A (partial) people’s history of the Replay Lounge, which turns 25 this weekend

The legendary Replay Lounge of Lawrence, Kansas, celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend with a packed slate of shows that begins Friday night. On the schedule: performances from the Appleseed Cast, Bummer, the Oblivians, Mouthbreathers, and many more.

But the history of the Replay encompasses so much more than any one weekend. During my time in college at KU, and for too many years after, the Replay was a second home for me; I’ve long joked about how many months of the venue’s rent my bar tabs have paid for. I’m hardly alone there. It was, and still is, a place where you could simply show up most nights of the week and catch a punk, metal, pop, or hip-hop show, drink for next to nothing, and make some new friends. In fact, I did meet some of my closest friends at the Replay, and I saw some of the best shows of my life there as well. I’ve mourned friends there, smoked too many cigarettes there, drank too much booze there, had too much fun there.

To commemorate the bar’s silver anniversary, I gathered some hazy memories from a handful — certainly not all — of those who know the place best. Read those below, and scroll all the way down for a whole bunch of Replay photos. (Big thank you to Ailecia Ruscin of Oh Snap! Photography for sharing her archive.) 

Valerie Taylor Richardson, bartender from 2002-2004:

I met my husband there. We had our first date there. We got engaged during the 2008 NCAA championship game there, right at the end of the bar under the television set. It’s so much of my time and life here in Lawrence. It sounds silly, but for better or worse, I wouldn’t be who I am without the Replay.

Halloween at the Replay was always a huge affair, from decorations to themed costumes with fellow bartenders. Chris Kuhlman was known for his over-the-top costumes like Richard Gene Simmons, if you can imagine that combo, and a petting zoo with a phallus that popped out when you pet one of his stuffed animals on a tray. Today, it seems like that particular costume might not fly… A personal favorite was when me, Jeff Stolz, and Amanda Graham dressed, collectively, as Motorhead. Jeff’s Lemmy was so incredible that women, my sister included, spent the evening fawning over him, moles and all. Halloween was just magical there, full of the same excitement that one hadn’t experienced since childhood.

Another memory isn’t really mine, but my husband’s — had to have been 2000 or 2001. Troy’s band Filthy Jim opened for the White Stripes, and there were about 40 people in the audience. Paul Brooks, the drummer, broke his snare drum. He ended up having to borrow one from Meg White, and somewhat begrudgingly, they loaned it to them, with Jack saying, “You better not break this one, too.”

The memories are hazy, for obvious reasons, but they make up so much of who I am and who my long-time friends are. We’ve lost people — too many — but we’ve also found people. It’s more than a bar. It’s a community hub for music, community, progress and love.

Joe Montgomery, bartender from 2002-2010:

Oh, the Replay. I’ve been a patron since 1997, and got a job there in 2002. I got fired three times, and can still pick up a shift even though I now live in Austin. I think most about the bands I’ve seen, the smiles made, but first and foremost the family I’ve made.

After one typical Saturday shift in March, we all left the bar and ventured over to my house, whiskey flowing. The next morning (two hours later), I woke up to a hangover and a crazy storm. It turned out not to be a storm, but a microburst. I thought nothing of it, but then I got the call: the Replay’s front windows were blown out! I jumped out of bed and rode my bike bike to the scene — holy shit. All of our stuff we’ve collected behind the bar is gone, swept away by this not-tornado. What was amazing is that all of the employees and patrons were there in the effort to get the bar running by the time it needed to open.

While we were cleaning, a guy comes up and says, “Hey, is this yours?” He hands me the millennium falcon — the first thing you see when you walk up to the bar inside, which we thought was long gone. I said, “Could you imagine if you were walking and that hit you?” Death by the falcon would be the best way to go. 

Brad Shanks, owner, Taco Zone (TZ began inside of the Replay):

The best [story] for me that isn’t really that nuts, but: during the first few months that Taco Zone was open on the Replay patio, a guy had been drinking all day and got upset, so he was asked to leave. Eventually, [Lawrence rapper and Replay fixture] Approach had to make him get up and leave. The guy left under his own accord, but was yelling obscenities and argued the whole way out the back door, and when he saw our little Taco Zone sandwich board on the sidewalk, he took the opportunity to make a statement and threw it into the street. I was like, “Oh man. Why did you do that?” A few minutes later he walked by again, and Approach told him that I work really hard to make tacos and that he should apologize. The guy ended up saying, “Hey, I am really sorry that I did that, man. That is not who I am, man. I mean, I love tacos, I love your tacos. I am so sorry.” It was great! I told him, “Thank you,” and Approach told him we would think about not banning him.

Sean Hunt, aka Approach, doorman from 2004 to 2018:

I grew up loving the underground hip-hop scene that was emerging from the West Coast. A hub for this scene was the “Good Life Cafe.” Two of my favorite groups from that scene were Freestyle Fellowship and Abstract Tribe Unique. Being able to share the stage with Myka 9 (of Freestyle Fellowship) and Abstract Rude (of Abstract Tribe) in the Replay will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Emily Parker, bartender from 2004 to 2015:

The Replay’s intention is to always be a safe harbor (at least I think so, and it was several times for me). Home base, I’ve heard it called more times than I can count.

Travis Peznell and I painted the fireball man mural on the stage and the giant shooting star above the pinball games and squealed over our glow-in-the-dark paint.

