Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Say goodbye to Java Joe's

The name may be changing, but the music will go on

The new Backdrop at the old Java Joe's, with singer-songwriter Happy Ron Hill backed by Digital Lizards of Doom keyboardist Gallie (photo by Dennis Andersen, used with permission)
The new Backdrop at the old Java Joe's, with singer-songwriter Happy Ron Hill backed by Digital Lizards of Doom keyboardist Gallie (photo by Dennis Andersen, used with permission)
Place

Backdrop

2611 Congress Street, San Diego

Java Joe has backed away, but a longtime friend has stepped up to keep the music going under a new stage banner, the Backdrop.

Joe Flammini, who has showcased homegrown singer/songwriters including Jewel, Jason Mraz, Steve Poltz, and Gregory Page as they honed their craft locally before breaking out into international success, has walked away from the namesake music venue he launched 27 years ago.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Java Joe’s began in Poway in 1991, moving to Ocean Beach in 1994 (where it reopened at a different location in 2000, hosting Jason Mraz for two live album recordings). The acoustic music mecca has also been based in Hillcrest, Mission Valley, at Sunset Temple in North Park, in the Ideal Hotel downtown, and there was a shortlived Java Joe's Pub on El Cajon Boulevard circa 2004-2005 (previously Kelly's Pub, later the State House). In 2016, Java Joe's moved to its newest location at 2611 Congress Street, in a historic Old Town building.

Health issues have mandated that Flammini back off from operating Java Joe's on a day-to-day basis. Chance Boren has made a commitment to keep the dream alive.

“I’ve been working with Joe for 22 years,” says Boren. “Although to some he was a notorious crank, he was always a mentor to me.”

The upshot: Boren took over the business as of October 1 and renamed it the Backdrop. “We were transitioning throughout the month of September. This is entirely new to me.” Boren says he has applied to get a license to eventually sell beer and wine. “I don’t know the exact time frame on that.”

Boren is a longtime friend of Mraz. “Jason actually played for our first full show October 6." Boren oversees the comic book collection that is part of the live show of the Digital Lizards of Doom, a local sci-fi nerdcore rock group.

“Eventually, we would like to have music four nights a week including an open mic night and three other [showcase] nights," says Boren of the Backdrop. "But we also want to be more than a music venue. We want to be a center for the nerd community with game tournaments and sci-fi movies. For the month of October, we are showing classic old horror movies on Friday night.”

Boren says Joe himself will still be around to host a show or two each month. He says he's glad the Backdrop remains in the Old Town locale. “I love the tourists. On a Friday night, parking can be rough. But I love the feel of the building. It is all wood, and it has a giant tree in the middle of it. It’s part of the area called 'old town local' that was originally built as bungalows.”

Past Event

Gregory Page

  • Saturday, October 20, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
  • Backdrop, 2611 Congress Street, San Diego
  • $20

Java Joe heritage artist Gregory Page performs Saturday October 20 at the Backdrop, under the Java Joe’s Presents banner. Other upcoming dates include Fully Patched (November 9), Ryan Dart (November 10), Ricky Giordano & Friends (November 11), and MC Flow & Her Highness Court (November 17).

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
The new Backdrop at the old Java Joe's, with singer-songwriter Happy Ron Hill backed by Digital Lizards of Doom keyboardist Gallie (photo by Dennis Andersen, used with permission)
The new Backdrop at the old Java Joe's, with singer-songwriter Happy Ron Hill backed by Digital Lizards of Doom keyboardist Gallie (photo by Dennis Andersen, used with permission)
Place

Backdrop

2611 Congress Street, San Diego

Java Joe has backed away, but a longtime friend has stepped up to keep the music going under a new stage banner, the Backdrop.

Joe Flammini, who has showcased homegrown singer/songwriters including Jewel, Jason Mraz, Steve Poltz, and Gregory Page as they honed their craft locally before breaking out into international success, has walked away from the namesake music venue he launched 27 years ago.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Java Joe’s began in Poway in 1991, moving to Ocean Beach in 1994 (where it reopened at a different location in 2000, hosting Jason Mraz for two live album recordings). The acoustic music mecca has also been based in Hillcrest, Mission Valley, at Sunset Temple in North Park, in the Ideal Hotel downtown, and there was a shortlived Java Joe's Pub on El Cajon Boulevard circa 2004-2005 (previously Kelly's Pub, later the State House). In 2016, Java Joe's moved to its newest location at 2611 Congress Street, in a historic Old Town building.

Health issues have mandated that Flammini back off from operating Java Joe's on a day-to-day basis. Chance Boren has made a commitment to keep the dream alive.

“I’ve been working with Joe for 22 years,” says Boren. “Although to some he was a notorious crank, he was always a mentor to me.”

The upshot: Boren took over the business as of October 1 and renamed it the Backdrop. “We were transitioning throughout the month of September. This is entirely new to me.” Boren says he has applied to get a license to eventually sell beer and wine. “I don’t know the exact time frame on that.”

Boren is a longtime friend of Mraz. “Jason actually played for our first full show October 6." Boren oversees the comic book collection that is part of the live show of the Digital Lizards of Doom, a local sci-fi nerdcore rock group.

“Eventually, we would like to have music four nights a week including an open mic night and three other [showcase] nights," says Boren of the Backdrop. "But we also want to be more than a music venue. We want to be a center for the nerd community with game tournaments and sci-fi movies. For the month of October, we are showing classic old horror movies on Friday night.”

Boren says Joe himself will still be around to host a show or two each month. He says he's glad the Backdrop remains in the Old Town locale. “I love the tourists. On a Friday night, parking can be rough. But I love the feel of the building. It is all wood, and it has a giant tree in the middle of it. It’s part of the area called 'old town local' that was originally built as bungalows.”

Past Event

Gregory Page

  • Saturday, October 20, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
  • Backdrop, 2611 Congress Street, San Diego
  • $20

Java Joe heritage artist Gregory Page performs Saturday October 20 at the Backdrop, under the Java Joe’s Presents banner. Other upcoming dates include Fully Patched (November 9), Ryan Dart (November 10), Ricky Giordano & Friends (November 11), and MC Flow & Her Highness Court (November 17).

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

Summit Fellowship wants to be a home of belonging

Unitarian Universalism allows you to be exactly who you are in the moment
Comments
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Dec. 4, 2018
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.