Unique nightclub
Spare Room draws all-age span for Luzon band
The Spare Room, a very unique night club on N.E. 42nd. Street in Portland, provides entertainment, refreshments and good food to patrons whose ages span a difference of more than 60 years. This unique place was, at one time, the bar of a bowling alley/bar/restaurant operation; and now, it’s a night club on its own merits, as the bowling alley is just a memory of days gone by.
This writer and lovely companion both immediately felt at home. This is a very comfortable, friendly place and were made to feel welcome right away. Manager Sally Drew graciously took time from a very busy evening to give a bit of detail about the place. The Spare Room has been a staple of N.E. 42nd Avenue for decades; this writer played music here in 1976, fresh to the PDX area from San Francisco origins.
Luzon (Photo by Eric Tworivers) John Pomar
Live music is featured Friday and Saturday and Karaoke on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In addition, Monday Night Bingo is from 7 to 9 p.m. with prizes of as much as $700!
On this night, the entertainment was provided by Luzon, a very tight, four-piece band, fronted by guitarist/singer John Pomar, a name you may recognize from previous bands around the area like Madison and Manila Vanilla. (The band’s name pays homage to an island in the Philippines where Japanese General Yamashita signed the surrender documents to end World War II. It is also home to Mt. Pinatubo, one of the largest volcanoes.)
Pomar and his brother Albert (also on guitar/vocals) have toured the world with their music, even playing Middle East countries and Dubai, the richest country in the world; they have made music together for more than 30 years.
The duo is strongly assisted by Dave Kidder on bass and Tony Scarino on drums; two more musical veterans who comprise a very tight rhythm section that drives the group with both finesse and authority. The band specializes in funk and rhythm/blues covers, and fills the dance floor from the very first tune. All the members sing to give vocal variety to the leads and create cool harmonies.
Pleasantly surprised with their volume control in this age of untrained, inexperienced bands who think that the louder they are, the better they are, this band knows that it’s the underlying rhythmic feel that gets the crowd moving. It’s also important that the bar workers can hear the drink and food orders to keep their customers satisfied. In other words, the over-all volume was low enough that it was easy to converse, but loud enough that the dance floor was bathed in full-range frequencies so that everyone just had to dance!
The clientele of The Spare Room is quite diverse, with couples of college-age and four or five decades older, all sharing the dance floor, smiling, laughing and having a great time. There is a very cool, comfortable atmosphere and very nice employees, all of whom seem to genuinely enjoy working here. Open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. every day, a full menu is served during all open hours, with both breakfast (special for just $3!) and dinner bargains every day, at 1990 prices.
The menu is extensive, with many appetizers, a top sirloin, and a 16-ounce(!) T-bone with all the trimmings. There’s full turkey or pork-chop dinners and light seafood and pasta options, along with many burger and sandwich choices, including the Pacific Northwest staple: the garden burger.
The Spare Room is involved in fund-raising too, recently raising several 1,000 dollars for Breast Cancer Research. Catering is available and they can handle your corporate holiday parties as well. They have a full bar, with reasonably priced drinks to satisfy any palate.