Phoenix Music Blog

Chi-Town hardcore punks Harm's Way will headline 23 West's grand opening.

​New year, new music venue.

Rodney Hu's much anticipated all-ages joint 23 West, which is located next door to the Yucca Tap Room, has scheduled a grand opening celebration on Friday, January 1.

According to the Web site for Valley concert promoter Mantooth Grooup, who are partnering with Hu to run the venue, Chicago hardcore act Harm's Way will headline the night. (They've also booked the final performance of locals George Moshington on January 2 and I Am Ghost on January 24).

But before you start making plans to attend, Hu says that the New Year's opening is an "optimistic goal" and depends on whether or not officials from Tempe's city government approve a work permit allowing construction at the venue.

"We're still waiting to get that permit," he says. "Once we have everything together, we're gonna get it going."

Hu adds that there also might be a soft opening sometime in December, which is also when he's hoping to finish the Yucca Tap's series of expansions. In other news, he informed me that he just confirmed that Agnostic Front will be performing at the bar with Death By Stereo on January. As per Yucca's M.O., the show won't have any cover.

​There's been plenty of hubbub and hype over Gila River Casino's chic new Wild Horse Pass Hotel opening up this weekend, with plenty of attention being paid to the plush Airia Nightclub, and with good reason.

According to the press release being sent out by its proprietors, the Las Vegas-style (natch) lounge and club features more than 5,000-square-feet of lavishness, a host of 65-inch plasma screens, room for big-name turntablists to drop plenty of phat beats, and the requisite posh VIP booths. A three-night grand opening fete is planned starting this evening and includes a two-night stint by Sin City's DJ Warren Peace (not to be confused with the fire-slinging superhero) and the debut of Resident Sundays hosted by the Valley's own Silver Medallion.

In addition to this swanketeria, the new hotel will feature a slew of other nightlife options to separate urbanites from their paychecks, including a pair of live entertainment lounges entitled Reflections and Encore, and the upscale bar Classics With A Twist serving martinis and other artesian alcoholic cocktails.

Click here for more info on all the nightspots, or if you feel like making the drive yourself, the hotel is located on Wild Horse Pass Boulevard just off Interstate-10.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man.

​The peeps in Tempe have one, as do the folks over in Glendale. And starting tonight, Scottsdale gets its own version as well. We're talking piano bars, that curious kinda club where the wanna-be Elton Johns and Billy Joels of the world tickle the ivories whilst performing covers of popular songs for the delight of the drunken masses. 

The Last Exit in Tempe is officially donezo.

​We had a late-night bombshell dropped on us tonight by Jack Maverik, the former co-owner of the Last Exit Bar & Grill in Tempe.

That's right, we most definitely said "former," because the live music venue closed its doors for good as of yesterday morning after six years in operation. More precisely, the joint's landlord was the one who closed the doors, but not before changing the locks due to non-payment of rent.

"Bills were pilling up, the rent was back due, and the landlord locked us out," Maverik says.

Financial issues have been something of a major issue for the proprietors of the Last Exit over the past year. It's original owners Devin Schulte and Brannon Kleinlein, who opened the bar in 2003, originally announced they were closing the place at the end of April before selling Last Exit to Maverik and fellow buyers Brad White and Rick Southern at the last minute.

Yucca Tap Room owner Rodney Hu.

Benjamin Leatherman

Check out more pics from Sanctum's opening weekend here.

​There's something of a debate going on in the comments section of our blog from a few weeks ago about the opening of new dance club Sanctum. Amongst the comments about whether or not the establishment is a benefit to the surrounding Melrose district, an Up on the Sun reader by the name of "chrisb" stated his opinion that Sanctum "looks like a dump" based on the picture we'd posted of the then-work-in-progress club.

Boy, was "chrisb" ever wrong. We got an opportunity to check out the interior of Sanctum during its "soft opening" and this past weekend and were blown away by what we saw. Owner Steven Rogers (who also built Amsterdam and Palazzo) molded Sanctum's décor and design to be a pastiche of baroque church-like influences, Dionysian flair, and Pagan touches. It's the kinda place where the wanna-be Wiccans and satyrs of the Valley will undoubtedly enjoy partying.

Take a look for yourself at what Sanctum has to offer in our slide show.

​If you've been dying to get a sneak peak at Sanctum, Steven Rogers' newest dance club, tonight's your chance.

The nightlife entrepreneur is holding a "soft opening" of the establishment starting at 8 p.m. with DJs Kevin Brown and Chris Shannon on the record decks spinning tribal house music.

