The Boulderblog with Amy Brouillette

Tuesdays at Lulu’s

By Amy Brouillette, 4-18-07

My day yesterday began badly, with too many things on my plate and not enough getting done, and by mid-afternoon I’d already resolved in my head to check out what I’d heard, weeks ago through the grapevine, about the newest, best kept secret in town: Lulu’s.

Lulu’s officially reincarnated itself this week in the old Teresa’s spot on the Hill, after a short-lived stint on 30th street, and then after that, at the little publicized café, Album’s Bistro, just next door, on the Hill. A joint effort between veteran Boulderite, Album’s owner Andy Schneidkraut, and chef Sean Shelby, Lulu’s is a welcome mix of amazing “low county” southern-style food and equally impressive local music.

Add to that Doug Baker, a respected mainstay in the Boulder music scene, who heads Lulu’s bluegrass pick on Tuesday nights, and Lulu’s becomes a warm reminder of just what old Boulder is all about. Baker, a Bluegrass aficionado who plays in the band Mumbali, invites on Tuesday nights (7 to 10 p.m.) anyone with an instrument to join him on stage. In a town succumbed to big names and to two large venues, Baker is doing his part to revive Boulder’s local music scene, and the culture around it, that once flourished here. 

As Andy told me early in the night: “Doug is so amazing he can play with all the hot shots, and he can welcome newcomers as well.” I witnessed, as I ate my fried green tomatoes and drank a glass of red wine, a steady stream of musicians passing through Lulu’s doors. By 9 p.m. there were 16 musicians in house: among them, fiddle player and singer Bridget Law, a Boulder musician who, as Baker attests, is creating some of the more impressive music coming out of Boulder today (listen here).

And so I knew right then, I’d stumbled into the ground level of a unique, about-to-pop, Boulder scene: Lulu’s on Tuesday nights. 

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.