Luther’s Blues, located at 1401 University Ave., has a reputation as a great place to watch live music and as one of the few environments friendly towards the not-quite-21 crowd. While such sentiment is certainly true, Luther’s is also looking to build its name as a fun, college-oriented bar.

Let’s start with a few details. Luther’s Blues, named after blues legend Luther Allison, who died in Madison in 1997, is more of an entertainment complex than a bar. The music club is located upstairs and unless a show is billed as free, a ticket charge is expected.

The music venue is a huge space with an occupancy limit of 420 and is differentiated by an upper and lower tier.

There is a bar to the side of the stage — a perfect place for the die-hard fans to get a close-up of their favorite musicians. Toward the rear is another bar, extending almost the entire width of the space. These strategic placements, combined with size, make it easy for quick refreshment between songs.

With the exception of the Wednesday night $5 pitchers of “The Champagne of Beers” (Miller High Life), there are no set specials upstairs in the music club. It is not a hardship — you can move your dancing feet and enjoy a top-notch cocktail at the same time, a quality not associated with every live-music club.

People at the shows tend to drink with their moods, not their pocketbooks. “If it is a reggae show, then you’ll see Red Stripe; if it is a blues show, you might see Old-Fashioned’s,” explains bartender Casey Diderrich.

While live music is the emphasis on the second floor, the environment on the first floor is geared more toward the bar scene. Called the French Quarter Café in reference to the space’s double life as a Cajun restaurant, it is here that Luther’s hosts its “everyday after class” happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The happy-hour specials include a variety of Bacardi Mixers for $1 to $2, depending on the night. Domestic pitchers are available for $4 Tuesday through Friday. Domestic taps are a paltry 50