Jets headed in and out of the airport pass right over this stretch of Kettner Boulevard. One singer told a Casbah crowd that the roar overhead sounded like the start of "Back in the USSR," which is about the best review a flight path has ever gotten.
Two addresses on Kettner
Tim Mays, Bob Bennett and Peter English opened the Casbah in 1989 at 2812 Kettner, in a room with a legal capacity of 75. Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins and Rocket from the Crypt all played that first space.
The club outgrew it within a few years. In early 1994 it moved a short way down the road to 2501 Kettner, a corner building that had been a bar called Bulc, with a full liquor license and room for a little over 200 people. It has stayed there ever since. Weezer, the Strokes and the White Stripes are on the long list of bands that played this room on the way up.
Inside the club
The Casbah is 21 and up, and the door wants a valid ID. Inside there are really three spaces.
- The music room, with its own full bar and the stage.
- A back room with a pool table, booths and another bar, where you can talk between sets.
- An enclosed smoking patio.
The San Diego Reader traced the padded walls to the furnishings of a Farrell's ice cream parlor that the owners bought after it closed. Live music runs most nights of the week, often all seven, and covers are usually low. Most of what plays here lands on our alternative and rock calendars.
Getting there
The club sits at Kettner and Laurel Street, right where Little Italy's northern edge meets Middletown. The Trolley is the simple answer. Middletown station, on Palm Street between Kettner and Pacific Highway, is a few blocks north and is served by both the Blue and Green lines. If you drive, give yourself extra time to find a spot and read the posted signs.
Music Box is a little way south on India Street in Little Italy if you want to make a night of two rooms.
The Casbah beyond Kettner
The Casbah also books shows under its name at bigger rooms around the county, including SOMA, The Observatory North Park and the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Mays is also one of the owners of Soda Bar on El Cajon Boulevard, so a band you catch here may turn up at any of those next. More venues nearby are on our Uptown and Mid City page.