Double Down Saloon creator P Moss to run Punk Rock Museum bar

Aug 25, 2023

P Moss created Double Down Saloon, kitty-corner from the original Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Hotel, in 1992.

The Punk Rock Museum is doubling down on a longtime Vegas rock star.

P Moss, founder of the Vegas nightlife landmark Double Down Saloon on Paradise Road, will co-manage Triple Down bar at the punk-themed attraction under construction at 1422 Western Ave., next to Little Darlings strip club. The rock haven has announced a Jan. 13 opening.

Moss will co-operate the museum's bar along with Chris Andrasfay, also of the Double Down team. The Double Down is the graffiti-marked home vaunted bacon martini and shots of "ass juice." Such powerhouse acts as the improv rock band Überschall have long headlined blowout shows at the venue. Double Down celebrates its 30th anniversary in November.

Moss, who created the bar kitty-corner from the original Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Hotel, has been a community icon throughout Double Down's three-decade run. As such, the entrepreneur and author was a natural figure to help create the Punk bar. The name makes a clear connection to his existing Vegas saloon.

"They are big fans of the Double Down, and given who these people are, why wouldn't they be?" Moss said in a phone chat Wednesday night. "We just started talking, I went down and looked at the facility, and they just asked me what I thought about some things, bar-wise. I started offering some opinions, and very quickly it evolved to where they wanted us to run the bar."

The Punk Rock Hall of Fame will cover 12,000 square feet and offer a tattoo studio, wedding chapel, merch store and a live-performance space. "Fat Mike" Burkett of the punk band NOFX envisioned the concept, enlisting Lisa Brownlee of the Warped Tour, Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge. Punk visual artist, musician and filmmaker Bryan Ray Turcotte, Vinnie Fiorello of the Ska band Less Than Jake and dozens of other punk vets make up the Punk Collective organization.

"These guys are career punks, and lot of them have become successful, some of them hugely successful, some of them moderately successful. But they have stayed true to who they are," Moss said. "This business, the museum business, I really have nothing to do with. But I know the bar business, and it has to be professionally run, and they came to respect what I had to say. We pretty quickly found ourselves on the same page."

On the topic of pages, Moss’ sixth book "Dead Ringer," is out now. We suggest that tome, set in 1967 Las Vegas, be displayed and offered as merch at the Punk Rock Museum (or nab one now at SquidhatPress.com or PMoss.com).

According to a news release announcing the project, displays are to include Debbie Harry's famous Vultures shirt, Johnny Thunders’ 1959 guitar, the molds for Devo's stage helmets, Scream's amp form the "Faith/Void" cover, the chainsaw Sum 41 used in the Does This Look Infected tour, Fear's saxophone, and a stage outfit from the Interrupters’ Aimee Allen. Several other "well-used-and-abused" objects are planned for the exhibit.

Also, the museum's Jam Room allows guests to play guitars and basses owned by artists using their actual amps. Artists whose instruments and amps are featured in this room include Rise Against, NOFX, Pennywise, Sick of it All and Strung Out.

Aside from the bar, Moss is not involved in any of the museum's components. He says there is a dash of refinement planned for Triple Down, while keeping with punk-rocks … sensibility, we should say.

"It's going to be a punk bar in its style, but it's not going to be dirty and gritty," Moss said. "It's going to be nice, because tourists, families they all want that. I guess I would call it a safe punk experience, where you can have a few drinks in a room that makes you feel like you’re a part of the whole thing."

You now my name (look up the number)

We live in an era when shows bust out the balloons for performing 100 shows. So we were impressed that "Love" has casually surpassed No. 7,000 at The Mirage. The Beatles/Love partnership hit the milestone Wednesday night. The cast held an internal celebration — with cake! — but otherwise, no big thing.

Cirque du Soleil President Eric Grilly said in a statement, "We are incredibly proud of the milestone of ‘The Beatles Love's’ 7,000th show tonight. We appreciate all of the hard work of the entire ‘Love’ team and congratulate them on this accomplishment."

Cirque has announced the show will perform through 2023 as Hard Rock Hotel takes ownership of The Mirage. No word on formal plans thereafter. With the future of the show so uncertain, it's probably a good idea to fly a little low.

Cool Hang Alert

We met Jimmy Hopper when he was tearing it up at VooDoo Lounge at the Rio, and later as the headliner at Bellagio's Fontana Lounge. This as the late-1990s, when the VooDoo was a thing and Fontana actually existed (it's Mayfair Supper Club now). Hopper is now looking to restart a residency in Vegas, and is at the Copa Room at Bootlegger Bistro at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Hopper brings his all-star band of Steven Lee (guitar) Brenda Cowert (keys) and Adam Shendal (drums). Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns are off that night. Hopper is seeking a monthly or twice-monthly engagement at the Copa. Go to BootleggerVegas.com for ticket info, and check on the two-for-one, post-show, pasta offer.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His "PodKats!" podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.