Get served: Barking Spider Tavern

Break from your hard travelin’ at this seasoned music venue

By Marissa DeSantis, Special to Metromix

When the owners of the Barking Spider Tavern opened its doors 23 years ago in the middle of the Case Western Reserve campus, they must have known there would always be legions of American songwriters touring the country in station wagons and crashing on couches, prone to strum at the drop of a coin into an empty case.

They probably knew about the Dylan worshippers, the aging hippies who started wearing socks with their sandals, the Bob Weirs in Bermuda shorts.

They must have anticipated the current class of indie folk artists, inspired by Kerouac, incensed by a different war.

They must have loved music, and they still must. The Barking Spider remains a haven for songwriters, for performers and for night owls who like good beer, open air and a worry-free, no cover night of inspiration.