'Country Roads' themed-bar set to open in Ballard
Country Roads bar to open in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood
Live music, themed nights and craft cocktails are coming to the new Country Roads bar in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.
SEATTLE - A Seattle bar owner who has spent 25 years running an Australian-themed pub in Ballard is preparing to open his second – a country bar just down the street featuring live music, line dancing and karaoke.
Big picture view:
Bradley Howe, owner of Kangaroo and Kiwi, said his new bar, Country Roads Bar, is "literally 50 steps from the door" of the pub he runs already.
"I wasn't really too keen on traveling all over the city, running back and forth," Howe said during an interview Tuesday on Good Day Seattle. "So I was right there waiting and ready to go, so just jumped on it."
The backstory
The backstory:
Howe opened Kangaroo and Kiwi in April 2001, describing it as a "homesickness cure" for the native Aussie. He "based it around sports and kind of food and friendship and mateship and stuff like that.
"It's a very fun bar. It's rowdy. It's loud. It's got a little bit of everything going on, but we love it," Howe said.
Howe said he expects customers to move back and forth between the two bars. The new spot, he said, is expected to appeal to the younger weekend crowd as well as others.
On opening, Howe said he wants the bar to be as authentic as possible and to feature local performers. Cowboy Genius, a local 90s county cover band will perform live on Fridays. Saturdays will have a mix of booked acts, and the bar also plans to host country karaoke. Kacy Musgraves' recent visit to Seattle, a performance which Howe attended, served as inspiration for further programming, including the introduction of Tejano Tuesdays, celebrating Texas.
Howe said he has been surprised and pleased by the response. People are asking him whether they can play, sing, DJ and dance at the bar.
"We will make sure that everybody gets a shot at coming in and playing," he said.
What's next
What's next:
An opening date has not been announced. Howe said future news about the bar can be found Kangaroo and Kiwi's social media accounts.
The Source: Information from the story came from a sit-down interview with Bradley Howe on Good Morning Seattle, aired Nov. 10, 2026.
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