Murmur HiFi Lounge will open this December in downtown Providence on the ground floor of the WIT building. It’ll be a high-fidelity, analog listening lounge, inspired by Japanese jazz kissatens from the 1920s, which were jazz coffee shops designed to enhance music listening and appreciation while providing a space for guests to enjoy music, drinks, and food.
The space, located at 276 Westminster St., previously held Black Rep, Roots Cafe, and Aurora — all popular music venues. For years, downtown Providence was also known for its other music venues, such as Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, which had brought in acts like Wu-Tang Clan, The Pretenders, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, and the Dave Matthews Band. Most of those music venues in downtown have been closed for years.
Murmur’s co-owners Robert Troutman and Allison Johnson were inspired by this concept after Troutman’s visit to Tokyo decades ago. Troutman and Jonhson came to Providence from Minneapolis and Philadelphia respectively to attend school, but never left. By day, Johnson is an architect; Troutman works as a graphic designer. They also share a passion for music: Johnson plays the piano, and Troutman is a guitarist. At Murmur, they’ll feature a variety of genres.
While listening bars, also known as vinyl or hi-fi bars, have been part of Japan’s music culture for decades, these hangout spots have also become a part of bar culture around New England, and particularly Boston, in recent years. For instance, chef Jamie Bissonnette opened Temple Records in downtown Boston last year.
The cocktail menu will be created by Parker Luthman, Murmur’s bar manager and beverage director. Luthman currently works at Gift Horse and Oberlin, two wildly successful restaurants that received James Beard nods this year. The bar will also have a Toki Highball machine, common in Japan, that makes a perfect, ice-cold whiskey highball each time that drinks more like a beer or glass of champagne than a mixed drink with liquor.
Guests should expect a nod to Asian influence throughout the cocktail menu, Luthman told the Globe, as well as low-ABV and non-alcoholic beverages. “Everyone is welcome to a seat at Murmur’s bar, regardless of how you choose to imbibe,” said Luthman.
The bar’s food program will be designed by Samantha Kundrat, who previously worked at North, the popular restaurant by chef James Mark that closed in mid-2022. It’s loosely izakaya- and yakitori-based, with a series of skewers, dumplings, and sandwiches that will rotate seasonally.
“Downtown Providence has such a rich and storied music history and we’re excited to start writing a small chapter of it,” said Troutman. “And given the greatness of the previous occupants of our space… We are truly standing on the shoulders of local giants.”
Murmur HiFi Lounge, 276 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., murmurhifi.com.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
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