No djs allowed: O'Connell on the new Brothers Lounge stage.

Housed in an 11,000-square-foot building that dates back nearly a century, the Brother's Lounge (11609 Detroit Ave., 216.226.2767) was once a hotbed for both local and national blues and rock acts. Then the club closed and the building fell into decay. But three years ago, Chris Riemenscheinder and Rodger Riggs bought the place with the intention of restoring it to its former glory.

Set to reopen Friday, March 14, the club has been renovated and then some. The wood floors were hand-cut by Amish workers, and the cherry and mahogany wood that makes up the paneling on the front and rear bars is astounding. And with a state-of-the-art refrigerated tap room for the beer kegs located in the basement, the place will offer more than just your everyday selection of draft beers.

The club also features a front wine bar separated from the concert facility. As swanky as the place might look, manager Giuseppe O'Connell says it will still be a joint where you can get a shot and beer if you like.

"We're trying to be very affordable," he says one afternoon as he's overseeing the final touches (the lighting rig was just installed above the stage and the sound system was being tweaked). "We're not charging downtown liquor prices. You order a cocktail; it's five bucks. You order a beer; it's three to four dollars. The food is very affordable, too."

Initially, the talent will mostly be local, but O'Connell says the club will eventually start booking national acts and charging nominal covers.

"They'll never have a DJ here," O'Connell says. "[The owners] are brutal about that. The club is music-driven first. We'll have lighter jazz in the wine bar, but the music in the main room will change from week to week. We'll have both rock and blues. We want musicians to want to play here." - Jeff Niesel

The Matinee opens Cleveland Venue

Thursday's Lounge DJ Mario Nemr opened the Matinee in Akron nearly two years ago and now he's expanding to include a Cleveland location (2527 W. 25th St.). For its grand opening weekend, the venue has booked the Very Knees, Black Girls and the Strange Division on Friday, March 14, and DJ Frank Spicer, who will hold down a Saturday residency, on Saturday, March 15. Singer-songwriter Patrick Sweany will also have a regular Wednesday night gig at the club. - JN

Camp Jam Comes to Cleveland

Camp Jam, a summer camp for aspiring rockers ages 7-17 held across the country, is promoting itself with its Ready-Set-ROCK! Tour that stops in Cleveland on Saturday, March 15. On that day, it will set up at four music stores where either Camp Rock founder and 38 Special guitarist Jeff Carlisi or Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto will conduct an interactive clinic, followed by both virtual and real-life guitar competitions for kids. The former, on NAMM's Wanna Play Guitar? video game, offers the chance to win a $100 music-store gift certificate. The other, in which each player shows off 30 seconds of his or her actual instrumental skills, offers a free weeklong session at this summer's Camp Rock Cleveland. The events take place at 10:30 a.m. at Stebal Drums (32612 Vine St., Willowick) with DeVitto; at 10:30 a.m. at Geauga Music City (131 Wilson Mills Rd., Chardon) with Carlisi; at 3 p.m. at Skyline Music (27010 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake) with DeVitto; and at 3 p.m. at Royalton Music (6552 Royalton Rd., North Royalton) with Carlisi. Any drummer, bassist, guitarist, keyboard player or singer 7-17 may participate. Get info or pre-register (optional; walk-ins welcome) at campjam.com or call 800.513.0930. - Anastasia Pantsios

Garage Hosts Patty's Day Concerts

The Garage Bar (1859 W. 25th St., 216.696.7772) is hosting what it's calling a "3 Day Bender" to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. At 10 p.m. Saturday, March 15, it's booked local glam-rock heroes Cobra Verde, who will showcase at least a few songs from their forthcoming new album, and at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 16, the Not So Good Ole Boys play along with DJ Marty, who opens the show. The club opens at noon on Monday, March 17 and Madison Crawl starts playing at 3 p.m. - JN

Kassaba Concert rescheduled

The special family-friendly concert by local instrumental percussion-oriented jazz-classical-world fusion quartet Kassaba at Heights Arts Studio at the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library (2340 Lee Rd.) that was postponed from last month takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15. Kids should enjoy seeing the band's members swapping out on 25 unusual percussion instruments. It's $12 adults, $10 kids at the door. Call 216.371.3457 for info. - AP