The Ottobar is a music venue in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. In 2018 the Ottobar was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone magazine.
- Venue
- The Ottobar
- Address
- 2549 N. Howard St
- Town
- Baltimore, US
The Ottobar is a music venue in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. In 2018 the Ottobar was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone magazine. The Washington Post describes it as a "bastion of sub-mainstream music... where the insular community of artists and scenesters flock to hear the best touring bands." It also hosts theme events, dance parties, and an occasional burlesque show. Long considered one of the top music venues and one of the top indie and alternative music venues in Baltimore, Maryland, the Ottobar was opened in Downtown Baltimore by Michael Bowen, Todd Burger and Gillian Gabrielle in September 1997. It was originally located at 203 East Davis Street in the former Chambers Nightclub. The venue, which was named after Bowen's cat, Otto, was very small, providing an intimate setting for live music and performance art. Despite its size, it attracted national acts such as Blonde Redhead, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, Fear, Jimmy Eat World, Lamb of God, Le Tigre, of Montreal, Queens of the Stone Age, Spoon, the Rapture, and the White Stripes. It also supported local artists of the time, such as Daybreak, Goliath, Lungfish, Oxes, the Goons, and the Oranges Band. The Ottobar has booked more than 12,000 acts since it opened rein 1997. Performance art showcased included The 80's Prom, Salute To Satan, Tiny Couch Night, and The Death of Vaudeville Night. The Davis Street location closed on November 17, 2001. The Ottobar reopened the same month at its current 2549 North Howard Street location in lower Charles Village, south of the Johns Hopkins University campus and the Baltimore Museum of Art with owner Michael Bown and new partners Craig Boarman and Brian Deran. The Charles Village location is considerably larger, but still provides an intimate listening experience by permitting fans to be close to the bands. The venue is valued by artists for its clientele and sound system. Food is