Local music: Grumpy's old men

Almost a decade later, Tom Hazelmyer and Pat Dwyer look like geniuses for getting out of the record-label biz and opening a couple of successful bars. But they're quick to deny that business savvy had much to do with it.

"It just dawned on me at the time that running a bar was a lot more fun than running a label," said Hazelmyer, who co-owns with Dwyer the two Grumpy's bars in Minneapolis.

Hazelmyer and Dwyer ran the pioneering indie-rock/punk imprint Amphetamine Reptile Records (AmRep). They specialized in dissonant, ear-splitting, oftentimes just plain crazy '80s/'90s bands such as the Cows and Hammerhead locally and, from points beyond, Boss Hog, Helios Creed, Halo of Flies, the Melvins and Helmet.

The latter two bands haven't forgotten the support. They're headlining a first-ever parking-lot bash at the downtown Grumpy's on Saturday.

Hazelmyer and Dwyer, both in their 40s, were savvy enough to see AmRep's fading prospects in the late '90s, once the corporate music world invaded/pillaged the indie scene following Nirvana. Never mind the damage that downloading has done to labels of all sizes since then.

"After Cobain, it got to be where every kid who played a distorted Fender Jaguar and loud, mean, garage music wanted the brass ring: a big, rich record deal," Dwyer recalled. "None of the bands we worked with were like that, but I feared the day we would come across one."

In 1998 Dwyer and Hazelmyer made the leap with the opening of Grumpy's in northeast Minneapolis (2200 NE. 4th St.), and shut down AmRep except for catalog sales. Hazelmyer had already gotten into the bar business with his dad in 1995 when they took over the original Grumpy's in Coon Rapids (now under new ownership). They kept the name when they opened the downtown Grumpy's in 1999.

Even as bar owners, Hazelmyer and Dwyer have remained great supporters of musicians. They've employed a who's-who among the local scene, from punk figureheads Lori Barbero, Patty Costello and the late Karl Mueller to members of countless new bands. Dwyer also puts on the Northeast Folk Fest and other random gigs at the northeast Grumpy's, which is more his baby than Hazelmyer's.

At the downtown location, Hazelmyer also supported the visual arts for several years after opening the Ox-Op Gallery next door in 2003. In a roundabout way, the visual work got him back into the record business via his own recent project, "A Purge of Dissidents," featuring animation from New York artist Dalek set to music by Hazelmyer (as Haze XXL). AmRep has issued a series of "A Purge of Dissidents" singles with guests Craig Finn, Grant Hart and the Melvins.

"I'm slowly dipping my toe back in the water," Hazelmyer said. "I don't miss running a record label whatsoever, but I do miss being involved in music. Toward the end of AmRep, it was amazing how little of it actually had to anything do with the music."

Melism-antics

A band that could probably still find a home among corporate record labels, the Melismatics' will perform a gig Thursday at the Fine Line that's something of a warm-up/send-off. The quartet is heading to Los Angeles next month reportedly to play for some interested record-label execs, and to finish its album at Seedy Underbelly with producer John Fields. A few of the Fields tracks can already be heard at MySpace.com/themelismatics. The most notable difference is the upgrade of bassist Kathie (Pony) Hixon-Smith to more of a co-vocalist role. Sounds promising.

Random mix

Don't be surprised if you hear Tim Mahoney covering "Sunglasses at Night" this week. He's one of five national finalists in a competition put on by Ray-Ban, the prize for which is a MySpace feature and a gig at Rolling Stone's 40th birthday party. Details at MySpace.com/ray-ban. ... Mahoney was one of the acts who played the bridge-collapse benefit at the Fine Line two weekends ago, the final tally of which was a whopping $23,525 for Minnesota Helps. ...

Pre-sale tickets for Atmosphere's fall tour ($1 of which will also benefit bridge victims) sold out last week. Details are still being hammered out for a promised Minneapolis date (or dates). Slug will perform with both Ant and his live band on the tour, previewing the spring-slated CD, "When Life Gives You Lemons." ...

Former Twin Citians Low Lustre are making lemonade in New York, where they moved earlier this year only to have their van stolen upon arrival. "We ended up finding it in a parking lot in the Brooklyn projects," drummer Mark Rode recounted. The young indie rockers have since driven their (graffiti-covered) van to clubs all over the city, including a recent show at Pianos with Mr. Lower East Side, Moby, in attendance. They return to town for a gig tonight at the 400 Bar, where their van is safe.

chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658