Frankie Farrell doesn’t want to chase the blues from The Gas Lamp tavern at 1501 Grand Ave. He just wants it to share space with other musical genres.

Farrell and partners Ryan Flattery, James Wilson and Walter Lauridsen have taken over Blues on Grand, which closed in October 2010 after operating under a variety of names as a Des Moines blues mecca since the 1970s.

Farrell isn’t about to kill the blues. When The Gas Lamp opened in April, its first two acts were blues-oriented. But Farrell, who also is an owner of the Liars Club in the Court Avenue district, is a man of broad musical tastes – and he’s a practical businessman.

“We want to have a versatile mix of music,” he said. “Des Moines isn’t big enough yet to have one spot for one genre.”

The Gas Lamp will feature folk, rockabilly, bump, country, honky-tonk, soul, punk and alternative, not to mention the blues.

The new owners have done more than expand the musical menu.

Plywood and drywall were removed to create large windows that now provide a glimpse inside the tavern from Grand Avenue and a look outside to the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park and Meredith Gardens. Doors were transformed into tabletops; half of a 1938 DeSoto, complete with bullet holes, adorns a wall, as does a large elk head.

Lurking behind one wall was an illustration promoting Schlitz beer. It provided the inspiration for the Schlitz Power Hour from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Other events include the Friday Work Release Party. Vinyl records take center stage on Tuesdays.

Farrell is booking everything but the blues himself. Big Red Dog Productions, formed by Blues on Grand soundmen Scott Long and Scott Allen, will book blues acts.

Farrell said he selected the Western Gateway for his entree to live music because of its potential for growth. “We’re on the ground floor of something big,” he said.