The space now occupied by the hi-dive has had a varied and illustrious history. In the 1970’s, the bar was called the Ellsworth Tavern. It was one of many small dives located along Broadway from Second Avenue to Alameda.
The hi-dive opened November 19, 2003 when a young couple purchased the business. Inspired by years spent living in New York City and the amazing talent and creativity of Denver’s music scene, the hi-dive has quickly become one of the most important new venues in town and the only place for hip new bands to be heard and seen.
The Hi-Dive is one of the most important new venues in town and the only place for hip new bands to be heard and seen. – Denver Post
Best Rock Club (2007)
hi-dive
Readers’ Choice: hi-dive
In less than five years, the hi-dive has become a Denver institution. Many of the current top-shelf local bands got their start at this intimate south Broadway bar, which sits smack dab in the middle of the Baker neighborhood. And even though many of those groups can now easily fill places twice its size, they still make it down to the hi-dive to perform on a regular basis. Perhaps it’s because the sound is fantastic and the club promotes local shows with the same vigor and enthusiasm as they would a national. Which makes sense, because frankly, when it comes to talent, there really isn’t much of a distinction these days. Thanks to the prescient booking of Ben DeSoto, in addition to being a choice destination for the toast of today’s blogosphere, the hi-dive has also become the place to discover tomorrow’s indie-rock sensations well before they reach the masses’ radar.
BEST ROCK CLUB (2006)
hi-dive
Readers’ Choice: hi-dive
Denver’s club scene gets more crowded by the month, with new venues sprouting up like spring blossoms (or weeds, depending on how you look at them). Regardless, the hi-dive towers head and shoulders over the field. Into its third year, the club’s booking of local and national acts only gets better — but the bands are only part of the equation. The stage and sound are ideal. The all-ages shows are run smoothly and humanely. Sputnik, the hi-dive’s next-door satellite bar, is a great place to chill out before, during or after the rock. Strelka, its kitchen, serves awesome food that caters to carnivores and vegans alike. The whole room is the perfect mix of respectable and seedy, and the owners aren’t afraid to host multimedia dance parties one night and noise operas the next. And the location, smack in the middle of one of Denver’s coolest neighborhoods, can’t be beat. Above all, the hi-dive excels at being intimately, passionately involved with the scene that sustains it. It’s not just a place to watch a band, chug a beer and take a piss on your way out. Instead, it feels like home.
Best Rock Club (2005)
hi-dive
What began as a humble new dive in November 2003 has quickly blossomed into the best room in town. Occupying the space once held by Quixote’s True Blue and the legendary 7 South, the hi-dive offers everything: karaoke, movie screenings, some of the most imaginative DJ nights in town — and, of course, live music pumped through a top-notch system and killer acoustics. While owners Matt and Allison LaBarge are still building their stable of touring acts, local bands (and their fans) know that the combination of great sound, cheap drinks and anything-goes atmosphere just can’t be beat. In a town saturated with outstanding venues, the hi-dive towers.
Best New Club (2004)
hi-dive/Sputnik
Readers’ Choice: hi-dive
Dive-bar row lost a legend last year when Quixote’s — which had replaced the even more notorious 7 South — closed its doors at 7 South Broadway. But two newcomers are quickly filling the void. The hi-dive, which is coming on strong as a local indie-rock venue with creative programming, is a classic hipster-trash joint with minimal decor, a pool table and a pinball machine. The ’dive’s popular Monday-night rock-and-roll movie series is a cheap thrill, offering $1 PBRs and $2 wells. Residing next door, in what used to be the smoking area of Quixote’s, is Sputnik, which offers multi-hued faux-space-age lighting, black-and-white photos of NASA control rooms, and half-moon vinyl booths inviting patrons to kick back and enjoy the killer jukebox, whose selections range from Coltrane to the Meat Puppets. Houston, we have no problem here.
Best Denver Answer to Brooklyn (2007)
Sputnik
All the broke, arty types — musicians, writers, etc. — in New York can’t afford to live in Manhattan. As a result, they flock to less expensive neighborhoods in Brooklyn, which is where hi-dive owner Matt LaBarge and his wife, Allison, once lived. In the fall of 2003, when the couple moved to Denver and took over the former Quixote’s spot, they set out to create a hip space like the places they enjoyed in their old Park Slope neighborhood. Ones that served good food, good coffee and good drinks — even late. Lo and behold, when you build a hip space, the hipsters will come — and they have. Sputnik has an unmistakable vibe that attracts Denver’s boho set, complete with messy-haired hipsters who’ve traded in their trucker hats for Castro lids. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were in Brooklyn.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
STAGE
The hi-dive stage is approximately 16 feet wide by 16 feet deep and is elevated 3 feet from the ground. We have a Sony DVD/VHS projector with a retractable 7′ × 9′ screen.
SOUND
Mains: stereo system
2 x tops: 1 per side
each cabinet: Production Services 3 way 2×15, 1×10, 1×2
loaded with DAS components
powered by QSC
2 x subs: 1 per side
each cabinet: 2×18
loaded with McCauley components
powered by Crest
processor DBX Driverack PA
Monitors:
4 mixes from FOH
4 x Community 2 way boxes (1×15, 1×1)
1 x drum monitor: B52 (2×15, 1×1)
powered by QSC
Front of House (FOH):
Console: Mackie SR-24 VLZ
20 mono channels with inserts
2 stereo channels
4 monitor sends
2 effects sends
3 band EQ (mid sweepable)
4 submixes with inserts
19 channels from the stage
DBX EQ on mains
Yamaha EQ on monitors
8 channel Presonus gate/comp
2 channel DBX 266 gate/comp
Yamaha Rev.7 Reverberator Digital Reverb
Mics/DI:
4 x Shure SM58
3 x Shure Beta58
4 x Shure SM57
1 x Audix D6
1 x Audix D1
2 x Audix D2
1 x Audix D4
1 x Audio Technica Pro25
4 x DI boxes
CAPACITY: 285+
