MANCHESTER, NH – It may seem a little sudden, but Chuck Kalantzis is not a subtle guy. In a week or so he’s taken over the old Black Brimmer, on the corner of Lowell and Elm streets, and transformed it into the all new Penuche’s Music Hall.
It’s back to the future for the city’s downtown, as far as Kalantzis is concerned.
“We’re bringing back that tradition of live music and nice atmosphere, a place where you can get great food and listen to live bands,” says Kalantzis, who was in overdrive Wednesday. He was preparing for a March 15 soft opening featuring the motherlode of all Manchester musicians, Lisa Guyer, of Mama Kicks fame, who will run an open mic night at the music hall every Wednesday.
Kalantzis has also been busy hiring a fresh staff, and has completely renovated the interior.
“I don’t want to describe it. I want people to come down and see it for themselves. It’s completely new,” says Kalantzis, who did eventually post some photos via Facebook.
He’s got live music booked out for weeks ahead, and is particularly excited about St. Patrick’s day.
“We’re going full blast, Irish music and everything, opening at 9 a.m. and serving corned beed and cabbage for $10.99,” says Kalantzis. “I even took my sister out of retirement to cook,” he says, referring to Maria Saitas, who for years ran the popular Merrimack Diner at Elm and Merrimack streets.
Kalantzis says the focus will be on bringing in top local bands and a full dinner menu, targeting a crowd interested in a good time centered around great music. A downstairs bar area will have a sports theme, with 10 TVs for those interested in who’s on first.
And Kalantzis will continue to operate Penuche’s on Hanover Street, where the pub vibe revolves around pool tables, karaoke night and, yes, music.
“Yeah, we’re still over on Hanover, but this is going to be for a completely different crowd. And we made this happen, all within about seven days – everybody’s been bugging me to put a music hall together, because it’s been lacking. Nobody else has it downtown, where you can consistently go for dinner and music,” Kalantzis says.
He wanted to get back to putting the finishing touches on things for his soft opening, with only a few hours to go, but wants everyone to stop by, check it out, and stay for a meal, and the entertainment.
“We were going to open at 5, but it looks like we’ll be ready for 6 p.m.,” Kalantzis says. “Make sure you tell everyone it’s all new, all different. They gotta come out and see it for themselves.”
Penuche’s Music Hall is located at 1087 Elm St.
Upcoming entertainment highlights
Check out the full calendar of band bookings and updates via JigsMusic on Facebook.
- March 15: Open Mic Night with Lisa Guyer
- March 16: Woodland Protocol
- March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Party with Pardon The Spins & Stop Tito Collective
- March 19: Reggae Sunday with Supernothing
- March 23: Hambone
- March 24: Funk du Jour
- March 31: Big ‘ol Dirty Bucket
- April 1: Broccoli Samurai