I cleaned up puke and shit and squeegeed flooded floors and masked mystery smells with nothing that worked and set fruit-fly traps with wine and saran wrap. I convinced [owner] Nick [Carroll] it was a horrible idea to hang the jukebox on its side, so we could be known as “The Home of the Slanted Jukebox.” 

It’s all these first loves and important conversations and sweet drunken dances and secret patio kisses and bad breath. It is like 35mm flash magic and the biggest loud. It is stiff drinks and thick talk and Turner Classic Movies on mute. It’s most definitely PBR (and, I guess NPR — lol) and Hamm’s on ice with a lime. And horsefeathers and single-tall everything. Hurricane Emilys, Barbie shots, and Re-animators. Drinks and drinks and drinks. And bathroom pics and gymnastics.

I was always jumping on, and sitting in, the big trash can behind the bar. Always got a cheer. I also know I fit in the beer cooler. And the ice machine, (Jackpot, too). I don’t know who I didn’t wrestle. Or dance with. Or love.

Replay was home to many folks who got called away too soon. It is also death plaques and benches and bikes and branches. Infinite memories of important faces. It’s the backdrop. It is where you meet when you hear the news. Where you can cry in public.

Aaron Strelow, bartender, 1998-2018:

It was late fall, and not a lot of people were out, and two guys walked into the bar. I could tell they’d been here before, and they ordered beers from me at the back bar. It was dark in this particular part of the bar where they settled in. One of the two guys turned away to light a cigarette. As he turned back around, his friend was gone! Suddenly, he sees his friend’s shoes and two hands, one holding a beer, in the dimly lit shadows. He quickly sprang into action to save his buddy. Putting his own beer down, he pulls his friend out of the black, empty trash can which he had mistaken for a bar stool. Surprisingly, nobody saw this, and they had realized this so face was saved. But I did — and as I crept into the office, I laughed my ass off.

Jacki Becker, local show promoter

I was honored to have booked the Decemberists for the first time at the Replay. It was before there was a stage and people played in front of the large window. They managed to all fit in, and Drew James and I just knew this band was going to make it. Also, if you didn’t know, the Black Keys played the Replay in 2003 — paid ‘em around $300. Other memorable shows: the Rapture, Atmosphere, Crooked Fingers (repeatedly), Cherry Valence, Planes Mistaken for Stars. All early-mid 2000s.

The first time I booked Bright Eyes at Replay, I think he was maybe not even 18. There were like 25 people there. This tiny little guy with a voice that just struck you down with emotion.

The night the Killers played the Replay was the same night as the Liberty Hall holiday party. We all ran down to the Replay to crush in with everyone else to see a band that would eventually play arenas across the country. 

One of the best “regular house” bands was And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead…d They blew the PA almost every time. People went nuts for them. Allison Berger broke her glasses at one of the shows after being hit by a member of the band in the shoving, sweaty mess.

Perhaps the most poignant night for me was the first time Murder By Death and Ten Grand played together: February 11, 2003. Of course, at that time we didn’t realize that it would be one of the final shows with Matt Davis before he passed away. Lots and lots of Bud Light bottles. A more recent memory was the SLEEP afterparty with Young Bull. This space is open to all — but if you are a little grimy, very open-minded, and ready to have some kind of liquid tossed on you, it’s the place you can put your roots in and call home.

John Lancaster, doorman, 2003-2007:

Early into working at the Replay, I settled into a normal-ish schedule and ended up paired with Mark Sanders most of the time. He and I would chat during the lulls of our shift about our lives and how we ended up in Lawrence. One thing we both talked about is how we lived in California, but we never really mentioned details about our time there [since] we didn’t live in the same area. I’m from Dodge City, which is best described as dry and terrible-smelling, and ended up in a rich suburb of Los Angeles called Palos Verdes — cliffs next to the ocean overlooking Catalina Island type of place. I knew full well that I didn’t belong in a neighborhood that fancy, and by extension anyone that I would be friends with didn’t belong there either.

I can’t remember how many shifts this cryptic game of vague mentions about California lasted, but eventually I think I blurted out that I lived in Palos Verdes, and Mark replied that’s where he lived as well. Mark lived there two years before I did. Palos Verdes Peninsula is massive, and he lived on the other side of it, so I thought the odds of meeting each other would have been really low, and decided to prove this point by asking if he knew the guy who was my best friend when I lived there. Of course we had the same best friend.

Amanda Graham, bartender from 2002 to 2010:

I’ll remember the love of Halloween the Replay has. All the employees worked/work so hard to decorate the bar for Halloween. We always have great cover bands doing stuff like Black Sabbath, the Misfits, etc. One year we were all zombie superheroes: Dana Wiseman was Wonder Woman and I was Supergirl. Travis Peznell was Superman. Another year we all dressed up as Star Trek characters. Another year Valerie, Jeff Stolz, and I dressed up as Motörhead and only played Motörhead songs out back.

I also loved our recreational team sports. The Replay used to have a kickball team called the Replay Rowdies consisting of bartenders, sound guys, door guys. and regulars. We had a great time and enjoyed a PBR or two. Dana Wiseman, Valerie Taylor Richardson, Amy Kendrick, and I were also involved in a bar-and-restaurant bowling league. We were called the Replay Reapers. We’d bowl three games and end up at the Replay to celebrate both wins and losses.

♦

More on this weekend’s shows here and here.