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Curators of Grunge: Seattle Music Venues

7/30/2021

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Written by Vance
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Kurt Cobain performing at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, November 1, 1991. MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.132.29.01
One of the things we’ve missed out on during the Covid-19 pandemic has been live music. As social distancing restrictions lift up, we might soon see the return of live music in our neighborhoods. However, some of Seattle’s staple venues are struggling, with several closures making headlines in local news. Many of these clubs were integral to the early 90s grunge explosion in Seattle, so let’s take a look at some of these clubs and how they helped turn Seattle into one of the music capitals of the world.
The Crocodile (formerly the Crocodile Café)
Established right before the Grunge explosion in 1991, up until the pandemic this café and rock bar continued to be a hotspot for up-and-coming artists of all genres. Despite a brief closure, the club managed to stay in its original Belltown location for nearly 30 years. The legendary venue hosted such artists as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Mudhoney, Yoko Ono, and many more. The club was even named #7 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s Best Clubs in America in 2013. The owners announced during the pandemic that they would be closing the original location and re-opening a few blocks away. 
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Marquee at Showbox Theater on 1st Ave., Seattle, 1940. MOHAI, Al Smith Collection, 2014.49.006-027-0073.
The Showbox
This is one of the oldest clubs on the list, established in 1939. It originally hosted big-name jazz shows from the likes of Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, and Dizzy Gillespie. The more local jazz scene was located along Jackson Street. The iconic art-deco theater also supported the rise of grunge, with bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana playing multiple shows. That support has paid off, as members of those bands lent their voice to a petition to make the Showbox an official City of Seattle Landmark, saving it from demolition. You can still visit the club today, tucked right in between Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum.

El Corazón     
This club has gone by many names, including Graceland, Sub-Zero, The Eastlake East Café, Au Go Go, as well as the aptly named Off Ramp Café, and remained in its original 1910 building until very recently. A combination of rising property taxes and noise complaints led to the forced closure and demolition of the historic building, and it is being replaced with two apartment buildings. However, the owner has plans to move the club to a location close by the original. The club was the site of the first Pearl Jam show, then called Mookie Blaylock, and was known for hosting many grunge-era bands in their early days. 

Re-Bar     
Opened in 1990, this iconic LGBTQ bar has hosted all sorts of shows from Grunge bands to stand-up comedy to drag performances. It was also home to the infamous “Nevermind Triskaidekaphobia,” Nirvana’s release party for the titular album, where the band members were kicked out after starting a food fight. The club held out against development in the neighborhood for years, but sadly the club didn’t survive the Covid-19 pandemic and has closed its doors until further notice. The owners posted the announcement on their Facebook page in May 2020, linking the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” in a hopeful farewell, with plans to relocate to south Seattle in Fall 2021. 

The Central Saloon     
By far the oldest on the list, this tavern/venue opened in 1892 after the Seattle Fire. Through many changes in name and ownership, this historic location continues to host musicians of all genres. However, one downside to remaining in the same 1800s building in Pioneer square is that the acoustics of the venue have not improved. Even after almost 100 years, the club remained an essential part of the Seattle grunge explosion. It was reportedly the location where Sub-Pop Records owners saw Nirvana play for the first time, leading to their first album recorded under the Sub-Pop label. Their website claims the title of the “birthplace of grunge,” as many now world-famous bands made their start playing The Central. 

Moe’s Mo’Roc’n Café     
This café opened at the peak of the Grunge era in 1993 and only lasted four years, until its closure in 1997. According to The Stranger, this club was just as influential as The Crocodile despite its short lifespan. Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture has even made the original circus-inspired entrance arch a permanent addition to their collection. However, 5 years after the closure the original owners were able to resurrect the club as Neumo’s (pronounced New Moe’s) in early 2003. The new club featured an updated sound system and expanded standing room, and still hosts primarily local and indie-rock acts today.

