L Bar downtown gets rebrand, renovation

The L Bar at the foot of the Mississippi River bridge downtown will begin a soft reopening Friday as Mud and Water, says new co-owner Jeremy Woolsey, who has teamed up with longtime L Bar owner Robert McClaren on the rebranding and an extensive renovation. Since the L Bar closed at 174 South Blvd. about four weeks ago, Woolsey says the interior has been entirely renovated and updated, the stage has been rebuilt, and an 1,800-square-foot courtyard has been created. “At this point, we’re not going to do any music probably until later this fall. But eventually, what will carry us, ideally, will be the music calendar,” Woolsey says. “And we want to book along the same lines as Chelsea’s and Spanish Moon: an interesting mix of original bands, not cover bands.” Woolsey says he’s friends with the owners of the aforementioned venues, and that he will work in tandem with them to bring more musicians to the city, as well as to promote local talent. “They have a very ‘Let’s keep it in Baton Rouge’ attitude, and I want to help keep that vibe going, especially with Red Star closing,” he says. Red Star, a popular music venue that was on the front end of downtown’s revitalization, closed Sept. 19 after a 12-year run. Woolsey says Mud and Water will likely open permanently on Oct. 12 or 13. As for the fate of L Bar, which had been one of the few bars in Baton Rouge catering to a predominantly lesbian clientele, Woolsey says McClaren “wants to open it in a smaller space in another location.” —Steve Sanoski