Guitar Bar
The Alley
3225 Grand Ave., Oakland
Wednesday, 8 – 12 p.m.
“That was much better than I was expecting!” Paul Hlebcar (pronounced heb-car) proclaimed from behind his KN95 mask, his soft silver curls draped over his shoulders, topped with a faded black baseball cap.
Seated behind the piano at The Alley in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood, famously a piano bar where patrons sing along, Hlebcar instead brandished a steel string acoustic guitar. He made the mildly congratulatory comment after my friend and I finished a less-than-ideal version of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” (The Dylan version, mind you.)
Wednesday night at The Alley piano bar, we learned, is guitar night instead.
The space is cozy without feeling too divey, with steak on the menu, strong drinks, and a friendly bar staff. (I had a thorough conversation about green Chartreuse, a mutual favorite, with one of the employees.)
The place is usually at least half filled. On this night only two patrons were posted at the piano when we walked in, rather than the standing-room-only crowd I have encountered in the past. So my friend and I each took stools front and center and prepared to take our turns at the mic as several other people showed up.
I have, at best, a good backup voice. And I’m rusty. And I don’t sing in public, or perform at all, really. So when our fellow song enthusiasts handed us mics (“We’ve been singing for hours”), I waited a few songs before putting my vocal chords and pride in front of amplification. Still rough. Quite. But, at least we got the cascading lyrics in pretty OK, which is what seemed to matter more to Hlebcar.
We spent the next two hours, far longer than we’d planned, singing and being sung to, as well as gleaning bits of intel from the man behind the piano.
Hlebcar told us he’s been playing at The Alley weekly for years, which, as I previously mentioned, I had no clue of. During the pandemic he began a YouTube channel of his guitar playing, including many solely instrumental numbers, often in several keys, for folks to karaoke to at home. His handle, @guitarbar, boasts 150 videos of him at home earnestly playing for the homebound masses.
The patrons (we were later joined by two others, one of whom was a great vocalist) chose classics such as “Rhiannon” and “Stand By Me.” One standout was a rendition of the Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” sung by the aforementioned surprise crooner. Smooth, sweet, and just that hint of heartache, he gave the late soul singer a run for his money.
When asked his favorite songs (to play), Hlebcar took a moment to reflect. He landed on Bob Dylan’s “Up To Me,” from the More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series. He belted and finessed it, lending his own sound, and superior voice, to the work of a beloved and singular artist.
Every Wednesday from 8 to midnight (he doesn’t go over his time slot; steel strings are hard work), Hlebcar takes his post behind a famous piano and makes his musical mark. And if you catch a quiet night, maybe you’ll take a swing at a song you know most of the lyrics to, too.
The Alley is open daily from 6 p.m.-2 a.m., with live musicians Monday through Saturday.
