The 500 block of Clematis street in downtown West Palm Beach gets a new live music venue when Voltaire launches this weekend with three free grand opening concerts. The new nightclub and lounge is tucked away above the recently revived hipster pool hall Lost Weekend.

Tonight (Aug. 24), catch Public Sounds Collective of West Palm Beach playing an eclectic mix of funk, jazz and soul. On Friday, Lake Worth art-punk band Dead and Loving It (featuring members of Chaucer and Problem Child) will host its album release party, joined by The Grumps (West Palm Beach) and Prison Warder (Miami). Saturday features Miami jazzy surf band Gold Dust Lounge.

The building at 526 Clematis St. in downtown West Palm Beach that contains Lost Weekend on the first floor and the new Voltaire lounge and music venue upstairs.(Meghan Faiella / The Palm Beach Post)

All three shows are free and open to ages 21 and older. There will also be free drink tokens: Look for the wooden nickels with Voltaire's face on them. Another special event is scheduled for Monday: The Salon No. 2 (a monthly ladies night) featuring Pocket of Lollipops from Miami and Chilean Slang from Delray Beach.

Voltaire's regular schedule will be Wednesdays through Sundays, opening at 8 p.m., says manager Steve Rullman. It will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays, unless there's a special event or private party. The dark and cozy lounge, which includes a full bar, should be a perfect late-night chill spot. Closing time is 3 a.m. (or 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday).

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There will be some concerts for ages 18 and older, Rullman said, but most nights will be for ages 21 and up. Voltaire will also have a sushi bar, and guests can also easily grab a drink or food downstairs at Lost Weekend.

While the intimate venue may be new, the building and its proprietors have a long history. The 526 Clematis St. space had been vacant for decades until South Florida restaurant and nightclub impresario Rodney Mayo snapped it up in 2011. He already owns several other buildings in the historic 500 block, and he's a partner in five other restaurants and bars on the block (Lost Weekend, Respectable Street, Hullabaloo, Subculture Coffee, and Kapow Noodle Bar) as part of his Subculture Restaurant Group.

Manager Steve Rullman prepares for the opening of the new Voltaire lounge and music venue in downtown West Palm Beach. (Photo by Jim Hayward)

To manage Voltaire, Mayo brought in Rullman, a longtime leader in the South Florida music scene and editor/publisher of PureHoney magazine. Rullman's roots in the scene, as well as his association with Mayo, go all the way back to the early 1990s. Rullman, a former musician, has promoted and booked concerts for Mayo's various venues for decades. His latest venture is the annual Bumblefest (set for Sept. 2 in the 500 block of Clematis).

Rullman operated a performance and event venue called The Wormhole from 1994 to 1996 in the same building as the original Lost Weekend on Olive Avenue. The combination concert space, thrift shop and music/book store was on the ground floor while Lost Weekend was upstairs. Ironically, that's now reversed with Rullman running Voltaire one floor above Lost Weekend.

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The spaces are separated only by a stairwell, however. With shared ownership, it will make for a cohesive experience where guests of one bar can easily check out the other and enjoy the amenities of both. Like many of Mayo's establishments, Voltaire follows a counterculture theme and was designed personally by the owner. "He loves putting together the rooms," Rullman said. “Nobody really knows what he's doing until he tells you what he's doing."

Named for the 18th century French satirist and philosopher who famously advocated for freedom of speech and civil liberties in his many writings, Voltaire the nightclub immediately evokes the feel of a speakeasy with its low ceiling and dim lighting. There are many couches spread around the room, which still features its original brick walls. The venue's motto is the famous Voltaire quote, "Crush the infamy."

The staircase inside the Lost Weekend pool hall leads to the mysterious Voltaire nightclub in downtown West Palm Beach. (Photo by Ates Isildak)

Voltaire is "one of those names I've been wanting to use but never had a chance," Mayo said last week while putting the finishing touches on the interior. "Now, here it is." To say Mayo is “hands on” is an understatment. The owner was cutting wood and installing molding late into the night.

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The room's steampunk vibe is softened by Victorian-style ornamentation, drapes and lighting fixtures. The most striking feature is the collection of framed art by Allois, a surrealist painter from Los Angeles who Rullman discovered. "When Rodney told me what the theme was going to be, I knew instantly that her style would fit," he said.

