The Happy Dog Revisited...

I had to fight to stay in the game last Sunday.  I have been wanting to see DJ Kishka for a couple months now and he was spinning his craft at The Happy Dog.  This was a little pre-party for his upcoming Buffalo gig at Dyngus Day.  See, DJ Kishka isn't a normal DJ.  He is a one man Polka machine.  Sitting at a chair throwing back a Tyskie with a single turntable spinning Polkas, button boxes and tambourine ready to kick out the jams.  He plays popular Cleveland Polka favorites along with some really obscure gems.  See, the beauty of this is Kishka isn't some stuffy old Polock, he is the alter ego of Cleveland's Magpies keyboardist Justin Gorski.  His act is priceless.  He is funny while still being respectful to the music he plays.

The DJ Kiska outfit is basically a horrible (in a good way) fake Yiddish looking beard, a hat and some thrift store pants with suspenders and a white shirt.  He looks like something straight out of a Parma basement meets an Amish old man.  It's bizarre, yet it works so well.  He sings along to the songs, knows many of them by heart, beating along on his tambourine the whole way.  He delivers his shtick so well you forget he is 30-something year old seriously gifted musician.  He insights banter with the fans in the crowd and is beyond animated.  He plays with a single record player and talks to the crowd when he is switching over records.  Honestly if he did the whole mixing thing I don't know if it work as well.  I liked his between song banter just as much as the music he was playing.  It's the package deal and he pulls it off like a champ.   

Polka music over the years have gotten a pretty bad rap.  It's like the burning river we have been trying to hide in the Cleveland closet for years.  Polka music has been swept under the carpet of Cleveland for years.  It is great to see someone younger muscians trying to embrace it again.  We have the Chardon Polka Band, Joey Tomsick Orchestra and of course Johnny Koenig. We also have the official Polka Hall of Fame.  I think the whole white socks, black shoes stigma is over.  It's fun music.  It's party and drinking music honestly.  You can find bands like these playing all over the city and its suburbs any given weekend at Slovenian Halls and bars off the beaten path.  

I never have heard of or seen an actual Polka band at the Happy Dog.  However, it has the spirit of the old school working mans bars in Cleveland that would embrace this sort of thing.  The social halls of the past where the dock and factory workers would blow off steam and share a brew with their neighbor after a hard days work.  Maybe there was a perch fish fry or something, and working men with their families would be throwing back a P.O.C beer.  I think one of the smartest things Eric Williams did (well outside of Momocho) was to take ownership in this bar and not change it.  It remains old school.  There are some modern touches added to the decor but for the most part you can imagine this bar was probably pretty close to the same if you walked into it 40 years ago.  The rich wood bar, the paneled walls, the closet of a bath room with the grade school urinals.  It is authentic Cleveland when the local tavern was the hub of activity and the heart of the community.

They have an incredible jukebox with an eclectic mix heavy on the indie-punk tip.  The walls are adorned with incredible photos that feature Elvis Costello to Domo Kun among others.  An Elvis bust lamp sits in the corner by the pinball machines.  Booths line the walls, with some table seating in the open area of the bar.  The bar is...a giant U-shape.  However it works much better here than other places because there really is ample room to move around with the exception of a small congested area leading back to one of the bathrooms.  The sound system until recently was problematic with snaps, crackles and hissings like the old boiler in the Christmas Story house.  Recently the speakers were mounted on the ceilings and the sound is 10x's better.  So either they got a new board or the Soundman has earned his wings.  

As far as entertainment goes the Happy Dog shows incredible promise to become the Beachland Tavern of West Cleveland.  This in itself is refreshing to myself making a much shorter commute to see some of the local talent the city has to offer.  Any given weekend is a who's who of Cleveland independent music.  The stage is on the small side but works well in the space.  They offer different styles of music from a Gram Parson's Tribute, an Opry night, Kishka spinning records, to bands like the Jack Fords Playing rock and roll.  It is good to see them keeping it fresh and trying out different things.  All too often the local Cleveland taverns become to comfortable with one certain type of music.  So they cease to exist as a tavern and become that blues bar, the goth-industrial bar, that punk bar or that cover band bar.  While it is good to have those types of bars it's another to have people from all walks of life come into a place any given night.             

Now the menu of the Happy Dog is simple; Hot Dogs.  Plump, juicy, delicious all American hot dogs.  A place where they can make a tater tot a gourmet experience.  A place where they can make a hot dog a culinary masterpiece.  This is not the chili or kraut dog served up at Steve's or the Hot Dog Inn.  Those are amazing in their own way.  The Happy Dog takes this simple all American favorite and twists it to a build your own dream dog.  They have a sushi style menu where you can pick up to 50 different toppings to build your tubular masterpiece on a bun.  Kim chee, Whiz, fried egg, candy sprinkles, bacon...dear God the list goes on and on.  They even have some popular combos for those who just can't make that decision for themselves.  

I have bitched in the past about the fact it's $5.00 for a dog, but I'm over it.  I found the core of my bitterness.  I was afraid that places like Steve's and the Hot Dog Inn who have been long standing traditions in the area would have been hurt by the loss of business.  While the these three places serve hot dogs it is a different world between the three of them.  It is doubtful anyone will lose their core business.  Steve's and the Hot Dog Inn have been open for years.  You were a Steve's guy or you were a Inn guy.  I was always a Hot Dog Inn guy because my mom would take me there as a kid after trips to the ballpark or the Westside Market.  Well until there was a shooting outside of there or something back in the early 80's.  Then I rediscovered it back in the 90's.  The only thing now is there is another dog on the block and it is really just as good if not better than the others .  It's just different.  So while the blue collar Cleveland boy will always have a soft spot for the Hot Dog Inn I think the Happy Dog is now the one to beat.  However the Inn and Steve's probably aren't going to be making any changes since they have been the same for years.  The Happy Dog has a little of everything, good food, excellent beer selection, attentive servers, and great music.  It is well worth checking out.