Much like Rogers' other joints Palazzo and DWNTWN, Sanctum will be open long past midnight (doors don't close until 4 a.m.), which means it's the perfect place to hang out after First Friday is over with and done.

Rogers has also given us the 411 on the various dance nights he'll be featuring at the club, which follows on the jump.

Just some of the lovely ladies who were in attendance at PCL this past weekend.

​Debaucherous Scottsdale nightspot Pussycat Lounge re-opened this past weekend after a undergoing a month-long renovation. So what's new, Pussycat? Lots, including a redesigned interior space. That annoying wall that seperated the entraceway from the rest of the club has been 86'd, the DJ booth has been put in its place, and a slew of new video screens and rock 'n' roll-themed artwork now adorns the club.

Get a glimpse of the danceteria's new look, as well as all the bad behavior that took place inside the place this past weekend in our slide show.

​It saddens us to report this, but Tempe music venue The Sets has gone belly up after five years. As in closed. Finito. The big goodbye.

The multi-room bar and nightclub shut its doors permanently on Sunday night following a local battle of the bands showcase.

But as startled as we were to learn about the closure, it pales in comparison to the shock felt by the employees of the Sets, who told us they weren't informed of the decision until this past weekend and that it "came outta the blue."

Kim LaRowe, who helped manage the Sets and assisted with booking shows, says she was left "pretty speechless" when she heard the news.

"Pretty much everyone was taken by surprise," Larowe says. "I've been feeling sick over the situation ever since. This is just a big shit sandwich for everybody involved [with the Sets]. Not just for the people who lost their jobs, but also for all the bands who have been booked to play here."

​Steven Rogers' downtown Phoenix dance club empire is about to expand.

The nightlife entrepenuer (who owns the Central Avenue strip containing the fiery DWNTWN, the gothy Palazzo, and the tony Amsterdam) is preparing open a new joint called Sanctum sometime in the late summer/early fall.

The club will take over the former location of lesbian bar e-Lounge on Seventh Avenue in the Melrose District, which Rogers is in the process of transforming into a splendorous European-style danceteria.

Brandon Sullivan

Valley club guru Steven Rogers

While Rogers hasn't been forthcoming with any details, we've spoken with an anonymous source who's involved with the project and here's what we've heard thus far:

He's reportedly sparing no expense when it comes to the club and has been busy buying up myriad antique fixtures, furnishings, and artwork from defunct churches across both Europe and the U.S. to help provide Sanctum's decor with some Gothic touches and adding the Baroque feel of a vintage house of worship.

www.heard.org

​Citing the recession and financial hardships, officials for the Heard Museum West location in Surprise announced today that the museum will close by the end of the year.

Like the other Heard Museum locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, the Heard Museum West housed Native American exhibits and artifacts. It opened in 2006, but officials say the revenue to sustain the 7,000-square-foot facility just isn't there. The museum expects to lose about $80,000 for the current fiscal year. The decision to close was made after museum officials had discussions with Surprise Mayor Lyn Truitt.

"The Heard Museum's desire to extend its educational mission into the West Valley had such promise," Heard Museum Director Frank Goodyear Jr. said in a press release. "I am truly sorry that we weren't able to realize our vision."

Goodyear stressed that the Heard's Phoenix and Scottsdale locations are still doing well.

​

Look's like it's all over at Mickey's Hangover. The Trib's Jess Harter is reporting that the Scottsdale late-night hotspot has closed its doors for good. Currently there aren't many details as to why the restaurant/bar has entered oblivion, as owner Randy Smith isn't returning any calls at the moment.

It seems as though a lot of Old Town spots have been dying off in the last few months (including Smith's former enterprise SIX Lounge), but the closure of Mickey's is arguably the biggest blow to the Scottsdale nightlife scene. It's been the major post-2 a.m. hangout for Valley urbanites for as long as we can remember, the place where insomniacs and the inebriated would both gather to nosh on such grease-soaked delights as Red Neck Sliders, cheese fries, or nachos until 3 a.m. (or even later than than).

Guess we'll have to head to Joe's NY Pizza or the Philadelphia Sandwich Company to get out late night grub on.

Benjamin Leatherman

Club promoter Brian Durkee clowns around at Pussycat Lounge on Saturday night.

We're deep into the dog days of summer, the college kids are all away on vacay, and nightlife-related business has slowed to a trickle.

Sounds like the perfect time for local club owners to shut down for a few weeks and update their digs with a fresh new look, which is exactly what's happening at a few joints in Old Town Scottsdale.

