Country singer Clayton Anderson says his Indianapolis bars will be lively

Indianapolis is a popular convention city, but country singer Clayton Anderson sees an opportunity to turn up the volume.

Anderson, who grew up in Bedford and attended Indiana University, is opening country-themed bars this summer in downtown Indianapolis and in Broad Ripple with hopes of making the city a more enticing destination for conventions and meetings.

After living in Nashville, Tennessee, for more than a decade, Anderson said he’s seen “Music City” thrive because of popular bars in Nashville’s Lower Broadway entertainment district.

“Nashville is driven by weekday conventions,” Anderson said. “It is packed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The bachelorette parties roll in around Thursday and stay through the weekend. Everyone wants to have their convention there, because it’s so fun.”

Anderson, who performed during the 2023 edition of Farm Aid at Ruoff Music Center, is the co-owner of two nightlife concepts expected to open in June: Clayton’s Country Bar at 49 S. Meridian St., where a Hard Rock Cafe served customers from 1999 to 2019; and Clayton’s Ripple Rodeo at 812 Broad Ripple Ave., replacing the 33-year-old Mineshaft Saloon.

The ownership group for Clayton’s Country Bar and Clayton’s Ripple Rodeo is made up of Anderson, Steve Wentland and Itamar Cohen. Wentland and Cohen co-own Broad Ripple bars Old Pro’s Table, Rock Lobster and Average Joe’s, as well as Fishers bar the Main Event.

Anderson spoke with the IBJ about drawing inspiration from Nashville’s entertainment scene and how his music career prepared him to be a business owner. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Where did the idea to open country bars originate?

Down in Nashville, they’re putting every country singer’s name on a bar. I’ve been down there full-time since 2012. Some businessmen came to me a couple of years ago with the idea of opening a country bar in Indianapolis and having me involved. I was super interested. I thought there was a market for it. But conversations kind of fizzled out with those guys. Then Itamar Cohen, who owns the building with the Hard Rock Cafe space, came to me last Labor Day and said, “Why don’t we pursue this?” The next thing you know, it was the end of 2024, and we were going to do it.

What’s your role in the ownership group?

I don’t know anything about running a bar, so that was a big holdup. But I’ve played in bars from the East Coast to the West Coast. So I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. My talent in this group is bringing the entertainment, bringing the concept, bringing the vibe and getting that nailed down. Steve Wentland has run bars in the Indianapolis area for a long time, and he’s had a lot of success. The bar business is probably harder than doing country music. It makes me nervous. But if you can build your team the best you can, you’re going to have a lot better chance of success.

The list of musicians who have bars in Nashville includes Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson. How are those establishments influencing what you want to do?

Just like music, you’re influenced by what you listen to. The bars in Indianapolis are going to be influenced by Robert’s Western World, which is my favorite honky-tonk on Broadway. They play that old-school country music, but they also make the best fried bologna sandwich I’ve ever had. The setup of the Broad Ripple bar I compare to the downstairs of Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. It’s small. You’re going to come in, and the stage is going to be in front.

I keep preaching culture and consistency. When I moved to Nashville, the Tin Roof had just opened on Demonbreun Street. [Tin Roof co-founder] Jason Sheer has been one of the biggest sounding boards for me to move forward with this. Tin Roof is so successful all over the country because they created a culture, and it spread from there. That’s really what I want to do, too.

How realistic is it to talk about replicating a bit of Lower Broadway at one or both of these spots?

That’s the goal. I want to bring a touch of Nashville to Indianapolis. My buddies, from Michael Ray to David Lee Murphy, say, “Man, I’d come in there and sing a song if I’m in town.” I think those are cool things that we’ll be able to bring to Indianapolis that happen in Nashville every day. You never know who might pop on stage, and that’s kind of the allure and excitement of Nashville.

Downtown, we’re going to have a great location. I’m a believer in rising tides raising all ships, and Indianapolis is booming with our sports teams. Everywhere I go, people ask me about Caitlin Clark. They’ve almost forgotten about Peyton Manning. It’s Caitlin Clark, and it’s so cool to see what she’s done. Plus the Pacers are so hot.

We can give people some entertainment on that block of Maryland Street. It will be us on the end, Wild Beaver Saloon in the middle and Tin Roof on the other end. We can have a little block there where we can have a lot of fun.

In Broad Ripple, we have such an opportunity. I have a lot of friends who are heavily invested in Broad Ripple and who are on the avenue, and they want to see it become a mini-Broadway. Hopefully we can crawl all the way down to Kilroy’s, where they’re putting in a stage on their patio. I have a lot of faith that cool things are coming to Broad Ripple Avenue.

You may not know a lot about running a bar, but it’s also true that musicians are entrepreneurs. How will your experiences in music help this venture?

Especially in today’s music environment, you have to be an entrepreneur. Nobody’s going to want it more than you. No one’s going to do it for you. You have to have the hustle. I feel like a bar is the same thing. To me, it’s about trying to create experiences for our patrons. “Come in. This isn’t a watering hole where you sit down and rip shots.” It’s about entertaining our clients, and that’s a lot of hustle, creativity and also trying to let everybody know we’re here. Being on the stage side of things and entertaining people for the last 15 years, I think, “Oh, man, why isn’t this bar doing it this way,” or “They’re leaving money on the table,” or “Why didn’t they sell this VIP experience?” That’s what I’m bringing with me.•