Visiting the KJ's Hideaway for the fist time; good ol' jazz vibes in St. Paul, MN

Last Friday, I had the fortune of watching The Federales' live perform at the KJ's hideaway. It was marvelous. The place was a surprise for me because I NEVER party in St. Paul, never. Since adopting Minneapolis as my place, I was indoctrinated to find St. Paul boring. Yuck, yuck, St. Paul. Nothing happens in St. Paul. Do people even live in St. Paul? People only work and sleep, work and sleep in St. Paul, repeat. To find such a music hub in St. Paul was an amazing surprise, so I decided that I have to write about it (and perhaps give St. Paul a new look). 

Picture retrieved from Start Tribune.

KJ's hideaway. Cool stuff. Imagine a fancy basement. Not too big to lose the coziness, not too small to become uncomfortable. The space itself is very intimal. The venue is essentially a classy basement. The cocktails are great (a simple menu), but very well executed. I don't if this was a coincidence, but half the staff was wearing this sexy mustache. Am I dreaming or this can actually be requested in the dressing code? I'm even considering my facial hair options for the future.

The place has a proud storyline of different music venues, starting with the Vieux Carre. The mythical jazz club of St. Paul, which closed some time ago. I learned that people still light candles for the loss. The truth is that when you entered the basement, you can feel the jazz vibe surrounding you. I mean a mobster can come at any minute to offer you a deal you cannot refuse. KJ's fighting hard to meet the expectations and fill the vacuum that Vieux Carre left behind. As of today, the club is aiming to have music events and live performances from Thursday to Sunday, every single week. This is very impressive after just getting out of the worst part of the Covid pandemic, in my humble opinion. Big bang, boom. 

If you ask me, KJ's seems to offer a new alternative to the mythical Dakota jazz club. It's smaller but also cheaper (hell, yehaaa, W-2s fellas). Yet, they are bringing an interesting crew of local musicians from jazz and blues to country and bluegrass. The music quality of the enclosed basement was great, and they seemed to know what they were doing cause the staff was constantly checking on the musicians. Great experience as everything is paired with a good cocktail to finish a harsh week.