An article about the lack of music venues in Lakewood may seem absurd.  After all, we have the Hi-Fi, the Phantasy complex, the Winchester, Capsule, and the Phoenix.  Even the bowling alley Mahall's Twenty Lanes, long known for its “Rock-a-Bowl” nights, has started having more shows by a broader range of bands.  But, as one of the many musicians who call Lakewood home, I've discovered that finding a place to play or watch a show here can be surprisingly difficult.

I’ll start with the two most visible clubs – the Hi-Fi and the Phantasy.  These two venues are the most well-known to people not particularly involved in the local music scene, and bring in the majority of customers and bands.  However, this is the main reason they remain inaccessible to the less-popular underground groups that make up the bulk of bands – neither club has much interest in a band that doesn’t “draw” or bring in a large number of fans.  This makes them mostly available as venues to bands that already have some amount of success.  Both also tend to specialize in a limited range of genres – metal at the Hi-Fi, and metal, punk, and industrial at the Phantasy.  Granted, these genres are popular and probably cover the majority of current bands, but this can lead to the exclusion of more unusual artists and bands that aren’t easily pigeonholed into a genre.  Also, both clubs are known for booking local bands through ticket-selling and “pay-to-play” arrangements, which many people view as a dishonest way to take advantage of naïve musicians.  For this reason, some people refuse to play or attend shows at either venue.

In spite all of of the above, the Symposium, part of the Phantasy complex, sometimes had smaller local acts from a variety of genres. However, the Symposium became “The Remix Lounge” earlier this year, an after-hours coffeeshop and bar which doesn't feature live music.

For a short time, Capsule, a science-fiction themed “cybar” was becoming a home for musicians, especially at its Monday night open mic.  This open mic was unusual in being open to all varieties of music, from the usual acoustic guitar ballads to harsh noise and intense punk. However, the bar was sold recently and will soon be turned into an Irish pub.  The new owner chose not to continue the open mic nights.

A problem shared by all of the venues I’ve discussed so far is that they are primarily limited to adults, usually 18-and-up with occasional all-ages shows at the Phantasy, and strictly 21-and-over at the Hi-Fi and the majority of bars.  In a city with a highly-visible teenage population with an obvious interest in music (read: “punk and goth kids”), this is a huge disadvantage.  Teens often have a combination of free time and disposable income that makes them powerful supporters of live music.  It's also easier for any Lakewood resident, especially teenagers, to attend an event in Lakewood than to find transportation to downtown Cleveland or more distant places like Blossom.

Another popular and highly visible club is the Winchester, which is all-ages despite having the outward appearance of a bar.  However, while open to a variety of sounds, the club explicitly states on its website that they do not book punk, metal or “screamers,” which excludes most of the younger crowd – not just teenagers, but most of the under-30 audience, too.  Few would argue against the Winchester being a great venue, but its antipathy towards adrenaline means you’ll see an older crowd there than at any other Lakewood music club.

The Phoenix coffeehouse is a popular hangout for teenagers which has a weekly open mic, and occasionally hosts other shows.  As charming as I find the Phoenix, and as welcome as it has been for a city with no other viable options for all-ages music, it is far too small and closes too early to be considered much of a music venue.

In the last few months, Mahall’s, a family-owned bowling alley on Madison Avenue, has come out of the woodwork with a huge number of shows, most notably the two-day, 37-band Starvation Army Zine DIYFest (with support from the Buzz) that took place over the Fourth of July weekend.  Mahall’s has hosted Rock-a-Bowl, monthly shows featuring live rockabilly bands and unlimited bowling, for several years, but hasn’t expanded into regularly hosting shows until now.  The selling of Capsule is actually what lead to Mahall’s expanding as a venue – Jeremy Koteles of Starvation Army Zine, who formerly hosted Capsule’s open mic, found Mahall’s as a replacement venue.

However, the black cloud is still hovering over live music in Lakewood – the open mic at Mahall’s only lasted about a month and a half before being cancelled due to conflicts with league bowling.  Mahall’s is an excellent venue with a friendly staff who treated the new customers being brought in by the shows respectfully, but the thought of loud, heavy music driving away bowlers who have been coming to the alley for decades caused some apprehension.  Not only has the open mic been cancelled, but the starting time of other shows has been pushed back to the relatively late hour of 11 p.m., to allow most of the bowling customers to leave first.

Not all hope for the open mic night is gone, though.  Koteles is encouraging all supporters of the open mic to write letters to Mahall’s asking them to reinstate it.  Anyone wishing to join this letter-writing campaign should send their thoughts to...

Mahall’s Twenty Lanes
13200 Madison Avenue
Lakewood , OH 44107
  

It still remains to be seen if luck and the commitment of a few dedicated people can keep the music scene in Lakewood afloat.

Share Your Thoughts about Lakewood's Music Scene...
Click Here to Go to the Community Forum