Mud and Water looks to relocate by the fall

Mud and Water, a music venue and bar at 174 South Blvd., will take its name elsewhere after June 1.

Talent buyer and promoter Jeremy Woolsey says the venue, which was formerly known as L Bar, will carry on with a different name and direction because of a “disbanding of a verbal partnership” with the leaseholder, Robert McClaren.

Woolsey says he is no longer booking for the venue, effectively immediately, and has moved shows to other venues in Baton Rouge or to his new venue in New Orleans, The Beatnik on 1638 Clio St.

Woolsey hopes to reopen Mud and Water in a new location in Baton Rouge by the fall. In the meantime, he says he and his team will still book shows at various venues in the Capital City as Mud and Water Productions.

“Mud and Water is not about one particular brick and mortar location,” he says. “It’s about the music, our staff and our fans. I can recreate that somewhere else if the opportunity presents itself.”

McClaren says he doesn’t have a name or new brand yet, but says that the space won’t focus solely on original live music. He says the bar and nightclub will be “in transition” by June 1, but with no firm reopen date.

Woolsey says the final show for Mud and Water at its downtown location is Saturday night with The Underhill Family Orchestra and Ciccada Rhythm performing. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Mud and Water opened in October 2012. Over the course of its run on South Boulevard, the bar hosted a number of sold-out shows and acted as a stop for touring musicians such as the blues/garage rock band Shovels and Rope, singer-songwriter Richard Buckner, Massachusetts alternative rock band Speedy Ortiz and many more. The bar also featured multiple local band showcases weekly.

Upcoming shows for Mud and Water Productions include Christopher Denny with Clay Parker at Red Star next Tuesday and Brother Dege June 19 at Chelsea’s Café.

“I’m not giving up on my hometown and will still make a difference for the local scene,” Woolsey says.