The closing of The Clubhouse in Tempe is shaking up the Arizona music scene and forcing two dozen bands to either cancel their shows or find a new venue to perform.
Earlier this week, hundreds of people showed up to the Tempe town hall meeting held to address the future implications of the shooting that took place outside of the venue that injured 16 people.
Although the majority of attendees argued passionately on the behalf of owner Eugenia Ruven, it appears their opinions fell on deaf ears.
Local industrial rockers, The Attitude, were scheduled to play the venue on April 2 with Los Angeles band Orgy, but were forced to cancel the show.
"It's really just an unfortunate situation for the entire music community that it's no longer with us," Attitude frontman Jim Louvau says of the closing. "But I suppose someone had to be the scapegoat for what happened.
"Unfortunately now that it's already closed down, there's really not a ton to say about it," he says. "There isn't much to fight at this point. Now you just sort of look back at the cool memories and the good shows of the past."
Local music fans took to Twitter to share their reactions after the announcement, lamenting the closing, even though the venue was known for its sweltering conditions.
"I liked that vibe," Louvau says. "Rock 'n' roll is never supposed to be pretty. I think that whether it was metal shows, or rock shows, or any show [for that matter], being in a warm room really intensifies the energy.
"I was really looking forward to playing the Orgy show there in a couple weeks, and now that whole part of the tour is canceled," he says. "It was supposed to be the last date of the tour too."
With a culture that's still defining its identity, the Clubhouse's closing serves as just another blow to the music community.
"[The Valley] doesn't need venues disappearing and radio stations going away," he says. "We're up against a lot right now, here. There wasn't a lot of places to play before the Clubhouse closed and now another one bites the dust."
