photo by Dave Glass!
2nd Thursdays at Dodge Alley
Ft. Mr. Lucky & the Cocktail Party
At Dodge Alley (Turk & Larkin St.)
September 11, 2025 | 5-8pm
Free to attend | No registration required
Equal parts performance artist and classic crooner, Mr. Lucky is a fixture of the San Francisco music scene who honed his craft at iconic Tenderloin rooms like the Blue Lamp, Club 181, Curtain Call, Sound of Music, Hyde Street Studios, and original Original Joe’s. Come see the legend live with his band the “Cocktail Party” during the happy hour at Dodge Alley.
Tenderloin Museum is excited to program the 2025-2026 season of “2nd Thursdays at Dodge Alley.” Free, outdoor, music-centric happenings at a once notorious Tenderloin alley began in 2022 through a collaboration between TLM, the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, and longtime residents of the alley. These events were some of the first “Sounds of the Tenderloin” programs! Since then, the alley has benefited from substantial community investment, including a Community Challenge Grant project that brought two stunning murals to the alley and an ongoing grant through the TLCBD to bring monthly music to the Alley along with free food/drink vouchers to spend at adjacent businesses. TLM is thrilled to return to programming Dodge Alley and to grow the vibrancy of this amazing community space and truly urban venue. Our first booking for the 2025-2026 season is a SF classic: Mr. Lucky & the Cocktail Party!
One of the more colorful characters in San Francisco show biz, Pierre Merkl aka “Mr. Lucky” emerged from the city’s ‘70s/’80s art school/new wave/performance art scene a hard boiled crooner and over the top showman. Energized by the swing craze of the 1990s, Mr. Lucky cultivated an act that pays homage to “rat-pack” style talent of yore while incorporating more contemporary repertoire, often with a sly tinge of comedy. Merkel’s intrigue extends beyond his musical persona: he worked for years as a private investigator in SF and is also an accomplished visual artist. He’s always had a penchant for the Tenderloin (in particular original Original Joe’s on Taylor Street), whether because of his PI work or because he got his start singing in the theater district cocktail clubs. His current backing band, “The Cocktail Party,” emerged from a long collaboration with two local legends of improvised music–pianist/musical director Joshua Raoul Brody and Ralph Carney. Expect a high energy set that puts a rocking spin on the American Songbook– music well suited to the noir-ish vibe of the TL’s Dodge Alley.
Programmed in collaboration with the TLCBD & SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development. A limited number of vouchers for free food and drink at local businesses will be available!
Want a preview of the band? Check out this video of Mr. Lucky & the Cocktail Party’s 2024 performance at the Tenderloin’s Cadillac Hotel!