For most folks, a holiday means a break from work.
For John and Naomi Casaceli, a holiday brought about a move to another continent and opening a bar and grill featuring live music in the home of the blues.
“Holidays have always been a problem,” Naomi said with a laugh on a recent Friday afternoon.
During 2013, the couple was touring the United States on what John called his “Robert Johnson pilgrimage” when they landed in Clarksdale. The duo liked what they saw during their stay here and in follow-up visits.
In fact, they liked it so much that they left behind The Vanguard -- a successful restaurant and musical venue in the Newtown area of Sydney, Australia -- to come to Clarksdale and open a similar business.
On Thanksgiving Day 2015, they opened the original Levon’s Bar at the intersection of Third Street and Isaqueena Avenue. After about five months, they moved to a more spacious location on Sunflower Avenue, opening Levon’s Bar and Grill in May 2016.
They’ve been serving up food, drinks and music since.
“We’ve committed to it. And it’s worked out,” John said of their business, which will unveil an approximate 1,000-square-foot addition in a grand opening this Friday. They expect to open the addition to the public during the second week of May.
Levon’s Little Red Rooster room will be a “social gathering place” with a full-service bar, John said. The ambience, featuring red walls decorated with paintings brought over from their Australian ventures, is meant to provide an “English taverny kind of feel,” John said.
In addition to serving a burger and sandwich menu to a lunch time crowd Monday through Friday, the 43-seat room will provide a respite for those wanting a drink and a place to converse away from the live music in the main building during Levon’s nighttime hours.
“It’s still evolving into what it’s going to be,” John said. “We want it to be a place that will bring people together of all ages and cultures. We want it to be someplace where our out-of-town visitors can come and meet ‘the real people’ of Clarksdale.”
The name for the newest addition comes from the Howlin’ Wolf titled song that eventually became a hit recording for the Rolling Stones. John said the name was a perfect fit considering Howlin’ Wolf’s mother used to live in Clarksdale and he actually performed in the building housing Levon’s newest addition.
“I love that song. I even recorded a version of it,” John said of his days as a band member in Australia.
For the first few years in Clarksdale, John’s attention has been in the kitchen where he has been the lead chef. Now, he is getting in more musical time as the guitarist and vocalist has formed the group Three Day Lions.
“They (his bandmates) keep telling me, ‘Don’t let your soul die in the kitchen,’” John said, with a smile. “I like doing both.”
And what they’ve been doing in Clarksdale is carving out their own niche. The business, which employs a part- and full-time mix of 16 people, offers live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. There is no cover charge and they’ll often offer musical acts on Thursdays during the summer months.
A big hit, according to John, has been their Sunday brunches and the famed Delta Benedict.
“It’s been bubbling away.. and it’s building,” John said of their business.
Naomi agreed.
“No one can ever predict what to expect in the Delta. But people here have been supportive and are genuinely happy for us being successful and growing.”
