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MULTIMEDIA Video:  Old space new name: Muddy River downstairs reinvents itself as Bourbon’s

Once known as The Newbury Room, the downstairs of The Muddy River Smokehouse on Congress Street in downtown Portsmouth has just reinvented itself. Bourbon’s comes to town with a new look, new music, and a new name.

Ann Bryant, promoter of Bourbon’s, says with new bands on new nights and special nights like “Super Black Market Karaoke,” “we’re hoping to take this forward as a night spot, as a club.”

“Even though this was always used as a venue, we’re hoping with a little breath of fresh air, everyone will come out and be excited about it,” Bryant says. “It’s a fresh start.”

With a capacity of 124 people, Bryant says, the club can hold “124 people with bad attitudes, 124 people in fez hats, and 124 people in overalls.”

“There is no limit to what we will have here,” she laughs. But she guarantees there will be a lot of variety — variety that she says people may not have seen in Portsmouth before.

Doors open at 9 p.m., with a $5 cover charge, Thursday through Saturday. Bourbon’s will provide visitors with a great dance floor and bar area, Bryant says. “We have a newly staffed bar,” she said. “You’ll get your drinks fast, quick, tasty, and with a smile.”

Local and regional acts will be the norm at Bourbon’s. “We’re just thrilled to have all these bands in the area contact us,” she said. “We have a lot of bands coming up who are excited to play here in Portsmouth, in this town. Portsmouth is a natural place for bands to stop.”

She says she hopes people will begin to think of Bourbon’s as a place they check regularly for music. “People dig art and they come out to see art. We’ve got tons of it,” says Bryant, who also reviews art exhibits for Spotlight magazine.

So Bryant says if you are a music lover, an art lover, or just looking for a tasty drink, head to Bourbon’s for $5 cover charge to help support local artists (and the Muddy, of course). “It’s a party,” she says.

Right now, Bryant says the bar is “just swanky enough.”

“But we’re waiting for that first sticker to hit the wall,” she adds. “We want people to make this theirs. We’re waiting for that feel to come about. We want people to feel like this is their spot.”

A list of upcoming performances at Bourbon’s can be found at www.myspace.com/bourbonsnh. Bands interested in playing Bourbon’s, contact Lori Nolan at bourbonsnh@gmail.com.