked a lot about it, but we’re not going to be a music venue,” he says. “Time and space permitting, we have no problem owning a few small things [performances], but we don’t want to switch to another place that brings in full bands and loud sound. The neighborhood is tired of the noise after dealing with concerts until early in the morning for over 20 years, so we try to respect that.”
CO-OP’s Dash Cooper (left) performs with his father Alice Cooper at Joe’s Grotto in 2016.
Jim Lovao
It’s not the only departure from the history of a property like Joe’s Grotto. The owners of Furious Brewing Company have completely converted the 5,000-square-foot space since signing the lease in early June. Black painted walls of exposed concrete blocks were avoided. The side room hosting a second stage will become a lounge with sofas and coffee tables. Most of the walls facing 32nd Street have been replaced with large windows that provide views of the nearby Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
“Opening all that back up and restoring all those giant windows out there allows for perfect sunset views over the mountains,” Goodman says.
They’ve also built a small in-house brewing system to initially create two or three signature drafts — including West Coast IPA, Misty IPA, and California Common — with plans to expand their tap lineup in the future. (“Because of the pandemic, having a large brewing system has been difficult,” Goodman says.) There will also be a kitchen, which will eventually serve the Furious Brewing Company to the “Arizona-centric barbecue” that Gordon creates and smokes using sourced white oak. local.
Goodman says he didn’t talk to Grotto, who was Book rock and metal concerts in a 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife At Glendale since July, about all the changes they’ve made. (Phoenix New Times He could not reach Grotto for comment.)
“For the most part, Joe’s Grotto has been very dark, and I can understand why [Joe] He did it because you wanted to make it as dark as possible for the shows,” Goodman says. “We had to undo all of that because we wanted our brewery to be inviting, airy, and bright, as opposed to what Grotto of Joe was. At the same time, we try to preserve some pieces that are more recognizable than before [identity] So a part of her legacy will live on.”
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