South Lane gets music pub.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 12/1/2006): A story in the Nov. 24 Ticket on Page 6 about the Axe and Fiddle in Cottage Grove misstated the ownership of Sam Bond's Garage. Bart Caridio is the only person with partial ownership in both businesses.

COTTAGE GROVE - It's probably not news to very many people in Cottage Grove that the Axe and Fiddle is opening soon. Folks around here have been poking their curious heads in the door for weeks asking those working inside when it will open.

The wait ends tonight for the music venue that also hosts a bakery, a barbershop and is the new home of Kalapuya Books. Two shows this weekend will serve as the nightclub's official public grand opening.

"The buzz has been building," says Brad van Appel, one of the building's four owners. With Bart Caridio, van Appel is one of three Sam Bond's Garage owners who will manage the pub.

"Cottage Grove is really ready," he says.

The project has been in the works for more than a year and a half, when the four partners began refurbishing the historic Burkholder Woods structure, built in 1908.

"We went back to the historic look of it," van Appel says. That meant removing thousands of tiny tiles from the building's exterior.

Workers uncovered buried skylights, knocked out walls of what had been an apartment, refinished the original wood floors and reused much of the lumber from the remodel in different parts of the building.

Tongue-and-grove paneling found behind the stage is from the original building, as is wood from the sound booth. The bar top is milled from a tree raised using sustainable harvesting practices on nearby Cougar Mountain.

The Axe and Fiddle will share Peter Wilde, the Sam Bond's booker who's also a well-known folk singer. The A&F is likely to share some artists with the successful Whitaker area music venue.

The pub's layout provides for a dance floor and yet offers several tables close to the stage. For those not there for the music, there are barstools toward the front door and and a loft area above it all.

Van Appel says the best views in the house are those near the rail of the loft area. But he says there are a few places where people who want to carry on conversations would be more comfortable: a small nook near the entrance and toward the back of the mezzanine. In those seats, people will be able to hear each other and the music without interrupting the show.

"The acoustics seem to be pretty good so far," van Appel says.

Wilde says as far as booking goes, he'll see what the audience seems to like. He guesses it will be a lot of bluegrass, country, folk and rock - similar to Sam Bond's, although probably avoiding the indie-rock bands popular at the west Eugene venue.

Sharing a wall with the stage is the Backstage Bakery. During the day, the bakery will offer breakfast and lunch items and baked goods, and at night will feature pizzetas for the music lovers and hanger-outers.

Van Appel claims it will be the best pizza in Lane County.

The official capacity is 96 people, compared with 80 at Sam Bond's. But with its high ceilings and seating in the loft, the Axe and Fiddle seems much the larger of the two.

Adding to that wide-open feeling is the adjacent Kalapuya Books. The bookstore will close during most pub hours, but through an open space near the ceiling, night revelers still get a glimpse of the store's many titles.

The owners designed the space and did much of the construction work themselves. Last week, the lead carpenter rushed around the building talking care of last-minute items, such as installing privacy walls in the restrooms.

Though city code doesn't dictate it be so, the Axe and Fiddle will be a smoke-free establishment. The owners say that makes sense, aside from health reasons, because smoke heeds no boundaries and wouldn't hesitate to waft over into the bookstore.

All four owners are "commu- nity-minded" people, so while they hope their businesses will be profitable, they also see their joint venture as a gathering spot for meetings and events other than musical enter- tainment.

The pub will have music four nights a week, serve local and regional microbrews and have an emphasis on Oregon wines.

"We wanted to have a place that feels comfortable to a wide range of people," van Appel says. "We're trying to be light, friendly and community-ori- ented.

`A lot of people in smaller communities around here will be happy they don't have to drive to Eugene."

AXE AND FIDDLE GRAND OPENING Who: Jackstraw, a Portland bluegrass band, plays today; Macaco Velho, Brazilian dance music, plays Saturday When: Both shows start at 9 p.m. Cover: $5 each day Where: 657 E. Main St., Cottage Grove Phone: [phone] Also: A celebration for the other businesses in the building - including a bakery, barbershop and bookstore - will take place in December

You can telephone Serena Markstrom at 338-2371 or e-mail her at smarkstrom@guardnet .com.