The past six months have been pretty brutal if you happen to be a nightlife proprietor in Scottsdale. In addition to Sugar Daddy's shutting its doors (and its former owner getting sent to the pokey), the list of establishments that have flatlined since the start of the year is pretty lengthy, including such one-time hotspots as Barcelona, Lyte Lounge, Maloney's, and Pink Taco going belly up.

And until recently, SIX Lounge had a prime spot on said roll call of deceased nightspots, as the Stetson Drive swanketeria closed its doors in April after a dispute with its landlord. But thanks to its original owner Steve McDonald (who also used to run the nearby Geisha a Go Go), SIX will be going from R.I.P. to V.I.P. status sometime this fall.

The cats over at AZ Central are reporting that the ultra lounge (which originally opened in 2001) will be back in the Old Town mix no later than October. Plans are afoot for a new design scheme and some new nights, which will (hopefully) draw in the usual upscale clientele and celebutantes.

Let's hope the drinks are more affordable this time 'round ($8 for a Rockstar vodka? Sheesh).

Things started getting a tad emotional this past weekend at Barcelona, especially as the clock ticked towards 2 a.m. early on Sunday morning.

As was reported a few weeks back, the posh north Scottsdale nightspot/restaurant was throwing its final hurrah in its current form due to an impending summertime renovation, and tears began flowing as the last last call approached. Dawn Jameson, the hottie co-vocalist for house band Generation, got particularly misty, as did a few of the places cougar regulars. Toasts were given, final words were offered, and the stylish joint got sent out in, well, style.

Long before attendees started busting out with the waterworks, however, the place was the site of much revelry. It was standing room only as Jameson and her vocalist partner David Hernandez (of American Idol fame) provided high-energy covers of Top 40 hits and the naughty ladies of burlesque troupe Scandalesque steamed things up.

Take a gander at our slideshow from the evening to see what else happened.

It appears that Tempe gay and lesbian hangout The Door has, uh, closed its doors for good. A message on the establishment's voice mail unequivocally states that the club is DOA, as well as thanking customers for their patronage and urging them to take their business to Old Town Scottsdale gay bar BS West.

"The Door is now closed and [is] permanently closed," an unidentified male states in the message. "When The Door reopens it will be a different venue. It is no longer and will no longer be a gay bar."

The message does not indicate when the actual closure took place. Calls to owners Jim Vigil and Chris Smith have not been returned. The Door's MySpace page indicates that no one has logged in since May 30. The signage at the bar, which is located at a small strip mall near Scottsdale and Curry roads, has also been removed.

The venue has struggled to find an audience since it opened as a speakeasy-like lounge back in 2005 as a member of the Dos Gringos family of theme restaurants and bars. (This apparently hasn't been a good month for such places, as former Dos chain member Sugar Daddy's was also shuttered recently). It changed owners over the past few years before coming under the guardianship of Vigil and Smith late last year when the relaunched it as a gay bar.

The East Valley certainly has the market cornered on Irish chain pubs. (You know, quasi-Celtic party bars/eateries that lay on the shamrock schtick as thick as a pint of Guinness. My colleague Stephen Lemons once decribed them as "Irish Disneylands") Just off the top of our head there's Tilted Kilt's three different locations, as well as D'Arcy McGees at the Tempe Marketplace, Skeptical Chymist, and Fibber Magees.

The westside's been lacking in these kinda places...until tonight that is, as McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon is celebrating its grand opening with a three-night blowout. The Irish-themed Westgate establishment (which also has locations in NYC, Philly, Vegas, and at least a dozen other cities) has finally made its way to P-Town.

The revelry starts tonight with a little sexiness: Playboy playmate Jade Nicole will be the special guest of the evening and will raven-haired hottie will surely be making making jaws drop. A "Calendar Girl Search" will also transpire (with a $500 in cash and six months of free tanning offered as prizes). Make sure you dress clevage is order. Free drinks are also available from 9-10 p.m., but you'll have to call the VIP hostess Madison at 623-872-0022.

The fashionistas at 944 will also be hosting a stylish shindig on Friday that includes appearanes by a number of DJs (no word as to who just yet), while Edge 103.9 will be on-site for it's own version on Saturday and will host live music from local alt-rockers.

www.myspace.com/chandlercinemas

So long, cinema: The lobby at Chandler Cinemas will be silent after Sunday.

Yet another independent subculture hub bites the dust: This Sunday, June 21, Chandler Cinemas will have its final curtain call. Owner Matthew Yenkala says the popular art house cinema and regular host of The Rocky Horror Picture Show lost its space to another business that was willing to pay substantially more rent.

