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Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Funhouse
a new stage and sound system that make the place a real joy to play... seriously, that is a good stage to be on. It's a medium-sized club, but big enough some fairly big touring acts (I saw Kylesa a here a little while back), and it'll usually have a pretty large show on a Friday or Saturday night.The club treats the bands well-- backstage is a large hang-out room, often with an iced tub of beers (well, that or drink tickets)-- and the stage monitors are in good shape. Depending on who's running sound on any given day, the mix both on stage and in the crowd can be top notch.Of course, sound guys come and go, but the staff at The Funhouse is pretty much excellent; the people at the door and behind the bar are some of the best in town.
Mondays are dollar beer days, which brings up another point: this is a place to grab a drink, even if you're not there on a show night. Sitting beside the EMP and Seattle Center, this was our bar of choice when finding an escape from the grounds of Bumbershoot. There's a side door to patio, with a basketball court, providing a reprieve for both smokers and people dodging the awful band on an otherwise awesome line-up. On non show days, the bartenders are usually providing better music (for free!) than the internet jukebox, and there are some pretty decent drink specials. All in all, a pretty great bar for bands, show attendees, and general bar patrons.
If I'm gushing, it's probably because the recent proposal to raze this place has brought my love for it into sharp focus. There are a number of strategies to save the Funhouse (in a building dating back to the 30s, it could be considered a historical building; it could also be proven relevant as an active component of Seattle culture that brings in performers from around the world), but I encourage people to keep abreast of the situation. The Save the Funhouse page on Facebook is probably the most complete and current source for this kind of information.
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