By Annie Holub
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 11, 1997

Under 21? Minors can still party down in the 'armpit of the universe'

Dan Hoffman Arizona Daily Wildcat Touring punk band Scared of Chaka performs at the Luna Loca Cafe on Thursday September 4. The cafe is one of several all-ages music venues in Tucson.

Welcome to Tucson, Arizona, "armpit of the universe," so called by Johnny Rotten in a local radio station's ten-second FCC compliance. A fitting title, especially when you consider the status of the underage live music scene.

For those of you new to Tucson, let me give you a brief history. Up until the summer of 1995, a place called the Downtown Performance Center was basically the sole provider of entertainment sans alcohol. There were shows every weekend and sometimes on weeknights, and many bands that you can now hear on the radio waves played there before they signed with major labels. But due to a combination of forces working against it, the Downtown Performance Center ceased to exist, even though those coupon books people were handing out the first week of school lists it as a concert venue.

For almost a year after the DPC shut down, Luna Loca, 546 N. Stone Ave., became the primary stomping grounds for local and out-of-town musicians. Luna Loca now only does occasional shows when really interesting bands from out of town come. They're rare and you have to keep your ears open, because they're really hard to find out about.

Andy Gardner, who used to book shows for Luna Loca and now does them basically anywhere he can, including Sound Addict, Theater Congress and UA's The Cellar, points out that people forget that all ages shows are for everyone.

"The most interesting local acts got their start from the all-ages scene at the DPC. That's where things are going on - bands who play at bars are already well-established" enough to get people in the door, he said.

He believes lesser known local bands would "be more interested in playing an all-ages venue, which there is a definite lack of," rather than a bar or nightclub.

So why exactly is there a lack of all ages venues?

Most of it has to do with the all-American correlation of live music and alcohol. If there's a band, there's gotta be a drink special.

And the rest of it has to do with the Dance Hall Ordinance passed by the Tucson City Council in July of 1994 that requires a venue to have a permit if the show caters to people 18 and over, even if it's not a liquor venue, if the people in attendance will be dancing. So unless the band is really boring or really depressing, any concert could technically be defined as a "dance."

That ordinance created a kind of attitude toward trying to expose people of all ages to live music. Take, for example, the manager at The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave. (629-9211). When I asked him for his personal opinion on having all-ages shows, his reply was that it's a liability for the bar, and "the kids wreck the place, write on the walls" because they "don't have adult supervision."

The Cage, located at 5851 E. Speedway Blvd. (885-3030), has become the site of quite a few all-ages shows booked by Evening Star. They have a much better attitude there. All ages shows "give kids something to do," says Derrick Denomme, the bar manager. But the fact still remains that Evening Star wants the shows to be all ages so they can "sell as many tickets as they can," says Denomme. Not a bad game plan, considering the bands who play. If you're into bands like Collective Soul, then you have nothing to complain about.

But there are a lot of really amazing bands who try to come through Tucson, and unless a club gets the go-ahead from a big promotions company, those in the 21-and-under bracket have to miss out and resort to standing outside Club Congress, looking in through the window. Even if we could sign some paper saying we wouldn't dance, there's still that whole alcohol deal. So, what CAN you do if the law does not trust you with alcohol or think you should be able to dance with people who are three years your elder? A modest selection of places do actually exist to make sure your ears will be ringing come midnight.

New at The Cage on Thursday nights is College Night, where there will be $250 cash given away every week to help us indigent college students pay rent. Contests and other "crazy stuff" are to be expected. Should be pretty fun, and if you're in college, chances are, you're old enough to get in.

The Youth Storefront (882-4471), located in the alley across the street from Cafe Quebec, leans more towards younger kids and local bands, but that doesn't mean the shows aren't good. Most shows are correlated with Downtown Saturday Night, so on the first and third Saturdays of every month, wander on down there and see what's going on.

Skrappy's, located at 3710 N. Oracle Rd. (408-9644), is a recent member of the all-ages minority. They have shows every weekend, open mic nights on Monday unless there's a show, and they've quickly become the exclusive all-ages venue in town. It's super straight-edge in there: you can't even smoke. "We just wanted to have a place where kids could have a good time in a relaxed atmosphere," said Cathy, the owner, "where kids can be kids." But it's not just kids who grace the dark interior of Skrappy's - you can expect to see some pretty awesome bands from all over. This weekend, you can see Los Federales with 30 Foot Fall, Big Wig, Suicide Lane and Chil Marc on Saturday.

Dan Hoffman Arizona Daily Wildcat Dan Hoffman/Arizona Daily Wildcat Local rockers Los Federales entertain a packed house at Skrappy's, an all ages club on North Oracle Road. The relatively new venue showcases talent from Arizona every week.

The FineLine, 101 W. Drachman St. (882-4953), is a smoky haze of black lights making the few non-black clad people stand out. The music is mainly industrial, with a few more mainstream dance songs thrown in every now and then. You can dance and not have to worry about how stupid you look because chances are, there are people who look ten times as stupid as you.

For now, if you're under 21, check these places out, and hope for a day when we won't have to worry about being charged with a misdemeanor because we're dancing and underage.