On Tuesday night, we went to hear Alejandro Escoved0 at Wooly’s – a fantastic show in a really fantastic new venue in Des Moines’ East Village. Wooly’s is located inside an old Woolworth’s department store and has retained some of that period charm (wood floors, old cabinetry) but added useful and fun touches including a long row of booths (the bench seats are kind of high and hard but offer a good view of the stage), a long bar, pool tables (reportedly portable so they can be removed when there’s a huge crowd) and stuffed animal heads to add a little funkiness. Escovedo is a remarkably young and energetic 61-year-old veteran rocker – an excellent and versatile musician and performer with a strong band. Like many people at the show, I spent most of it near the stage, dancing. Also enjoyed a good beer selection – mine arrived refreshingly cold! For my crew, the next exciting show at Wooly’s is Hayes Carll (and Todd Snider) on July 25.
How does Wooly’s fit into Des Moines’ live music scene? Word has it Wooly’s, which can handle about 680 people, is designed for bands too big for Vaudeville Mews,the House of Bricks or The Gas Lamp, but not big enough for People’s. It may also double as a replacement location when Nightfall on the River summer concerts are rained out.
