Phoenix music club needs your help to survive the summer

We talk endlessly about the heat in Arizona. Sometimes, it’s funny; other times, we converse about it to help make it as bearable as possible. A recent Facebook post from music venue The Rhythm Room shows just how tough an Arizona summer can be on the business community.

The page asks if people can donate to its ‘Slow Summer Go Fund Me.’ The information explains the club’s current challenges and prefaces it with a statement about how unfortunate it is to even have to ask for help.

“We don’t need an exorbitant amount of money to get through, but we could really use $7000 or so to be able to squeak by until the fall. We’ve got lots of great shows starting in late August. Your help right now to get us through is appreciated,” it says on the donation page.

The club, primarily devoted to blues and roots music, is owned by Bob Corritore, an award-winning blues harmonica player with a lengthy resume. Though those genres are at the heart of the place, The Rhythm Room’s stage hosts a broad mix of local and touring acts and is known to be a go-to spot for benefit and charity shows, too.

Corritore says it’s not easy for him to seek support this way. “It can cause different feelings,” he says. “It’s frustrating and in a way embarrassing, but not being able to pay what we need to pay is worse.”

It’s not the first time the season has caused a bit of a strain. “Really, it started last summer; it was just so hot. It’s harder to get people in, and national acts don’t always want to come through Arizona,” Corritore says.

“We also saw a lack of winter tourism this year,” he adds. “And then some unforeseen expenses for repairs, so a few things hit at once.”

Corritore is confident that the needed money will carry the venue through the summer and get things back on track.

“We’ve got some nice concerts going now on the fewer days per week we’re open, and some great stuff planned for the end of August as we move toward the fall.”

It may be hard to reach out for support, but does Corritore not seem ready for things to end, so he’s in a take-care-of-business state of mind. “I want to do everything I can to support the place, as it’s been my life for almost 34 years.”

“We’re Phoenix’s roadhouse — a place where you can let your hair down on the dance floor; we have a unique niche.”