Did BANNED in Tempe get, er...banned in Tempe?
Not quite. DJ Johnny Volume has decided to relocate his long-running weekly punk rock night on Wednesdays from its original home at Stray Cat Bar & Grill in Tempe to Jugheads in Phoenix starting with next week edition on March 19. DJ Mark LaRue will join the dude in spinning a mix of punk, hardcore, and reggae.
As for the reasons behind the move, here's an excerpt from a recent discussion about the move that I ganked from the "AZP Withdrawal" message board (which pretty much is the surrogate replacement for the bygone AZPunk.com web site and internet forum).
Yep after a 2+ year run BANNED is calling it quits at the Stray Cat. I know this is bad news but there is some good news too...BANNED will live on at its new location starting in a week! With this good news we dont wanna shake you up too bad so Sasha and I will still be behind the bar, DJ Johnny Volume will still be manning the tables and Danny will still be checking your IDs and throwing out miscreants.
BANNED's move to Jughead's is just the latest example on how the east Phoenix punk bar just keeps getting better and better since new owners Jason Urias, Donnie Phillippi, and Chris Ceimo took over at the end of January. If you missed my post from a couple weeks back, the trio has not only cleaned up the joint but also jetisoned the ill-attended weekly hip-hop night on Thursdays. (Let's hope they continue to allow the yearly Fight Club Sadisco to be booked at the bar).
And for those who have never had a chance to check out BANNED before, check out former music columnist Brendan Joel Kelley's take on the night from 2007.
