The newest version of Hammerjacks will open Sunday at 1300 Russell Street, just south of M&T Bank Stadium, with the first of nine “tailgate parties” coinciding with Ravens home games.
Unlike previous iterations that were indoor bars or clubs, the new Hammerjacks is starting out as an open-air venue with an outdoor stage that will feature a rotating roster of cover bands. Owners held a preview this week and say national acts could be on the schedule as early as 2022.
“Live music is the bedrock on which the Hammerjacks brand was built,” co-proprietor Mark Dinerstein said in a statement. “We plan to continue developing our entertainment calendar as the months go on. All types of live music are possible, depending on the status of the pandemic and economy over the next year.”
It’s All Good, a band featuring covers from the ’90s and the 2000s, will perform this Sunday, when the Ravens play the Kansas City Chiefs. Other performers include: The Cassaday Connection on Oct. 11, when the Ravens play the Indianapolis Colts; Weird Science on Oct. 17, when the Los Angeles Chargers come to town; High Voltage on Oct. 24, when the Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals; and Under the Covers on Nov. 7, when the Ravens face the Minnesota Vikings.
Performers haven’t yet been named for the tailgate parties on Nov. 28, Dec. 19, Jan. 2 and Jan. 9. Another scheduled event is the Quintessential Soul Festival on Oct. 10 starting at 1 p.m. Hammerjacks is working with three local non-profits: the Parks and People Foundation, Skatepark of Baltimore and the Ulman Foundation. (Full disclosure: Ken Ulman, a former director of the foundation and brother of its founder, is a part-owner of Baltimore Fishbowl.)
Located at the corner of Russell and Ostend streets, the multi-purpose space is designed to hold up to 2,500 guests for everything from live performances to private events. Huge screens enable guests to watch pregame shows, NFL highlights and Ravens games. Tickets for the tailgate parties are on sale starting at $7 and are available at hammerjacks.com.
This is the fourth location for Hammerjacks, which was established in 1977. It started as a bar in a converted rowhouse on South Charles Street and then moved after five years to a converted brewery on South Howard Street.
The 22,000-square-foot brewery is where Hammerjacks played host to Guns N Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, The Ramones and other well-known acts. Joan Jett shot her video for “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” there. Iron Maiden featured the club on the cover of its 1986 album “Somewhere in Time.” John Waters filmed a key scene for Serial Mom there.
The Howard Street Hammerjacks was forced to close in 1997 when the Maryland Stadium Authority acquired the property and razed the building to create a parking lot for M&T Bank Stadium. It was briefly reborn as a DJ-oriented dance club on Guilford Avenue and closed again in 2006. It now has different owners, who vow to operate with “the same rock & roll attitude that fueled the original.”
Joan Jett shot the ILRNR video at The Inn in long beach