Club News

Venerable Dallas music venue Poor David's Pub welcomes new owner

Renovations underway at Poor David's Pub.

Photo courtesy of Poor David's Pub

A revered live music venue in Dallas has changed hands: Poor David's Pub, which founder David Card first opened in 1977, has been taken over by Card's daughter, Amelia Card, following her father's retirement.

According to a release, the venue at 1313 Botham Jean Blvd. is currently undergoing renovations that include updates to the interior and exterior, as well as upgraded technology, and will reopen in August.

Rather than reinventing the historic listening room, Amelia's vision is to preserve club traditions while introducing new ways for Dallas to experience Poor David's through recurring community events, songwriter programming and opportunities to discover emerging artists.

History
David Card got into the bar business with an Oak Lawn bar called Bo's Place, before opening Poor David's Pub originally at 2900 McKinney Ave. before relocating to 1924 Greenville Ave. in 1983. He moved to the current location — then called Lamar Street — in August 2004.

Over the years, the pub hosted generations of singer-songwriters and touring musicians, while becoming known for its intimate atmosphere, exceptional acoustics, and loyal community of music fans. Favorite acts included Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Townes Van Zandt, and The Chicks, who all performed at the venue early in their careers.

Amelia Card grew up at the club, she says in a statement.

"I've been part of Poor David's Pub since I was born," she says. "I've worked the door, bartended, waited tables, emceed shows, and performed on the stage myself. This place has always been my home. Taking over after my dad is both incredibly exciting and incredibly intimidating, but more than anything, it's an honor to continue something that means so much to Dallas."

A singer-songwriter herself, Amelia brings a diverse background spanning hospitality, live performance, commercial production, entrepreneurship, and social work.

Dixie Chicks at Poor David's Pub The Chicks — then called the Dixie Chicks — at Poor David's Pub.Poor David's Pub

Updates
Renovations include refreshed stage design and lighting, new digital sound mixing system, green room improvements, expanded bar capabilities and beverage offerings, technology upgrades, and preservation, digitization and reinstallation of the venue's historic photo collection.

"We're giving Poor David's a facelift, not a makeover," Amelia says. "We want first-time visitors to immediately feel the history when they walk through the doors while making sure artists and audiences have an even better experience. We never want to lose what makes this place special."

While honoring the venue's singer-songwriter roots, her long-term vision is to expand Poor David's as a gathering place with community programming, artist meetups, and experiences that encourage people to gather around live music beyond a traditional concert night.

"People come together, experience something meaningful and leave connected not only to the music but to each other. That's the kind of space I want Poor David's to continue being," Amelia says.

New programming
That will include a Happy Hour Wednesday-Friday from 4:30-6:30 pm featuring archival live recordings from historic Poor David's Pub performances, giving guests an opportunity to revisit memorable concerts.

They'll also host performances and community events — beginning with a "Songwriters Sunday" on Sunday, August 16 with food trucks and a schedule that includes networking from 5-6 pm, singer-songwriter song swap from 6-7 pm (hosted by musicians Katharine Patterson and Remy Reilly), and open mic from 7-9 pm.

"The future of live music depends on people showing up," Card said. "Come to shows. Buy tickets. Support artists. Independent venues only exist because communities decide they're worth preserving. My goal for this next chapter is simple: keep the doors open, stay true to our roots and make sure Poor David's is here for another 50 years."

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Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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