Hi-Dive Owners, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Starting New Bar Friday

It's not out of the realm of possibility that members of a certain band could play a show or two at a new Denver watering hole they're backing.

On Friday, July 22, with some investment help from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, the Overland bar is opening its doors at 1967 S. Broadway, in the former Bushwacker's Saloon spot.

But despite their common interest, bar owners Matty Clark and Josh Terry (of Hi-Dive), together with GM Chip Dziedzic (from the band Major Sports), and chef Josh Kauffman (formerly of Hi-Dive, Ace, Steuben's, Wild Catch, and Old Major) are focusing on quality cocktails and food, rather than live music, in this new setting.

"We’ve all been friends and associates for years, and it all started through music," Kauffman explained. Rather than trying to open a second Hi-Dive, however, he said co-owners Clark and Terry "realized this could be a really nice little restaurant and bar spot."

The 90-person bar and patio will have a historical Colorado feel and a locally sourced menu to match, according to Kauffman, whose dishes will include a Colorado lamb, skirt steak, and "straightforward" burger, as well as a green chili stew and various Mexican-American influences.

Dziedzic's bar program will work with the food menu, featuring simple cocktails with Colorado spirits as well as local brewers such as TRVE Brewing and Ratio Beerworks.

Regarding entertainment, Overland will most often be a place to catch up with friends, play pool, or watch a game, but Kauffman said he can foresee weekend appearances by local DJs, and possibly even acoustic or jazz acts.

As for the Night Sweats, he said: "That could be something in the future that would be really exciting for all of us."