Beloved Riverwest Club Circle A to Close This Fall
Originally published in Milwaukee Magazine 8/25/23The tiny Riverwest bar and music venue Circle A will close this fall after 22 years of providing a stage for local musicians who are just getting their start.
After a hard few years recovering from the impact of the pandemic, Circle A’s last day of business will be Oct. 7. Facing a decline in business and no decline in the strenuous work needed to run the bar, Circle A proprietor Jennifer Mueller decided it was time to close.
“It’s been hard lately to make the business profitable enough to hire people to help run it efficiently,” says Mueller. “A lot of the clientele has changed, and I didn’t have the energy to find a new approach to attracting new visitors. Plus, it’s very physical work.”
On its final weekend, Oct. 6-7, Circle A will host a 48-hour Velvet Underground and Lou Reed extravaganza to celebrate the impact of the venue and the end of an era. Each night, four bands will perform covers of the iconic protopunk band and its frontman. DJs will then follow the live acts, spinning Reed songs and tunes from collaborators like John Cale or Nico.
“The Velvet Underground has always made me really happy,” Mueller says. “I’ve always loved hearing their music, and so that’s the way I wanted to sort of close the bar – to end it on a happy note.”
The jam-packed musical sendoff is apt for the bar, which has served as a cornerstone of Milwaukee music for two decades, concentrating on supporting local musicians. Not only did Circle A give a stage to Milwaukee’s many Riverwest bands, it was a place where musicians from across the city could perform in a low-pressure venue setting, often for the first time ever.
The bar, which opened in 2001, is only 26 by 23 feet. The intimate space makes for a pretty unique live music listening experience. There’s no raised stage to separate the audience from the performer, and depending on how packed the show is, a patron may have to weave between musicians to get to the bar. At times it could feel like being at a house show, except instead of a lukewarm keg, there were professional bartenders serving delicious caipirinhas. Circle A was comfortable for new musicians and welcoming to all patrons, one of the many reasons it was a local favorite for music lovers.
“A lot of bands will remember Circle A as their first shows when they just got started playing,” says Mueller. “That is one part of the impact of the venue, supporting new musicians and local bands.”
Though the space is small and the tunes were local, visitors to Circle A could sometimes see acts from as far as Japan, Greece or France. Mueller cited local musicians Andy Junk (Holy Shit!), Aaron Skufca (Platinum Boys) and Keven Meyers (The Mistreaters) as collaborators who have brought in acts from around the globe.
The bar’s punk ethos – the name references the symbol of anarchy – has made it a safe and appealing place for a variety of patrons throughout the years. No matter if there was live music, a DJ, or Mueller herself spinning her favorites, great tunes and a relaxing atmosphere could be expected, even when times got tough.
According to Urban Milwaukee, the space has been a tavern since 1897, with a small break during Prohibition. Currently, Mueller states there are no immediate plans for the space after Circle A closes.
“I’m concentrating on wrapping up this era,” says Mueller. “I don’t have any specific plans for the future. But it’s a new chapter that I really want to investigate. I’m excited about it.”
