The interior of Radio Bar is nostalgic, almost film noir, and is about as cool as the concept. (Credit: Collin Richie)

People go to bars for many different reasons. A bar can be someone’s workday wind-down, an environment for a social gathering, or a place to meet new people. Such an establishment can attract many different age groups, creating a networking mixer from night to night. It can serve as an office for those lucky enough to have avoided cubicle life.

But every bar with a jukebox occasionally gets those people. The totalitarian jukebox bullies.

Let’s face it: we all know a guy who asks the bartender for 25 quarters. They are quarters for the sole purpose of picking one billion songs that he thinks you want to hear. He might be trying to expose you to music you’ve never heard before, or he might not give a damn what you’re exposed to. Either way, whether you like it or not, he’s effectively chosen what the rest of your night will sound like, and Murphy’s Law states that you won’t enjoy most of them.

Though the situation might not seem so extreme if it’s never happened to you, it’s not much different from Soviet Russia.

The reign of jukebox bullies will end very soon – for mid city, at least. For the last year or so, photographer Brian Baiamonte and restaurant owner David Remmetter have been building a new era of customer-controlled tunes in a restored garage on Government Street. It’s a themed bar, with custom-made graphic design elements that lend the appearance of an old radio. The main source of light in the bar is from a string of minimalist, industrial fixtures that surround a single light bulb with a wire cage. The front door and windows are made of frosted or clouded glass. A streetlight shines directly on the door from the outside, so when a person walks up to enter, their body casts a shadow visible from the inside. When you’re outside, it looks as if the interior is glowing with red light.

Remmetter and Baiamonte have taken this old, brick garage and created walls within it, plus a loft for a DJ lookout-point and a wooden deck for the smoking (and, maybe, ping-pong) faction.

This old-meets-chic aesthetic carries on with the innovative concept of the bar, which involves the way music is chosen and played inside.

They’ve dubbed it Radio Bar, and its jukebox system will be a game-changer – mostly because its jukebox is physically incapable of being bullied by one person’s musical tastes. Instead of charging a quarter per song, Radio Bar’s jukebox is free and runs on a classically democratic voting system.

“You download an app on your phone, and it shows you the songs that are about to play,” explained Baiamonte. “You can vote for a song in the database, and if it gets enough votes from other people in the bar, it plays next.”

If you and your friends outnumber the rest of the patrons in the bar, your group could technically bully the jukebox. However, that doesn’t stop another group from walking in and out-voting your song. As if anticipating the actions of a newly birthed democratic nation, Baiamonte predicted that alliances might emerge from this sort of system.

“You can meet people that way, by finding who voted for a song that you voted for, too,” he said.

Another facet of the Radio Bar jukebox is the 28 DJs, who have been compiling sets for live streaming outside of business hours. Surely not all of these DJs are former jukebox bullies, but if some are of that persuasion, this is a great outlet for them.

“[The DJs] have been putting together programs and uploading them, and we’re streaming them when we’re not open. Some of the shows already have followings. We don’t want a lot of traffic in here during the day, like a regular radio station with DJs swapping out. They’re uploading a two-hour show, and we stream it all day, and when the doors open for business, the clientele or the bartender is controlling the music.”

That’s not to say that DJs won’t be allowed to play during business hours. They will – just not yet.

“We want to see how the interactive aspect of it shakes out first, because I think people will really enjoy that, and we don’t want to eliminate that right away,” said Baiamonte. “But also, I think DJs are an attraction, and there will be times where we have a specialty DJ come in and do a show, maybe later in the night.”

The growing mid city area chosen for this jukebox revolution is in for a treat. The bar will be 21-and-older only, and will feature a high-end cocktail menu, as well as varying drink specials. Games like shuffleboard and ping-pong tables on the wooden patio outside will provide a well-rounded night out. Now, all they have to do is open – the opening date has been pushed back several times due to construction details, but it’s only because they’re making sure it’s perfect. Don’t worry…it’ll be soon.

“We’re getting there,” Remmetter assured.

Ways to use Radio Bar’s Jukebox System to its Full Potential:

– Campaign. Take advantage of the democratic situation available here! Print signs for your song of choice, and introduce yourself to strangers so they’ll vote for it.

– Avoid Mutiny. Your song will never get played if you don’t have a certain degree of solidarity. Don’t turn against your group of friends!

– Write a Booth Constitution. If you plan on being a regular at Radio Bar with a more or less steady group of friends, draft a constitution, making sure to include songs no one should vote for. After the debate, everyone involved in the framing should sign the document.

– Create Alliances with other Nations. While no one should be expected to agree on everything, it’d be best to know which regulars will agree on specific songs. Encourage alliances with other sovereign booths that have drafted constitutions, in case you ever have to go to war.

– Rick Roll, whenever possible. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s when you disguise a link to the video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” as something else, that is way cooler.

Prepare for the Revolution!

Download the Radio Bar application for your phone by searching the iTunes store for “Remote.” Visit www.TheRadioBar.com to find out what’s playing at the bar before you get there!

Keep up with the latest on Radio Bar’s opening date by visiting their Facebook, or their website: www.TheRadioBar.com.