Robert Wiedmaier’s plan to turn a former casual American restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue into a rock ‘n’ roll venue will be unveiled next week.
Wiedmaier’s RW Restaurant Group announced Wednesday that Villain & Saint will open April 16 at the former Markham’s Bar and Grill (7141 Wisconsin Ave.)
“As the name suggests, Villain & Saint is a cultural gathering spot that accommodates rockers of all stripes: young and old, with a taste for the conventional or radical, looking for frivolity or hard-core,” reads the announcement. “V&S is destined to become an essential depot in the rock ‘n’ roll circuit for aspiring artists, a coveted outlet for up-and-coming rock stars previewed by Robert with his booking agent…before hitting the center stage.”
Whether an underground rock venue will attract people in Bethesda is yet to be seen, but the announcement harkens back to the days of the Twist and Shout—the dance venue known for zydeco music nights that previously occupied the property where the Gallery Bethesda apartment building now stands on Auburn Avenue. That venue closed in 1998.
Villain & Saint will feature an interior modeled after 1960s Haight-Ashbury with lava lamps, a pressed tin ceiling and a mural featuring famous rock ‘n’ roll musicians. The menu is going to be a “veggie-heavy, bohemian menu, with falafel galore,” according to the announcement.
Bands will play nightly at 9 p.m., except on Saturdays when they will take the stage at 9:30 p.m. At closing time, a light show will take place and Don McLean’s “American Pie” will play in honor of Wiedmaier’s “California girl” mother.
The following bands will open the restaurant:
April 16 – The Lloyd Dobler Effect (no cover)
April 17 – Kelly Bell Band ($5 cover)
April 18 – The Paul Pfau Band ($5 cover)
April 19 – St. Andrews Jazz Trio (no charge, Sunday brunch)
