We profiled the space as an example of how Kickstarter has helped fund projects like it here in Phoenix.

Since taking over the warehouse spot (formerly known as Sound Kontrol) in the early summer of 2011, the venue has hosted shows by Danish punks Iceage and Philly scuzz-rockers Lantern.

Benjamin Leatherman

Club Silver in downtown Phoenix

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Club Silver, the one-story dance joint that specializes in hip-hop and Latin nights, was darker than a moonless night as it recently has been closed down.

According to a notice taped to its front door last week by the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, the nightspot (also occasionally known as Silver Martini and Wine Bar) is unable to open for the foreseeable future due to unspecified issues. Reportedly, the venue hosted a party on New Year's Eve night a few days before the notice (which is dated January 3rd) was posted.

Courtesy of Cream Stereo Lounge

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According to a few Scottsdale club promoters we spoke with, the Drinkwater Boulevard danceteria went dark in December for "a complete change of the décor." That includes ditching the all-white furnishings (and even its iconic bathtub in its VIP area) that Cream has sported since opening in late 2008.

Cream's Facebook page offers little in the way of details, save for a few posts mentioning its closure and that it "will be going through plastic surgery." Rumor has it that the club will become more of a high-end establishment boasting an even ritzier look than before.

Benjamin Leatherman

The Crescent Ballroom

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Elsewhere in Scottsdale, this year also saw the birth of a wide variety of nightlife concepts in Old Town, allowing nightcrawlers to drink and dance either by the pool (Spanish Fly), inside a pseudo bank vault (The Mint), or in the secretive embrace of a clandestine club (Wild Knight).

We also bid a fond farewell to more than a dozen different bars, clubs, and venues. Some went way before their time (Venue 104) and a couple closed their doors only to return within months (College Dropouts) or closed with plans of being reborn in 2012 (The Foundry).

Read on for a list of which places came or went this past year.

Benjamin Leatherman

The White House in Scottsdale (2009-2011)

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And here's the biggest sign of all: A large "For Lease" placard hangs on its front door, advertising its availability to anyone looking to rent the Craftsman Court property.

The White House, which opened in 2009 and featured a façade mimicking Washington D.C.'s most famous residence, quietly closed down in recent weeks, adding another vacant spot to a street that once teemed with nightspots aplenty. At one time (read: five years ago), Craftsman Court was home to a half-dozen establishments -- like ACME, Upper Deck Sports Grill, and NEXT -- that drew in drinkers by the thousands. Now there are only a handful of establishments left.

While Craftsman Court is still a popular place to visit after sundown -- as Dos Gringos, BS West, and the newly opened Rockbar bring in countless clubgoers every weekend -- there's now  one less place to get your drink on.

Benjamin Leatherman

The vinyl frontier awaits at The Ghost of Eastside Records in Tempe.

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The Ghost of Eastside Records, the pop-up reincarnation of the now-defunct vinyl shop that was located at University Drive and Ash Avenue for more than 20 years, is opening to the public.

Owner Michael Pawlicki, who was one of the cats behind the original Eastside that closed last December, has been busy over the past two weeks unpacking hundreds upon hundreds of records inside a windowless bunker-like room a few doors down from Yucca Tap Room at Dannelle Plaza in Tempe. (Be on the lookout for a pair of colorful and large sandwich-board sign heralding its location).

Maria Vassett

Opening night at the Foundry on First

Not so, says part-owner Tim Thomas.

"We're looking to reopen in January or February," he says, explaining that the newly re-branded venue will be called Foundry Live, feature a seven-day-a-week restaurant, new investors, a nightclub component, and a PR company brought in to handle new media.

The building closed in mid-November to finish construction, with Thomas acknowledging that the venue initially opened sooner than it should have. "This was created by local developers that had a good handle on local music and bars but really didn't have a good handle on [operating] a national, large, destination-type of venue that could carry the likes of a Jay Z, [the kind of appearance] that could really put us on the map."

The combination coffee house, art gallery, music venue and theater will finish out its final play, Tape by Stephen Belber, on December 17. A final musical blowout is currently in the works with locals Executives, Hometown Letdown and more.

There were many factors that led owner Michael Peck to decide close up shop. Initially, the contractor ran over budget, giving Peck a very small opening balance to work with. The almost simultaneous opening of Crescent Ballroom certainly hurt business, Peck says, both in terms of customers and being able to book national acts, but the main problem runs deeper than that.

"I would be lying to you if it wasn't just as simple as the support for the local art scene and local music scene are just not what they should be," Peck says.