For almost two decades, there’s been a ”House Party” at the 331 Club in Northeast.
Under the helm of the affable “Hurricane” Harold Tremblay, the KFAI Radio House Party Presents Series, which runs Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the corner of University and 13th Avenues NE., has become a regular pilgrimage for Northeasters and many beyond.
Every week, Tremblay kicks off the House Party on KFAI (90.3 FM) radio from 4 to 6 p.m. First, he spins a mix of Americana, roots, blues and R&B, folk and bluegrass music. Then, he hosts an on-air, live performance of a band he has booked. After the radio show, he and the musicians trek to the 331 Club to hit the stage.
While he didn’t pursue music as a career, Tremblay has become a skilled harmonica player who regularly sits in at the 331 and gigs out. Tremblay moved to the Twin Cities in 1976 from Bedford, Mass., working with letterpress printing. He soon became a husband and father.
The House Party name came from an Amos Milburn song, but was also inspired by Tremblay’s own house parties. Back in the day, he would cash his Friday paycheck at the Whirlpool Bar, go record shopping and then invite friends over to “hang out, party and listen to records.”
Tremblay took over the show concept in 2004 from longtime KFAI DJ Jackson Buck, whose “Jackson’s Juke Joint” aired from the now-defunct Viking Bar on Minneapolis’ West Bank.
Moving the party to Northeast
When the Viking closed in 2006, Tremblay moved his House Party over to the 331.
The club had a new owner – entrepreneur Jon Oulman, who owned a hair salon in the area. Starting in 2005, he began transforming the 331 from a biker bar that did a lot of third-shift, 8 a.m. business.
“There were a lot of artists who lived in Northeast who wanted a social institution, a place where they could hang out,” said his son and co-owner Jarret Oulman, who manages the 331. “The thought was to do that with music. Musicians would mostly play venues like the Uptown Bar or Turf Club. So, if you lived in Northeast and wanted to see your friends play, you had to go to another part of town. We wanted to build a stage and make it accommodating to the people who were already here.”
Tremblay said moving his show to Northeast “made a big difference — it was logical and beneficial. It was also the beginning of the Northeast arts and music expansion. The 331 was instrumental in that. They turned a dive bar into a music destination. And we got in on the ground floor.
“They have music every night of the week and offer the stage to a lot of people. The 331 commits to music. And we commit to them. There’s a responsibility to respect that commitment.”
One person who has quietly kept that commitment since the 331’s beginnings is Jason Woolery. He is there every week, running the sound board, Tuesdays through Fridays and occasionally Mondays and Saturdays.
Oulman said, “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Jason – as the entertainment manager, he takes care of the musicians, the expectations, the equipment. He does everything from the booking to the sound.”
Woolery returns the favor. “The Oulmans have been amazing,” he said. “They hired me and gave me my career. The 331 has an amazing location, smack dab in the heart of the Northeast Arts District. I fell in love with the room. There was nothing like it for a music venue in the area and I saw the uniqueness and potential. The room had rough acoustics at the beginning, but we’ve transformed it.”
Building Community
Other Northeast venues sometimes present music – bars such as Mayslack’s, Shaw’s, The NE Palace, Grumpy’s and Dusty’s and now breweries including Indeed, Bauhaus and 612 Brew. What sets the 331 Club apart?
“What makes us different is we’re all-in on the music,” said Jarret Oulman. “From the start we presented full bands, seven nights a week. We re-did the bar’s sight lines so everyone can see the stage. We committed to no TV and not showing football during the shows. We prioritized the bands and wanted people to prefer to play here.”
Diversity is also crucial, he said: “We try to tap different kinds of scenes, age groups and genres. Jason and Harold get throngs of people who have been active for 16-17 years. They have given a piece of their life to this room.”
While Northeast music has come a long way from the early blue-collar polka festivals, it is still mostly a bar-centered scene while the neighborhood’s historic industrial buildings have morphed into visual artist enclaves.
The two scenes have grown up side-by-side, in part through events like Art-A-Whirl®, the nation’s largest annual artist open studio tour, promoted by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA). Live-music bashes have become a big part of that weekend – arguably to its detriment at times.
“When the drinking and music felt like it was dominating, conversations took place asking if this was good,” noted Jarret Oulman. “The talk now is more muted because, post-COVID and George Floyd, we need people to come to Northeast and engage in theater, bars, galleries, and restaurants. Art-a-Whirl is one way we know how to be successful.
“NEMAA right now is very inclusive. It’s very helpful for what Northeast needs.”
Many would argue that places like the 331 Club are also what Northeast needs. As frugal regulars can attest, there is no cover charge for the music and plentiful drink specials.
At a time when most venues charge for music and are raising prices, one hopes the 331 can carry on. Oulman is optimistic but realistic: “We get by — we pay the bands and pass the tip jar. It’s sustainable as long as the bands want to play.”
A KFAI Radio House Party show at the 331 Club, led by “Hurricane” Harold Tremblay, right. (Photo by Karen R. Nelson)
