This section presents an overview of many of the old defunct clubs that no longer exist, but were an essential part of the local Detroit rock scene for many years. They are presented in a somewhat chronological order starting with the late 1970's and continuing on to today. My only criteria is that the place hosted shows by live bands for at least enough time, so that I could remember being there. Our tour will now begin on the East Side.
The Red Carpet was one of the first places that I remember going to see shows at. It was located on the East Side on 16427 E. Warren near Outer Drive. My favorite memory of the Red Carpet was seeing an early performance by the Ramrods. The Ramrods were my favorite early Detroit punk band and this show was memorable for the fact that it didn't even get completed. During the set, the Ramrods' singer, Mark Norton, felt obliged to jump up and start knocking the ceiling tiles off. He was quickly escorted out of the bar and I got my first experience on how wild and crazy (and fun) this music was going to be. The Ramrods didn't last too long, and the only recording I know that was ever released by them was "I'm a Ramrod" that is contained on the Motor City's Burning vol.1 CD. Below is a picture of what the Red Carpet looks like in the summer of 2001.
Below are some pictures from the Red Carpet (courtesy of Lou Wysocki)
(Unknown) The Lordz The Sillies Red Carpet Flyer
I cannot begin to give justice to what Bookies meant to the local Detroit music scene. Located on 870 W. McNichols (Six Mile) a few blocks west of Woodward - Bookies was Detroit's own version of CBGB's. This place was home to many of our local heroes (Romantics, Reruns, Sillies, Iggy, Sonics Rendezvous, Mutants, RUR, Cubes, Pigs, Coldcock, Traitors, Boners, Cinecyde & others that I forgot) as well as a bunch of national and British bands (Dead Boys, Damned, 999, Police, etc...) Some bands that deserve special mention include the Sillies and Coldcock who played there more than anybody else. Ben Waugh from the Sillies has written a much more complete description of this legendary club here. You can see some of the 45 covers from these bands here. There's even a Bookie's website now.
It's hard to pick out a single moment from all of these years, but I fondly remember the Boners with Jerry Vile dressed as the Flying Nun and suspended with wires from the ceiling. The wires didn't hold too well, but that all fit in perfectly with the spirit of pun rock in Detroit. Unfortunately, not even the building at 870 W. Six Mile stands - only a parking lot remains of what was truly a special place in Detroit.
(Bookies calendar courtesy of Sam Bitonti) (Bookies postcard courtesy of Oleh Brezden)
The original Clutch Cargo's (not the place currently open in Pontiac) was located on 64 W. Elizabeth in the historic old Detroit Women's Club building. This place superseded Bookie's and was home to many great shows over the years. My personal favorite was seeing the Dead Kennedys put on one those amazing shows that people need to experience in order to truly understand punk rock. The temperature inside was probably well over 100 degrees and the place was jammed with people. The Dead Kennedys were awesome and I can remember finally getting out of the place, bloodied and bruised all over, with a immense feeling of satisfaction. How could anything be better than this?
Eventually Clutch Cargo's moved on to the present St. Andrew's Hall on Congress and the building now is used a Detroit Police Department recruiting center. From the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag to recruiting police - I suppose it could only happen in Detroit.
The Graystone located at 7816 Michigan Avenue in Detroit was the scene of many great hardcore shows in the early and mid 1980's. As many venues stopped booking hardcore shows in Detroit, the Graystone became one reliable place to see shows. The neighborhood was, and is, fairly dangerous and most shows seemed to end with way too many cops surrounding the hall. My best memories of this place inevitably include seeing the incomparable Black Flag tearing this place up. Black Flag was another one of those bands that had to be seen to appreciate the fury and ferociousness of their live shows,
The Graystone has now been resurrected as a church and still stands in all of its "splendor" on Michigan Avenue.
Below are some pictures from a Black Flag show at the Graystone (courtesy of Craig).
Located on the east side Gratiot just north of Six Mile, the building that housed this venerable institution, has been torn down and replaced by a Rally's. Traxx was the scene of many great shows including some multi-night stands by the likes of the Ramones. Many of my friends insisted that the best acoustics at Traxx were to be found in the alley behind the bar, but I usually anted up the cover and headed inside. Many local bands also played at Traxx, including the Roommates, who I must have seen at least a few dozen times.
This place was never a real club, but it hosted some of the best shows in town during the early 1980's. Originally built as a funeral home, Harry Houdini was laid out here after his untimely death in Detroit. Under the brilliant supervision of Brian Mullan and Marc Berry the music school became one of the focal points of the Detroit hardcore scene. Shows were usually held at nearby venues such as Cobb's Corner, the Freezer and the Clubhouse, but bands such as Negative Approach and the Necros played there. The building is on Cass Avenue south of the Wayne State campus and conveniently on the way to the Old Miami and the Gold Dollar. If you listen carefully, you might just hear some of the great music still reverberating through those walls.
The Motor City Roller Rink, on Nine Mile and Van Dyke in Warren, has also been torn down to facilitate the construction of the most precious commodity n Macomb Count - strip malls. In its hey day the Roller Rink was the site of some of the best cutting-edge music in Detroit. This is the place where the Ramones, Pretenders, Devo, Iggy Pop, Public Image Limited and the Clash put on some memorable performances. The Clash show, in particular, remains a personal favorite as this concert defined the essence of music. Following a so-so debut at Masonic the Clash soon returned to Detroit and staged a ferocious onslaught on us lucky people and showed why they were the "only band that mattered".
As the name implies, the Motor City Roller Rink was by day a roller skating rink located in Warren at Van Dyke and Nine Mile Road. For a brief time in the early 1980s it was also a preeminent concert venue in Detroit hosting shows by bands like the Clash, Ramones, Pretenders, Devo, Public Image Limited (PIL) and others. The place was large and hotter then hell in the summer, but it provided a place to see some great bands in a much better setting as there were no seats. I, for one do not want to see people sitting at a show, and this place took care of that problem. Below is a picture of the Motor City Roller Rink courtesy of Anthony Guarnieri and he also has a web site dedicated to the long-gone but not forgotten Motor City Roller Rink.
Still to come..... Blondies, Todds, Nunzio's, Reruns, etc...
P.S. As if you can't tell - I am an East Sider and have very little on the West Side Clubs. Bear with me and I'll try to fix that problem.