Jolly's Piano Joint (formerly the Redhead Lounge) has been bounced around a bit as of late. It spent some time in The Latham Hotel, moved to 19th Street, only to make a recent return to the Latham's Walnut Street space; and we hear talk that it might be bumped back into the old Redhead Lounge space on the Latham's 17th Street side again. It's worth seeking out wherever it ends up. Phillyist has made several forays to Jolly's, and has never failed to have a good time.

In fact, we feel that if you can't have a good time at Jolly's, you probably aren't any fun at all.

The concept is simple – Jolly's is a bar and restaurant with live piano performances. The audience is welcome, even encouraged, to make requests and sing along. (They are also encouraged to drop some dead presidents in the tip jar – a few dollars goes a long way to getting your song of choice played.) It's a little like karaoke in this respect, only in this case the whole bar is singing sloppily along, so there's less performance anxiety.

We recommend stopping in on Thursday or Saturday nights – which is when Stu Shames man's the piano. Shames is funny, personable, a little ribald, and knows how to handle a crowd. We've seen him manage some awkward situations gracefully, including drunken bachelorettes trying to disrobe him, people on Walnut Street gaping through the windows over his shoulder, and, most recently, a strange man with a Members Only jacket and a harmonica who repeatedly insisted on playing along; and all this without missing a note. And no surprise there; he's a consummate performer, a passionate music fan and one of the brains behind the Philadelphia Songwriters Project. And even though we firmly disagree with his no Bobby Darin policy, we have seen him go from Cole Porter into Bon Jovi; he's a man who knows his stuff.

Oh – another thing – if you go when Shames is playing, be prepared for at least an hour where Billy Joel requests are verboten. And we can't say we blame him.

The service at Jolly's is top notch, and the drinks are generous (if a little pricey). There's no cover however, so if you don't drink (or stick to non-alcoholic fare) it conceivably could be a cheap night out. Between drinks and the tip jar, it can get costly, quickly. When we go, we pretty much resign ourselves to the fact that we'll be spending a pretty penny (after all, we can't be frugal all the time). Since it gives us a chance to be goofy and sing at the top of our lungs in public, we consider it money well spent.

The Joint gets crowded quickly come 10PM or so, so if you want a table, we recommend you get there before 9PM, or even earlier if you want to secure seats around the piano (best seats in the house).

And for Pete's sake, think of something more original to ask for than Piano Man.

Jolly's Piano Joint
The Latham Hotel
17 th & Walnut Street

Photo by author