Dr. Watson's Pub
216 South 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA
Closed February 2nd, 2010

It's hard to stomach the reality of legendary Philadelphia club Dr. Watson's Pub going belly-up. The famous second-floor stage hosted some incredible regional and national acts. The longstanding Philly establishment (since 1971) opened its doors for the last time on February 2^nd, 2010.  The no-cover finale featured Derek Sammack, Stephen Rose, DAPP, Mikey Potato, St. Alborne, and a final encore by Vince Volz and Clint Davis (formerly of Stillicide). 

After the closing of the Grape Street Pub in 2008, Doc Watson's became the new home for 93.3 WMMR's "Local Shots Live" (LSL).  LSL was hosted by WMMR's DJ Jaxon, and featured the some of the best area bands.  From the LSL recordings, (Jaxon released six compilation volumes), the latest featured band performances at Doc's. Included on the compilation were fifteen local juggernauts: Automatic Fire, The MLMS, Braxton Parker, Zelazowa, Big Terrible, Reality Stricken, Recent Hours, New Liberty, Phantasm, Beyond the Element, Bong Hits for Jesus, Mesina, St. Alborne, Mikey Potato, Papa Midnight, and Soulfatronic.

As a local drummer, I've performed with Narco LoLo, 58 fury, Falling Under, Victoria Spaeth, and others, but regrettably I never had the chance to perform for Local Shots Live at Doc's. I performed with Narco LoLo at the Grape Street Pub back in 2007, with Stillicide headlining, but my personal Doc Watson's experience was comprised only of the killer open mic nights.

Every Wednesday, I'd commute 40 miles to see one of the city's biggest open mics. Prior to close, the sessions were hosted by Joe Jordan (a well-respected local musician), and Clint Davis (formerly of Stillicide).  Other local figures helped out also. Uniquely, Doc's was one of the few Philadelphia open mics that allowed full band performances (along with The Tritone).

Since 1971, Doc's has been located at 216 South 11^th Street in the Old City, directly across from Thomas Jefferson University. Longtime owner Barry Sandrow ran Doc's from 1971 to 1997, when he sold it off to a manager that ran it into the ground by serving minors (he also changed the name).  But Sandrow assumed ownership once again in 2007, returning Doc's to its former glory and proper name.

This January, Sandrow sold Doc's again, most certainly for the last time. The new owners are blueprinting major renovations, like sprucing up the aging facade, installing a white marble bar, and adding bookcases and black and gold finishes to evoke an atmosphere appropriate to the new name, Sherlock's Tavern. (Surprisingly, there's no intended pun in the new name!)

Local patrons and Doc loyalists find it hard to fault the new ownership's efforts to modernize and increase space in the historic establishment. The sentimental difficulty lies in saying goodbye to such a venerable and longstanding name. Fortunately, the new ownership is committed to maintaining the venue's unique place in the music community.  Also, local musicians and promoters have started Facebook pages petitioning that both Double V Booking (Doc's former booking agency), and WMMR continue to invest in maintaining high-quality, local music at the venue.

Become a fan of "Remembering Dr. Watson's Pub" on Facebook by clicking on the link.