The Merriment: A monthly gathering of live bands playing ‘70s-inspired funk and R&B
The Location: The Valley (North Hollywood)
The Vibes: Lively, energetic, loud, retro
Good for: Going alone, dates, groups of friends
When-To-Go: Every last Friday of the month, starting at 9 p.m.
The $ Factor: Free before 10 p.m., $10 after
The 4-1-1: Owned by The Knitting Factory Entertainment group, The Federal Bar also has two other locations — in Long Beach and in Brooklyn
Parking Situation: Adjacent valet lot, nearby metered and free street parking
I’ll Be Back…: To check out the next set of live bands to come through!
The Location: The Valley (North Hollywood)
The Vibes: Lively, energetic, loud, retro
Good for: Going alone, dates, groups of friends
When-To-Go: Every last Friday of the month, starting at 9 p.m.
The $ Factor: Free before 10 p.m., $10 after
The 4-1-1: Owned by The Knitting Factory Entertainment group, The Federal Bar also has two other locations — in Long Beach and in Brooklyn
Parking Situation: Adjacent valet lot, nearby metered and free street parking
I’ll Be Back…: To check out the next set of live bands to come through!
In March, The Federal Bar in North Hollywood launched its inaugural monthly series, The Soul Shakedown, which features soul/funk/R&B bands playing live music every last Friday of the month.
Kicking off the event were three bands: Beat Mosaic, pictured below, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and headliner Soul Scratch, pictured above. Mean Mr. Mustard stayed on the 1s and 2s.
The Soul Shakedown takes places in The Federal Bar’s adjacent event space, located through a side door off Weddington St., upstairs. The venue itself is rather spacious, with a full bar, a stage located towards the back, a few couches by the front entrance and a balcony to the side. While there was definitely a good amount of people there during the inaugural night back in March, it never felt too crowded; there was enough space to move around comfortably in. And, it was nice to be able to actually sit down — no annoying reserved seating for bottle service only — and to have the option to go outside for fresh air, especially after hitting the dance floor.
The crowd itself on the first night was extremely varied, from young college types to more mature couples, and everything in between. There were attendees in the front who were getting a serious workout by dancing, and then there were people just chilling in the back, listening to the music or grabbing drinks and casually conversingg.
The live music itself was phenomenal, with each band giving its own unique spin on R&B and funk. TV screens situated above and around the stage showed vintage ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s footage — of concerts, cartoons, films and TV shows like The Jeffersons and Soul Train.
The Federal Bar also has an intriguing menu in its downstairs gastropub, which is perfect for grabbing dinner and drinks, prior to heading to The Soul Shakedown. Options include twists on American fare standards and include choices like the Crispy Chicken & Biscuit Sliders, a Buffalo Chicken pizza and the Vegan Weena, pictured below.
The Soul Shakedown happens every last Friday of the month, and the second one will be this upcoming Friday, April 24. Beat Mosaic, Soul Scratch and Mean Mr. Mustard will be returning, with recording artists Jackie Mendez and Xavier debuting at the event. See you there!
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I am glad that I finally got a chance to check out this place. Great views, food at event spaces is nice. The quality of service was great, and the environment were pretty comfortable. I’ll say I will look forward to visit again.
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