After nearly 12 years on the southeast corner of Mill and Fifth Street in Tempe, the popular basement piano bar unexpectedly announced last August it would close a week later.
Owner Austin Walter replaced The Big Bang with a new concept called Rck Cty, which opened in October. Business, however, was inconsistent, Walter says.
“We’d get so many people on a daily basis who would come down the stairs and ask where the pianos were,” he says. “It didn’t take a genius to figure out what people really wanted.”
So he contacted many of the former musicians from The Big Bang, then had to wait until they finished other commitments.
In the meantime, besides bringing back the dueling pianos, Walter has given the venue a cosmetic makeover, including new paint, new tables and chairs, video games, and (soon) a pool table.
The steps leading down to the bar even have been painted to resemble piano keys (pictured).
He also gave his place a new name – Low Key Piano Bar, referencing the basement locale (“low”) and the pianos (“key”) – rather than going back to The Big Bang.
“We had a great run,” he says. “It was 13 years. We just figured it’s a new space – it looks entirely different – so it deserves a new name.”
Despite the soft opening this weekend, Walter still is working with Tempe on renovations necessary to open a kitchen.
“It’s complicated when there are three businesses on top of you in a 116-year-old building,” he says.
In the meantime, he’s teaming up with new neighbor Earl of Sandwich. Customers will be able to order anything on the latter’s menu through their Low Key server.
Low Key Piano Bar will be open 7 p.m.-close Tuesday-Saturday, with the dueling pianos starting at 8 p.m. Reservations: 480-535-1705.