"As a business man, I understand," Yenkala says. "In this economic climate, more money is more money."

The Melrose District's loss is Evans Churchill's gain.

In case you hadn't heard, CenPho vinyl emporium Revolver Records will be moving later this month from its current home on Seventh Avenue into much-roomier digs at 918 North Second Street, which is just off Roosevelt Row across from Carly's Bistro. According to co-owners Steve Zimmerman and T.J. Jordan, the new location opens on July 2 and offers 1,700 square feet of space for them to hawk their huge cache of vintage platters, which should be come as good news to anyone who's tried navigating through Revolver's cramped aisles.

"It's always been pretty packed in here," says Zimmerman. "Our new place gives us more space and more ability to carry on live music shows and other events."

The new-and-improved Revolver won't be the only place in First Friday country where DJs and audiophiles can thumb through crates for rare finds. As our resident "Chow Bella" Michele Laudig reported earlier this afternoon, Fathers Day drummer Emily Spetrino-Murtagh and her husband Liam will open a combination candy shop/record store later in the summer called Sweets & Beats over on Grand Avenue next door to the Bikini Lounge.

¡Viva vinyl!

The Agua Caliente Plaza in north Scottsdale hasn't exactly been a place where nightspots have flourished as of late. Three separate clubs have come and gone from its boundaries in the past two years, including sexed-up burlesque palace Minx, the Asian-inspired Taste Ultra Lounge, and the swanky Black Card Ultralounge.

With that kind of history, it should be no surprise that the upscale North Scottsdale shopping park (located near Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road) has occasionally been referred to as "the place where clubs go to die."

Former Devil's Martini managers Steve Sabol and Shaun Bauer are confident they'll reverse that particular curse with their new venture Angels and Outlaws, which opens to the public on June 25.

And how, pray tell, are they gonna do that?

The Web site for posh Scottsdale drinkery SIX Lounge is still up and running, but too bad we can't say the same for the club itself.

Apparently the place was locked up tight by it's landlord Gladstone Gregg at the end of last month after he got into a major spat with proprietor Randy Smith (who also runs the nearby Mickey's Hangover) over what essentially boils down to a non-payment of rent.

SIX, which debuted back in 2001, reportedly ran outta cash due to (you guessed it) a slump in business. Guess clubbers got tired of the place.

So if you're out and about in Scottsdale this weekend, be sure to hoist a martini or two in salute for this fallen nightspot.

So long Sugar Daddy's, and thanks for all the drinks.

In case you hadn't heard (which isn't surprising given the three-day weekend and all), word broke late last week that the Scottsdale bar/restaurant has closed after seven years of slinging brews and booze. The gates are locked, the phone's been disconected, and it's managers aren't returning our calls.

The fiery-looking establishment (which had kind of a demons-and-brimstone-meets-New Orleans theme) reportedly flamed out due to the usual downturn in business that's been killing off other bars as of late. It originally debuted in 2002 as a part of the local Dos Gringos chain of themed bars/eateries and went from being one of Snottsdale's hottest nightime destinations to a looking like a virtual ghost town.

Even before the closure, however, there were signs that things were getting sour at Sugar Daddy's, like when Power 98.3 FM moved its popular weekly wingdings Sexy Saturdays and Sucka-Free Sundays from the club earlier this year.

I spoke with Jack Maverik, the co-owner of Last Exit Bar & Grill, who's been plenty busy lately. He and his partner Brad White are still working on nailing down a rental agreement with Arizona Partners Retail Investment Group, the peeps who own the Tempe strip mall where the bar and live music spot is located.

"We still are in the middle of lease negotiations," Maverik says. "And it's taking a long time."

The goal, he adds, is to be able to ink a multi-year deal sometime early next week. Meanwhile, Maverik and his partners have been moving forward with things. Last Exit's been open for business over the past few weeks, they've brought in a jukebox and pinball machine, set up free WiFi access, and even redesigned the place's logo. They've also recently started booking live music acts again, including a couple of groovy shows this weekend.

Benjamin Leatherman

The scene at Last Exit during Saturday night's sixth anniversary celebration.

Loads of people were biding a fond farewell to Last Exit Bar & Grill in Tempe this past Saturday night at its sixth anniversary party.

As I reported last week, the affair was ostensibly the music venue's last hurrah before closing for good due to its co-owners Devin Schulte and Brannon Kleinlein deciding to get out of the bar business.