A large portrait of Voltaire will also hang above the stairway entrance. He's simply "a cool dude," Mayo said. "Our mascot of The Dubliner is Oscar Wylde," he said, referring to the pub in Boca Raton co-owned with Scott Frielich. "I always pictured Oscar Wylde as a later period Voltaire. He's part of the subculture."

The subculture of the 500 block of Clematis Street includes several influential venues that are no longer with us: Ray's Downtown and The Lounge. You can get a flavor of both when the guiding lights of these former bars join Voltaire in September with their own special nights. On Sundays, Ray Carbone will host Ray's Downtown Blues night, while the Saturday night Cabaret Voltaire will feature drag shows curated by Jon Elu, former owner of The Lounge. The old sushi chef from The Lounge, Jack Kwong of Yellow Jack Sushi, will also run Voltaire's full-time sushi program.

Pearl & the Oysters from Gainesville perform during a sneak preview party at Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach on Friday, Aug. 18. (Photo by Jim Hayward)

The first night for Ray's is Sept. 3 featuring Fort Lauderdale band Tchaa! playing a mash-up of jazz and hip-hop. Cabaret Voltaire debuts on Sept. 16, including Elu's old bartending crew from The Lounge.

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"It will be like a clubhouse for us old-timers," Rullman said. "It's kind of like The Wormhole meets Ray's meets The Lounge meets Respectable Street." Mayo's original nightclub just two doors down at 518 Clematis St., the venerable Respectable Street celebrates its 30th anniversary in September with a massive block party. Mayo's building across the street from Voltaire that used to house Ray's and The Lounge now features acclaimed Subculture restaurants Kapow and Hullabaloo.

Ray's Downtown was a longtime bastion of blues, rock and punk from 1995 to 2007. It was replaced by the Longboards seafood restaurant and bar in 2011. Longboards closed late last year, and Kapow opened in May. The Lounge was a swanky sushi and cocktail spot at 517 Clematis that catered to a mixed but predominantly gay clientele and was known throughout the area for its drag shows. It closed in 2012 after a 15-year run to make way for Hullabaloo, which opened in 2013.

A view of the sushi bar during preparations for the opening of Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach. (Photo by Jim Hayward)

Some of the Voltaire employees may also be familiar, Rullman said. He planned to recruit from Lost Weekend and other Subculture Group bars and restaurants. Subculture also owns two other West Palm Beach establishments: the upscale bar Camelot Yacht Club at 114 S. Narcissus Ave. and funky Howley's diner at 4700 S. Dixie Highway. The group also operates popular bars and restaurants in Delray Beach (Dada, Honey, Subculture Coffee), Boca Raton (Kapow, The Dubliner) and Miami Beach (Lost Weekend, Kill Your Idol). That's 15 total, with eight in West Palm Beach. A new Subculture Coffee will be coming soon to Jupiter.

Lost Weekend has been in the same South Beach location for more than 20 years, but the original has bounced around downtown West Palm Beach. From 1995 to 2005, it was just off Clematis on Olive. It closed when the lease expired, popping up in 2008 at 221 Clematis St. in an upstairs space shared with the Dr. Feelgood’s rock club. When that venue closed in 2013, the vintage games again went into storage during construction and renovations of the building in the 500 block.

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The third incarnation of Lost Weekend looked great when it opened on July 14, but the building needed lots of work. It was just a shell when Mayo bought it. Rullman remembers doing a walk-through with the owner in 2011. "We climbed up ladders using our cellphones for flashlights," he said.

Mayo had to install structural support beams just to make it inhabitable. "There was no second floor," Rullman said. "It had been demolished." Mayo revived the building, putting back its wood floors as well as adding a complete new infrastructure. The only thing that remains inside are the brick walls. And Mayo knew immediately where he wanted to put the Voltaire stage, Rullman said.

Nervous Monks from Pompano Beach perform during a sneak preview party at Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach on Friday, Aug. 18. (Photo by Ates Isildak)

"We're going to have one of the best sounding small rooms around," Rullman said. It will have the "intimate venue vibe" of Propaganda, he said of the Lake Worth club he helped open in 2009. The sound system was installed by Kevin Kaufman of Kaufman Daenzer Productions in Lake Worth. The stage is large (20 by 16 feet), and the acoustics are stellar in the long and rectangular room, which has a capacity of 225.

