By Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Mar 22, 2007 at 5:29 AM

If there's one thing Warwick Seay, owner of Circle-A Café, wants his customers to know, it's that his bar/music venue is not closed.

Understandably, it's easy to see why people might assume the small Riverwest watering hole at 932 E. Chambers St. has ceased operations -- its doors remain shut for three and a half weeks per month. But as each month comes to a close, Circle-A opens for a four-day binge party weekend, where the drinks are plentiful and the music is boss.

"I'd been considering closing for good," says Seay, who lives upstairs and has operated the bar and venue for five years. "People were bummed when we closed temporarily after the new year, so rather than do anything extreme, we decided to try this wacky middle-ground thing and do a special showcase once a month."

Roughly the last Thursday through Sunday of each month, Seay will build the weekend around one or two big shows on Friday and Saturday and add smaller, local shows on Thursday and Sunday nights. The plan, he says, is fluid and flexible and does not aim to exclude touring bands who might only be able to play certain dates. But for now, it's a base from which to work.

Seay says the decision to cut back was a difficult one, but not one based on finances. Despite Circle-A experiencing a year that was "bigger and better than ever," he says he's simply ready to focus on other things and put his personal life before business.

"I'm going out on top. We've had five really good years, and I'd rather do this than end up having a negative attitude about doing shows and peter out."

Seay says he has no plans of selling the business nor the building.

The first of these Circle-A Café "binge party weekends" starts next Thursday, March 29 with his signature DJ spot, the Warlock Challenge at 10 p.m. An avid music connuseuir, Seay's set consists of some of the most obscure releases he can find and challenges his guests to guess the artist. Anyone guessing correctly gets a free drink.

Friday, March 30 -- "Alive at Eight" presents Rocket Boy 55, The Missing and Pillow Fight, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 31 -- "Alive at Eight" presents Bottomless Pit (Chicago), The Chambermaids (Minneapolis) and The Bismarck (Seattle), 8 p.m.

Sunday, April 1 -- "Brunch at Noon" presents brunch with chefs Anton & Prach. "Alive at Eight" presents Edgar Allen Cash, 8 p.m. 

Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.

As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”