Caroline Street may be party central in Saratoga Springs, but one new business set to open on the famous stretch is looking to offer a slightly chiller vibe on Friday and Saturday nights. saratoga living has learned that Soundbar Saratoga, a new live music hotspot and hangout lounge, will be coming soon to 6 Caroline Street, where The Reserve Night Club used to be, with an official grand opening planned for Friday, February 7.
“We’re looking for a little bit of an older crowd,” says Brian Miller, Soundbar Saratoga’s marketing director. “It’ll be a place to hang out downtown where people aren’t going to be bumped into, where they can be comfortable in their own skin.”
So what kind of sounds will the new lounge be serving up? The answer is a little bit for everyone. There will be live music every Friday and Saturday from 8-11pm, with a DJ afterward playing mostly “old-school, throwback music,” per Miller. Soundbar will feature the region’s top DJ and party band talent such as Funk Evolution, Cedar Creek and The Refrigerators. There are also already some fun events in the works, including a “Just Beat It” Mardi Gras Party on February 29; a “Parents Night Out” on March 7; and “Crash My Country” nights, a monthly (or possibly, biweekly) series of nothing but live country music kicking off with Skeeter Creek, True Grit and other groups on March 20.
As for victuals and beverages, Miller says that there’ll be quite a bit of that as well. “We’re doing a tiki-influenced cocktail menu: rum drinks, painkillers, Mai Tais and more,” he says. In addition to some rum-rich cocktails, there’ll beer, wine and a signature Soundbar Moscow Mule (vodka, pineapple juice, ginger beer, blue curaçao and fresh lime juice). The live music venue is also considering partnering with a nearby restaurant to offer tasty takeout bites as well.
Miller has been in the bar business for almost eight years now, working at 6 Caroline Street when it was The Reserve and, before that, The Paddock. The Upstate native grew up in Johnstown, about 45 minutes west of Saratoga, with Soundbar’s owner Josh Loucks, who also bought The Bourbon Room, right next door at 8 Caroline Street, in 2016.
“You have to constantly evolve to stay on that street or else the next person will come in and put you out of business,” says Miller of his years in the business on Caroline. “You have to refresh yourself every three years, and it’s nice to be able to do that. As I get older, it’s nice to be able to evolve and provide something that I enjoy doing right now.”
As for the grand opening on February 7, Miller says to expect live music from local premier party band Cryin’ Out Loud, plus a bunch of fun giveaways. A portion of the proceeds from Soundbar’s opening night will also be donated to the Saratoga Senior Center.
