Jas "Jerry" Spargur's first band played its first gig in the building at 2307 University Ave., back when it was a heavy metal club called Hairy Mary's. Thirty-five years into his music career, he has leased the same room, and on Saturday, Oct. 3, it reopened as Strychnine Live Music and Drinks.
"When Lefty's was open, it was home for so many musicians… and I just wanted to carry on that legacy," Spargur told the Des Moines Register in June.
With that reopening, Dogtown has two small stages a few blocks apart again, and the fall calendars show the same local bands working both of them.
A room that keeps getting another name
Before Lefty's, 2307 University had a long run of names. Iowa Public Radio puts the Safari Club before Hairy Mary's, and the Register also lists Bagg's among the room's past lives:
- Safari Club, where Iowa Public Radio reports Slipknot played its first show with Corey Taylor in 1997
- Bagg's
- Hairy Mary's, the heavy metal club the Register places in the 1990s to early 2000s
- Lefty's Live Music, which ran about a decade until it closed at the end of 2025
- Strychnine, open since Oct. 3, 2026
The Register adds that the White Stripes and Fugazi have played the room. Texas band Fastball brought up its own Safari shows from the Des Moines Arts Festival mainstage this summer.
The new name comes from Jimi "Strychnine" Scribner, a chef, musician, and sound technician. He ran sound at Lefty's and at the House of Bricks in the East Village, which closed years ago. A wall inside the venue is set aside for photos from artists who worked with him. "Jimi was just that guy," Spargur told the Register.
If you went to Lefty's, the room will look familiar. According to the permit filing the Register reviewed, no major renovations were planned. The club keeps its 350-person capacity and the murals and art that built up over the years. Axios Des Moines reported that Spargur, who also owns a construction company, refreshed the interior and added cocktails while keeping the live-music focus.
Axios also explained why the reopening matters beyond the neighborhood. Des Moines has lost longtime small venues in recent years, including Gas Lamp and Vaudeville Mews, so a room this size returning has an effect on the whole city.
Two rooms, two different jobs
Strychnine has a neighbor. xBk Live is at 1159 24th St., a few blocks from the University Avenue club. Owner Tobi Parks opened it in 2019. The two venues are close in size but set up differently.
| Strychnine | xBk Live | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 2307 University Ave. | 1159 24th St. |
| Capacity | About 350 | 250 |
| Format | Live-music bar with cocktails | Performing-arts venue and listening room |
| Ages | Bar | All ages |
| Second space | None listed | xBk Annex, with free nights on the calendar |
| Typical local-show price | $10 to $15 for the shows listed so far | Roughly $13 to $31 for many ticketed shows; Annex nights often free |
Strychnine's website doesn't post regular weekly hours. Its hours panel reads "By Appointment" and says the venue opens for event hours, so check the listing for a specific show before you head over. The site does say there is live music on weeknights and weekends.
The same bands are booked in both rooms
The two calendars overlap in ways that point to one shared scene.
Bob Pace was on Strychnine's opening-day lineup on Oct. 3. On Nov. 14 he plays xBk with the South Dallas County Crewcut Cowboy Band.
Soulcage headlines xBk on Saturday, Oct. 17, with Rapture and Wastegate, at $17.73 for general admission on the ticket page. On Friday, Nov. 20, Soulcage plays Strychnine on a bill with Backhand Blue and Alborn. Doors are at 5:30 p.m., the show starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are $10 in advance or $15 that day.
So a local act can play the all-ages listening room one month and the bar club a month later without leaving the neighborhood. In June, the Register described Strychnine as joining xBk as another Dogtown performing arts venue.
Here are the Strychnine dates confirmed so far, starting with opening day:
- Oct. 3: Grand opening with two music blocks, $10 for either block or $15 for both. The lineup was Bob Pace, Brother Trucker, Loose Gravel, The Darkhorse Mob, Absolute Power, Switchblade Saturdays, and Jacob County & The Damaged Goods.
- Nov. 13: Brad & The Big Wave with Allie Crummy and Day Ashworth, 5 p.m., $10 face value plus a $2.40 service fee.
- Nov. 20: Backhand Blue, Alborn, and Soulcage.
Planning a Dogtown night around Drake home games
Drake has three home football games left this fall: Marist on Oct. 17, Butler on Oct. 24, and San Diego on Nov. 7. Several of those Saturdays already have something booked a few blocks away.
Saturday, Oct. 17 (Marist). Soulcage, Rapture, and Wastegate play xBk the same night. xBk Annex also hosts the free INERTIA Open Mic.
Saturday, Oct. 24 (Butler). xBk Annex has the Never Before Scene! improv show at $12.91 with fees. The main room has The Host Country's album-release show with Joel Sires at $15.32 with fees.
Saturday, Nov. 7 (San Diego). xBk had no event listed that night in the calendar we reviewed. Amythyst Kiah plays with Buffalo Nichols the next evening, Nov. 8.
The free nights at xBk Annex may be the easiest weeknight stop for anyone who lives nearby. Songwriter Open Mics are on Oct. 26, Nov. 9, and Nov. 23, and The Big Silly improv comedy jam is on Nov. 2. Musical Feast 2, a free pre-Thanksgiving show, is on Nov. 15. For Halloween weekend, xBk has the ERF Halloween show with The Cosmic Weather Report on Oct. 30 and a Halloween Party with Night Stories, Traffic Death, and Bat Problem on Oct. 31. Prices sometimes differ between xBk's calendar cards and its See Tickets pages, so confirm the price on the ticket page before you buy.
What's going up around the two rooms
So far, the new construction near the venues is mostly housing, not more places to eat, drink, or see shows.
UA Station is a three-story, 35-unit building at University Avenue and 22nd Street, on the old Kum & Go site. The Register reported Sept. 7 that it was set to open in November. Moving utilities underground along University Avenue took longer than a typical redevelopment, which delayed it. The ground floor was first planned as a grocery store. It will now hold seven live-work units, each with a storefront and a one-bedroom apartment divided by a sliding partition. Those small storefronts are the closest thing to new street-level business on this part of University.
Valo, a 132-unit project at 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue, has stalled. Toppling Goliath had planned a taproom and restaurant there but shelved the plan. Developer Brent Dahlstrom of Merge Urban Development Group expected crews back in October 2026 with a new lender, and said he can't give a new timeline until work resumes, according to Blue Water Healthy Living.
Farther west, Drake Village between 30th and 32nd streets would bring 121 homes and 5,700 square feet of commercial space. A City of Des Moines staff report dated Oct. 6 expects renovations to start in fall or winter 2026 and new construction in spring 2027, with completion spread across 2028 and 2029.
Valo's commercial tenant is still unknown, and Strychnine has just started filling its calendar. "I am not doing this to pay bills," Spargur told the Register. "I am doing this to keep the legend of what that venue means to all of us in the Des Moines music scene, keep it alive and rolling for as long as I possibly can."
If you're weighing a home within walking distance of University Avenue and want to know which blocks put both stages and the Drake campus nearby, the Mauro Team can walk you through the streets around 2307 University and 1159 24th St. Schedule your free consultation.
