The Saturn Bar isn't a "dive," it's a New Orleans establishment and tradition.
Don’t call the Saturn Bar a “dive.” That four-letter word is thrown around far too often these days, and even when dropped with positive inflection to commend a quirky bar’s lived-in aesthetic, it is too broad and pedestrian to be of any real utility. No matter how complimentary the tone in which it is bestowed upon a unique drinking establishment, it also implies at least some degree of neglect on the part of the proprietor(s) and insinuates that any ambiance or charm the venue may possess is pure happenstance.
The mélange of faded photographs, local art, and small game taxidermy that constitute Saturn Bar’s décor, may appear to be the result of decades of indolent abandonment, but the miscellany that adorns nearly every square inch of the interior was curated with care by the late O’Neil Broyard. Broyard lorded over the Bywater fixture from the day he bought it in 1960 until the day he passed away shortly after Hurricane Katrina forced its temporary closure. Furthermore, each piece of “memorabilia” around today was also carefully considered by his nephew Eric, who took the reins and gave the place a reverent face lift before reopening its doors in the winter of 2006.
The interior of The Saturn Bar is decorated with faded photographs and carefully curated memorabilia
Everything that survived the post-storm cull has surely been left in its place – for good reason – and I’d like to believe that whatever ended up in the piles of debris carted out during renovations was not so much discarded, as it was honorably discharged after years of faithful service. Saturn Bar is still packed with plenty of “stuff,” and the diversity of trinkets and knick-knacks nailed to the walls and lined up on shelves (and hung from the ceiling, and stacked in the corners) is nothing short of astounding. But, the removal of a barely serviceable pool table, stacks of salvaged lumber, and a few dozen window A/C units in various states of disrepair has turned the once neglected back room into the home of my favorite entry on New Orleans’ respectable list of recurring organized dance parties.
Once a month The Saturn Bar hosts "Mod Night"
Once a month, Saturn Bar hosts “Mod Night” where local musical anthropologists Matt Ulhman and Kristen Zoller put together a screaming playlist composed exclusively of British Invasion, Motown, and Funk hits from the 1960s and 70s all spun from their original 33 or 45 RPM vinyl. The resulting dance party rages until the wee hours of the morning, as go-go booted regulars and enthusiastic first-timers alike, work up a hearty sweat bouncing around to the R&B swing of The Coasters’ hit “Poison Ivy” or emulating each move Wilson Pickett names-checks in “The Land of 1,000 Dances.” When the back room isn’t quaking with unbridled retro fury, it is hosting a diverse set of local rock bands on an increasingly regular basis. Most weekend nights at The Saturn Bar now feature some form of live entertainment by heavy hitters such as Rotary Downs and Quintron and those shows are still more frequent than the venue’s small size may suggest.
So, call it a neighborhood watering hole. Call it a dance club. Call it a music hall. Just don’t call it a “dive.”
The Saturn Bar
3067 Saint Claude Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70117-6640
(504) 949-7532
Matt Rosenthal // Groovescapes.com
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