The pair got onstage during the party and thanked everyone in attendance for supporting their establishment over the past six years. Ryan Prier, guitarist for The Black Moods, told the audience during the band's set how much they dug playing at Last Exit. Toasts were raised, tears were (likely) shed, and everyone seemed to say their goodbyes to the place.

The funny thing, however, is that there's a chance that Last Exit may still live. And one of the people attempting the resuscitation is Jack Maverik.

Jonathan McNamara

Last Exit's last night might just be tomorrow night.

Uncertainty is sometimes the only certainty in life.

That's ultimately the best way to describe the current situation at Last Exit Bar & Grill, as the Tempe live music venue may or may not be closing come tomorrow night. It's a surprising about-face from what I reported two weeks ago when co-owner Brannon Kleinlein told me Last Exit would remain open past the end of the month.

"It's going to stay open and things are going to continue at Last Exit," Kleinlein stated a couple weeks back. "That's what's in store for the place, but it's all I can say right now."

And that's all he was saying, as the cat declined to confirm at the time if he and co-owner Devin Schulte had put up the bar up for sale after their current lease expired at the beginning of April, or whether or not they would continue running things in the future.

Word leaked last night, however, that tomorrow's sixth anniversary show would be the last hurrah at Last Exit, as they would be closing the doors for good. There's also a rumor that a friend and co-worker at the bar might possibly re-open it in completely different location somewhere down the line -- either keeping the name Last Exit or coming up with a brand-new concept. According to Up on the Sun contributor Kelly Wilson, the pair are also considering renting a beach house in San Diego and spend their summer kicking back by the Pacific Ocean.

So what in the blue hell is going on? Good question.

Get ready to rock.

Here's some news that's certain to delight old-school Valley music fans: the location of bygone Tempe music venue Boston's will re-open next month as a new nightspot called Club 910.

And it looks like the place is gonna pick up right where its predecessor left off, promising to become a raucous rock 'n' roll paradise for local and touring bands. In addition to it's grand opening party on May 9, which includes performances by Digital Summer and an array of local hard rock groups, Club 910 will feature a gig on May 23 by metal outfit Pelvic Meatloaf and Valley industrial gods N17 (who used to play at Boston's back in the day).

www.myspace.com/lastexitaz

The scene outside of Last Exit Bar & Grill in Tempe.

Local music fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as Tempe's Last Exit Bar & Grill will remain open past the end of April. While I've had almost a dozen people tell me in recent weeks that the Tempe live music venue will be closing, the bar's co-owner Brannon Kleinlein gave me the lowdown on the situation.

"It's going to stay open and things are going to continue at Last Exit," he says. "That's what's in store for the place, but it's all I can say right now."

Kleinlein declined to comment further on the situation, such as whether or not the bar has been sold to new owners or if he and co-owner Devin Schulte will remain in charge of things. He simply reiterated that the place will remain open "for the foreseeable future."

Au revoir Chez Nous: Part of the lounge's sign that's been torn down, courtesy of some vandal.

It looks like Chez Nous' closing is going to be pretty permanent.

In my blog post from Wednesday, I mentioned how the renowned retro lounge and soul music venue has been closed for several weeks, with no sign of re-opening anytime soon. (And as you can see above, some vandals have apparently started ripping down its signage).

And now the folks over at AZCentral have provided some reasons behind the shuttering, which apparently have to do with issues over the joint getting busted by the Arizona Department of Liquor License and Control with their pants down. Apparently, Chez Nous' state-issued booze permit expired at the end of January and they were caught serving suds illegally just before Valentine's Day. The story also reveals that its longtime owner, Amina Uben, moved to Texas late last year, sold her interest in the bar, and has washed her hands of the whole deal. (The story does not indicate who was last running the bar after Uben left the Valley).

So what will become of Chez Nous? Will its location be felled by a wrecking ball like the original location? Or will some Daddy Warbucks of the nightlife scene buy up the place and keep it running?

The situation also means that there are now two vintage bars on Grand Avenue that are having ownership issues, as the Bikini Lounge has been for sale for more than a year now. Anyone have a few hundred thousand they could spare?

After writing about a few bar and club closures over the past week (including Maloney's in Tempe and Lyte Lounge in Scottsdale), it feels refreshing to dole out some news about some openings instead. It's even better when it's a previously-deceased nightspot that's getting reincarnated with a new identity.

Case in point, the late Scottsdale dance palace e4 (which closed last December) has been transformed into the appropriately-named Afterlife. Opening this Friday, it's designed as a late-night hangout running from midnight until 4 a.m. where people can decompress and sober up on the weekend after club-hopping around Old Town.