Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Cream There's Slow business in Show Business
Posted by Chris Slack on Wed, Aug 23, 2006 at 11:44 AM
To kick off the Cream, and instead of rehashing the latest news which I'm sure most of you are aware of, I'm going to take a minute to briefly, carefully reflect on some odd Nashville (and a couple Murfreesboro) clubs and pseudo-clubs of recent and not-so-recent yore. Sure, you could fill a big 'ol gigbag if you named them all, but I'm going to just point out some of the weirder places you might have gone, heard of, or at least driven by at some point. Let's go.
Guido's. 21st Ave. The teeny, tiny pizza place/venue that could. The saddest show I ever saw was there, when a unnamed teenage band played for 3 people and one older guy that looked like a bum. The main reason why it was so sad was that I thought if that band could have at least got all their parents to come it would have been packed.
Bat Bar. Broadway. I'm not sure what's there now, but you might remember the Bat Bar as the place with the big Batman mural on it. I remember somehow we got booked there for a Nashville Extravaganza Show and turned out to be double-booked with a rave. I also distinctly remember one of the main guys working there, this bald guy, in all seriousness, telling me: "My job on this planet is to kick ass and impregnate strange chicks." Yep.
Hair of the Dog. 12th Ave South. I just realized this place closed. I only went once, but the general consensus I always got was a)the bands always sounded bad and it was too loud, yet b)they made their drinks really strong. Strong drinks don't keep clubs open I guess.
Tommy Guns. 2nd Ave South. Here's a rare one. That place was only open for about a month and a half in '96 or '97, but a bunch of bands played there if I remember right (JavaChrist, Highstrung, Caesers Glass Box, SpiderVirus maybe?). Supposedly it had mob ties.
Hayes House / Red Geranium. Hayes Street. I think it's a Michaelangelo's Pizza now, not totally sure. I'm pretty sure the place shut down because it was a big front for the cocaine, but a lot of bands played there and it was always loud as all hell.
Rocketown I. Franklin. Before the downtown complex of good will and skatery opened, we had the original Rocketown in Franklin. It had most of the same perks, like the "coffee house" and "dance room," but it also had way better parking. Home to "Big Planet's Battle of the Bands" where bands like Habbit, Those Guys in Your Tub, Breach and the Naked Movie Stars would rock off for cash and prizes and being the most famous band in Franklin.
Bummed Out Roxie / Jam Room. 2nd Ave. South. Whoa, does anybody remember this place? It was across from the old Mix Factory (then the Castle, who knows what it is now) and was basically just a run-down warehouse for punk and hardcore, and the owner lived in the back. I remember seeing a punk band who I think were from Mt. Juliet (I think they might have been called "Mr. Fancy"?) cover such hard-hitting hits as Misfits "We Bite" and Black Flag "Wasted." It was pre-Muse, post Lucy's.
The Pit Stop. Murfreesboro across from the K-mart. Haha, did anyone ever go to the Pit Stop? I sure did. They "decorated" by hanging up cardboard packaging from the beer they sold on the wall with a staple gun. It also had a small "secret room" where you could gamble and play dirty games on a lone arcade machine. Saw Glossary there.
Alright, I'll stop. If anybody's seen any bands in weird clubs or non-clubs in Nashville they'd like to share, do it. You know how to use the comments.
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