Venue News

Gas Monkey Bar & Grill in Dallas rebrands, farewell Richard Rawlings

The venue overlooks its own body of water.

Courtesy photo

The restaurant and live music spot formerly known as Gas Monkey Bar & Grill in Northwest Dallas is rebranding. New name: Amplified, and former co-founder Richard Rawlings is no longer involved.

It'll occupy the same space at 10261 Technology Blvd., but with a renovated interior, improved audio system, and new menu.

According to a release, Amplified will celebrate a grand opening on October 5 with Atlanta rock band Manchester Orchestra, plus tattoo artist Bob Kakaha (aka Bob Zilla), who will be doing Amplified lightning bolt tattoos and other designs to commemorate the occasion.

Additional shows already booked include Matisyahu, Bad Religion, and Alkaline Trio.

This represents the next chapter for what was originally a two-pronged concept, with a bar & grill on one side, and a live music venue, Gas Monkey Live, on the other. Gas Monkey Live closed in 2020; the space has since been acquired by a new owner although it remains empty.

Managing partner Alex Mendonsa says that they'll keep hosting live music at Amplified, which has both an indoor stage and an epic outdoor space.

"The Grill has always had a wonderful outdoor stage right on a park, overlooking a neat waterway," Mendonsa says. "We'll still have the live music, great food, and cold drinks we're known for, just a different name."

Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill opened in 2013, followed by Gas Monkey Live in 2014 in the space formerly occupied by Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Northwest Dallas. It was part of the empire fronted by Richard Rawlings, Fort Worth native and co-star of the Discovery channel TV show Fast N' Loud.

Rawlings was the front man — but the venue was always run by Mendonsa, who came to Dallas from the House of Blues Las Vegas; talent buyer Peter Ore, formerly of Talent Live Nation Denver; and brothers Mike and Dan Flaherty of United Commercial Realty.

"Richard is taking the name, and it gives us the freedom to move forward and focus on what we've been doing for the past eight years — providing the best entertainment we can get our hands on, with the best food and service," Mendonsa says. "We don't have security guards, we have security hosts. When people come to the venue, they're pleasantly surprised."

Food & drink
The menu will still feature Gas Monkey favorites such as burgers, sandwiches, and smoked meats, but also new dishes such as chicken Marsala, shrimp-chicken-sausage étouffée, chicken-fried steak sandwich, al pastor tacos, and birria-style brisket.

The drinks menu has also received an update, with new cocktails and shots, plus local and national beer.

Renovation of the space
Amplified's interior was given an overhaul, with new floors, a wraparound bar near the stage, new seating and upholstery, paint, and new décor.

Gear-wise, they did a big upgrade:

The interior stage now houses a DAS Vantec Series PA system with eight speakers and 15,000 watts of total power.
Extensive lighting features 24 fixtures, including eight moving fixtures, and a 176-inch HD LED video wall.
The outdoor stage received its own update, with a DAS Aero Series PA system with 30 speakers and 40,000 watts of total power.
A state-of-the-art lighting system features 54 fixtures, including 24 moving fixtures, and another 176-inch HD LED video wall.

They feel confident that, with its updates, Amplified is the best place in Dallas to see a show, whether indoors or out.

"We're off the beaten path, but that becomes an advantage," Mendonsa says. "Having an outdoor stage is obviously a big plus right now, but we're also not subject to ordinances for sound or having to be done by a certain time. We have plenty of parking, and we don't charge for parking. We end up being a destination."

closings music concerts

Movie review

Nick Jonas steals song from Paul Rudd in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

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Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

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