Lilli's Serves It Up With Style

by David Saslavsky

The Boston club scene is not known for its focus on customer service. The staff can be rude, the rooms poorly designed with little or no ambiance...one wonders if their only purpose is to make more money. One club, however, shines as an exception.

On July 1st, Lilli Dennison and Patrick Sullivan opened Lilli's on Somerville Ave. in Somerville. After seven months of renovating the old Club 3, they erected a music club with both atmosphere and customer service.

"The nightclub business is the hospitality business" says Lilli Dennison, a 20 year veteran of both music and restaurants. In addition to booking bands for Boston's infamous (and now defunct) Rathskellar, Lilli also managed 80s Boston area garage rock stalwarts The Del Fuegos and Scruffy the Cat. Involvement in area restaurants afforded her the opportunity to hone her skills in ethics, which are now being put to good use. "We wanted to offer a place that was a little nicer than most of the places in town, a littlemore sophisticated with little amenities for both the customers and the band."

Lilli's has all the added touches: the room is freshly painted in bold colors, it has a wooden dance floor, blocked glass windows line the outside and hand-blown glass vases decorate the sills. These vases, made by a friend of Lilli's, are crafted in a variety of sizes and colors with many topped in the shape of a cat's head. This area of the club, away from the stage, has small tables and is unobtrusively lit by round Japanese rice paper lamps that hang from the ceiling.

The bar sits on the opposite wall which is perfect placement as it does not impede the flow of the stage area. Bartenders serve drinks in actual glasses as opposed to plastic cups. The draft beer selection includes Guinness, Bass, Harp, Harpoon IPA, Tremont Ale and a flavor of the month. For those that desire something a little stiffer, Lilli says "My bartenders can mix a mean cocktail. They've been trained well."

In addition to eye-pleasing décor, structural flow and a decent brew selection, Lilli's also offers 2 things that are virtually unheard of in most Boston nightclubs: clean bathrooms for the customers and a nice dressing room for the band. Lilli's band room features couches, chairs, tables, a new bathroom and a shower! "From a musicians point of view the place is a dream come true," says Brian O' Connell, bass player for Uncle Sammy. "With a relaxing backstage like this, the band can really get into the right state of mind to perform their best."

Uncle Sammy and Schleigho recently co-headlined on a Friday night at Lilli's. Lately, Gamelan Productions has been booking some of their jamband evenings at Lilli's. January's acts have already included Project Object, Ulu and Dr. Didg. Upcoming acts are Miracle Orchestra, John Brown's Body, Charlie Hunter, and DJ Logic. Lilli fondly reflects on last fall's two sold-out nights with Karl Denson Tiny Universe that had everyone dancing. Lilli's other non jamband bookings run the gamut of roots rock (Joe Ely, Marcia Ball, Buckwheat Zydeco), to folk (Mary Lou Lord) to Lilli's background in indie rock. (Frank Black, Boys Against Girls, Upper Crust) Every Friday, The Cero/Stein Trio plays a blend of funk and jazz on the house Hammond B3 from 8-10 with half price cover until 9pm.

The sound in the room is excellent and consistent throughout the room. Lilli's uses EAW speakers and monitors which is the top choice of many musicians. The show can be seen and enjoyed from the bar. The tables area has still has great sound and sight lines while still allowing for conversation which does not spill over into the stage area.

The building itself has been a bar since at least the late 60's. Music has been constant since the 70's when Kevin's Corner served up country music but was known more for the fights. Club 3 in the 80's featured a mix of rock and world music in a rather dingy room. In recent years, Somerville has become a trendy town due to its proximity to Cambridge as housing prices there became astronomical. Lill's represents that change as nearby Davis and Union Squares have been regentrified, and offer an eclectic mix of stores and restaurants.

"What differentiates us from a lot of the other places is we're independently owned, and a little bit more cosmopolitan," says Dennison. That attitude translates beyond the decor to the staff as well. "We hire people that enjoy this atmosphere an aren't frustrated by people and music." Uncle Sammy's O'Connell adds "The staff at Lilli's was a refreshing change from the goons that you sometimes have to deal with at other clubs." When Ulu's recent set ended at closing time, the staff let the bar clear itself and bid patrons at the door a "good night".

For more information, visit http://www.lillisclub.com/index.htm.