After more than three years, live music will be returning to the former Czar’s 505 club.
Nardo’s Pizza, which opened late in 2021 after the pandemic-related closure of Czar’s, is getting ready to host its first concert at 505 Pleasant Street downtown St. Joseph. In conjunction with Brew Detroit, Nardo’s is bringing in the nationally-touring powerhouse Black Joe Lewis and Chicago up-and-comers Lake Soda for a one night stand in the basement club turned pizzeria arcade.
Prior to setting up shop in southwest Michigan, Nardo’s owner – who goes by just “Nardo”– spent 20 years working in the music industry in Los Angeles, Austin, Texas and Detroit. Prior to the closure of Czar’s, he said his band played the venue and he even threw a few shows there.
Now, he plans on using his connections to host the occasional high-profile concert at the restaurant.
“When we do have shows, they’re going to be bangers,” Nardo said. “We’re planning on trying to have bands that normally play venues 10 times the size of ours to make these shows and these events special. We want to put on quality shows to go with the quality pizza we have here, and do something special for southwest Michigan because you usually have to drive far to see shows if you live around here.”
Nardo, who largely kept intact the rock-N-roll feel and look of Czars, said the history of the venue played a role in wanting to bring live music back.
“Seeing a show in a basement in the middle of downtown is kind of a trip,” Nardo said. “It’s got good vibes down here, so it’s just so fitting.”
The concerts, Nardo said, will be more like special occasions rather than regular events due to the cost of booking major acts for such a small venue.
“Our capacity is maybe two or three hundred, but we’re really only going to sell about 100 tickets for these shows,” he said. “Say they’re playing [Chicago’s] Empty Bottle which is like 500 people, then they come here to play for 100 of their real fans and true music lovers – it’s going to be a great experience.
“We want to be small, intimate and special … bring back the experience of enjoying the show. We’ve got retro arcade and the pizza and stuff, so we’re definitely trying to throw it back to the good vibes that I felt that’s kind of lacking in this area.”
The Concert
Black Joe Lewis and his band hail from Austin, and have released six studio albums since 2007. The band has played some of the biggest music festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella, and has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Show with David Letterman, Austin City Limits, and Later… with Jools Holland.
The band is a blend of blues, soul, R&B and rock, and features a horn section and blazing guitar over and Lewis’ raw vocals.
“It’s quality music,” Nardo said. “Rhythm & Blues and Rock-N-Roll, who doesn’t like those things?”
Nardo said he’d like to pair major artists like Black Joe Lewis with upcoming talent like Lake Soda, which is playing their debut show at Nardo’s.
“We’re trying to have the ‘Oh my god, I was there’ effect,” Nardo said. “Or the ‘I should have been there.’ What we’re trying to do is make memories.”
Nardo said tickets are close to selling out, and can be purchased at NardosPizzaBlackJoeLewis.eventbrite.com.
By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