The stage and sound got a trial run during a sneak preview show on Aug. 18 featuring Pearl & the Oysters from Gainesville, The Water Colors from Lake Worth, and Nervous Monks from Pompano Beach. The lighting system was also impressive, adding another surrealistic element to the room.

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As for the music at Voltaire, Rullman said he wants it to be unique, not just routine shows. "I want it to be more of a place where events happen," he said. "Album-release parties, birthday parties, reunion shows, touring bands. I want the shows to be more special events. I don't want to book things just to book things."

The Water Colors from Lake Worth perform during a sneak preview party at Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach on Friday, Aug. 18. (Photo by Ates Isildak)

The schedule is already filling up. Rullman not only supports the local scene, he also seeks out national acts he feels are doing something special musically. Among the bands coming to Voltaire this fall are Loafers (Dallas) on Sept. 15, Unwed Sailor (Oklahoma) on Oct. 6, Marbin (Chicago) on Oct. 8, Pro Teens (Phoenix) on Oct. 19, and Shana Falana (New York) on Nov. 9. See the full schedule on the Voltaire Facebook page.

And when there's no band on stage, the laid-back vibe at Voltaire should be a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Clematis Street. "I hope there's nights where we don't do anything and you can just come up here and it's quiet," Rullman said. "The music won't be too loud and it will be a groovy vibe." That’s something every busy downtown always needs.

"I want this to be like an oasis where you can get away from the madness," he said. "Everyone's looking for a place to chill out and just relax and be able to talk without yelling over the music. I'd like it to be that kind of a place."

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The cocktail program is designed to aid in the escapism and will reflect the same mellow, old-school vibe as the decor. Rullman said plans call for retro touches such as absinthe service, mead, and craft cocktail kegs. Classic drinks will be batched and infused with unique flavors, then garnished and served.

A painting by Allois, a surrealist artist from Los Angeles, at Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach. (Photo by Jim Hayward)

Mixologists from around the company are contributing recipes, he said. "We're going to start with the basic cocktails that everyone knows, with a twist," he said. "Then we'll move on to developing something unique."

Rullman is also busy planning the second annual Bumblefest on Sept. 2, marking the sixth anniversary of his magazine. There will be 22 bands performing at Voltaire, Respectable Street (two stages), and the Subculture Coffee alley stage. He's flying in Holy Wave from Texas to play their first Florida concert. The other headliner is Pleasures from central Florida.

September will be a busy month for the 500 block of Clematis. Respectable Street's 30th anniversary party is Sept. 23, featuring 18 bands at all of the same clubs, plus a street stage.

RELATED: 30 years of Respectable Street: How club transformed West Palm Beach

VOLTAIRE OPENING WEEKEND

• Thursday, Aug. 24 - Public Sounds Collective, 9 p.m.-3 a.m., free.

• Friday, Aug. 25 - Dead and Loving It (album release party), The Grumps, and Prison Warder, 8 p.m.-4 a.m., free.

• Saturday, Aug. 26 - Gold Dust Lounge, 9 p.m.-4 a.m., free.

• Monday, Aug. 28 - The Salon No. 2 featuring Pocket of Lollipops and Chilean Slang

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

• Sept. 2 - Bumblefest 2017 featuring 22 bands on five stages for just $5, 6 p.m. until 4 a.m. in the 500 block of Clematis Street (including Respectable Street, Voltaire, Subculture Coffee). Featuring Holy Wave, Pleasures, Peyote Coyote, The Water Colors, Lindsey Mills & the Lazy Lovers, Dead and Loving It, Nervous Monks, Other Body, Jellyfish Brothers, Backpage Escort, King Complex, Turtle Grenade, JAIALAI, Deaf Poets, Heavy Drag, Pavlov’s Bell, Wilkes Oswald, Pocket of Lollipops, John Ralston’s Shadows Band, Keith Welsh, Grey & Orange, and Brother Sundance.

• Sept. 23 - Respectable Street's 30th anniversary free block party featuring 18 bands on six stages, 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. in the 500 block of Clematis Street (including Respectable Street, Voltaire, Subculture Coffee). Featuring She Wants Revenge, Astari Nite, Everymen, Old Habits, Dead and Loving It, Church Girls, Lavola, The Grumps, The Pauses, The Watercolors, The Muggles, Skoros, Octo Gatos, Yung Tarzan, Static Momentum, Private School, The Pauses, and Symbols.