RKCNDY      
Pronounced “Rock Candy,” this iconic club was an all-ages rock haven during the era of the Teen Dance Ordinance, and was featured in our Rainy Day History Podcast for that very reason  (Episode 12 - I need the volume higher). The club was prolific, featuring performances from every Seattle band of the 90s, including traveling acts from Radiohead, Joan Jett, Marilyn Manson, and The Verve. Opening in 1991 and closing on Halloween night 1999, this club’s life spanned the length of the Grunge era, inspiring the youth of Seattle to carry the music tradition into the next century. Formerly located south of the Re-Bar by the offramp, there now sits a SpringHill Suites Marriott hotel.
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Replacements, Accused, and 10 Minute Warning concert poster, November 30, 1983. MOHAI, Collection of Rock Music Ephemera, 2018.86.42.
The Metropolis
While only around from 1984 to 1985, this club was the real birthplace of grunge. As one of the few all-ages clubs at the time, The Metropolis was the stomping grounds for the teenage future members of Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Green River, and many more. Hughes “Hugo” Piottin, the club’s owner, was a Frenchman who’d earned his money fishing in Alaska and came to Seattle in order to create a club that would cater to music lovers of all ages. Local pioneers of the Grunge sound, such as the U-Men, the Accüsed, Spluii Numa, Red Masque, and featured future Sub Pop Records co-founder Bruce Pavit as a DJ on multiple occasions. While none of these bands would reach national fame, the artists they inspired went on to change and influence the future of music.
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Paramount Theatre, 1947. MOHAI PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, 1983.10.16682.1.
The Paramount
​Perhaps the most iconic of all Seattle music venues, this theater was originally constructed by Paramount Pictures in 1928 to show its silent films. It was also the first theater in the US to have a convertible floor that could transform into a ballroom. In 1974 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and still hosts live performances of all kinds to this day. It is owned and operated by the Seattle Theater Group, which also runs the Moore and Neptune Theaters. Many notable artists have played the venue, including Queen, Bob Marley, The Grateful Dead, Madonna, Heart, and Tenacious D, as well as holding a spot on Pink Floyd’s Echoes
 tour and Nirvana’s seminal Halloween Night concert in 1991.

Sources: 
  • “About Re-bar,” Re-bar. Accessed June 2021, https://rebarseattle.com/#aboutus 
  • Blecha, Peter. “The Showbox (Seattle)” HistoryLink.org, July 9, 2014, https://www.historylink.org/File/3684 
  • Clark, Adrienne. “Mo’Roc: A Closer Look at the ‘Moe Arch’,” Blog, Museum of Pop Culture, May 10, 2019, https://www.mopop.org/about-mopop/the-mopop-blog/posts/2019/may/mo-roc-a-closer-look-at-the-moe-arch/ 
  • DeMay, Daniel. “Seattle nightclub El Corazon, site of Pearl Jam's first show, is getting demolished.” Komo News, Friday, May 3rd 2019, https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-nightclub-el-corazon-site-of-pearl-jams-first-show-is-getting-demolished 
  • Flom, Eric and John Caldbick. “The Paramount Theatre (Seattle)” HistoryLink.org. May 11, 2012. https://www.historylink.org/File/3973 
  • “History,” Central Saloon. Accessed June 2021, https://www.centralsaloon.com/history 
  • “History,” Venues & General Info, El Corazon. Accessed June 2021, https://elcorazonseattle.com/venues-general-info/history   
  • Knopper, Steve. “The Best Clubs in America.” Rolling Stone, March 28, 2013, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-best-clubs-in-america-143305/brooklyn-bowl-in-new-york-224776/ 
  • Levin, Hannah. “Moe's Is Back!” The Stranger, December 24, 2003, https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/moes-is-back/Content?oid=16691 “Moe's Mo' Rockin' Cafe Seattle Concert Setlists,” Setlist.fm, Accessed June 2021. https://www.setlist.fm/venue/moes-mo-rockin-cafe-seattle-wa-usa-53d6cf11.html 
  • Reitmulder, Michael. “The Crocodile, where Nirvana, Pearl Jam and more have played, is moving, with big plans for the future.” The Seattle Times, Nov. 16, 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/the-crocodile-where-nirvana-pearl-jam-and-more-have-played-is-moving-with-big-plans-for-the-future/. 
  • Reitmulder, Michael. “Seattle nightclub Re-bar won’t reopen in Denny Triangle; plans to relocate, reopen fall 2021.” The Seattle Times, May 11, 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/nightlife/seattle-nightclub-re-bar-wont-reopen-in-denny-triangle-plans-include-relocating-and-reopening-in-fall-2021/ 
  • Scanlon, Tom. “All-Ages Rkcndy Club To Close Its Doors Oct. 31,” The Seattle Times, September 15, 1999. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19990915&slug=2983164 
  • Scanlon, Tom. “R.I.P.: Dead nightclubs of Seattle,” The Seattle Times, January 31, 2008, https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/rip-dead-nightclubs-of-seattle/ 
  • Stevens, Jeff. “May 13, 1983: The Metropolis,” The Seattle Star, May 13, 2014, https://www.seattlestar.net/2014/05/may-13-1983-the-metropolis/ 
  • Whatley, Jack “Nirvana were once kicked out of their own 'Nevermind' album release party for starting a food fight,” Far Out, June 2020, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/nirvana-nevermind-party-food-fight/
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