Arthur Pascale 
The Trunk Space offers Phoenix an alternative to “diets of TV, commercial radio, and mall fashion.”
This space was originally an art gallery, but its owners’ desire to promote avant-garde and non-commercial forms of expression led them to booking bands and hosting films, improv nights, circus sideshows, burlesque performances…basically, the antithesis of the mainstream culture diet.
The venue also has a full espresso bar, which makes all the experimental activity even more delicious.
Join Chicago animator and illustrator Lilli Carré on January 15 at Quimby’s bookstore for a signing of her new graphic novel The Lagoon (Fantagraphics). Carré will also be selling prints and various little handmade book items. The event starts at 7 PM and refreshments will be served.
The Bike Barn is the northern-most DIY venue we have profiled so far. Known as Falmouth, Maine’s only interesting attraction, the barn is a popular destination for locals and tourists when the weather is warm.
For more than four years, this space has hosted performances and classes. Currently, a house is being built so that shows can continue through the winter months.
This week, we bring you a DIY pioneer. During the 15 years this space has been open, a tight-knit community of anarchists, punks, and musicians has been established. Try as they may, authorities cannot shut this place down. The Trumbullplex plans to continue its promotion of music as a weapon for years to come.
Dayton, Ohio’s Third Street: home to the local porn store, church supply outlet and The Dayton Dirt Collective. If horror make-up workshops, intimate musical performances and community service opportunities are not reason enough to visit the collective, then the neighboring establishments might be.
Rererato is undergoing new management, but the former managers liked to think of the events that took place as private house gatherings that just so happened to be open to the public. Art showings, music performances, figure-drawing classes and TV-show productions have all occurred in the space that used to be a Hare Krishna temple.
To follow up on the venue’s status, check its website or MySpace page. For now, click onward for our DIY spotlight.
At the November 21st Dub Trio show, the crowd was thin, possibly because the band had already played Chicago several times this year. Although the initial hype may have settled, those in attendance actively anticipated the band’s third Subterranean appearance in 2008.
A long line of Justice fans, and those “just there for the DJs,” braved the freezing-cold weather during the delayed entry into the Metro to attend the Chicago premiere of Justice’s documentary, A Cross the Universe, at a special midnight screening on Friday, November 14.
The WonderRoot Community Center supports and encourages a variety of creative endeavors; they are the elementary school art teacher of DIY venues.
Members of this non-profit arts organization strive to inspire positive social change; they feel that artists have the ability to change the world. Those who enter WonderRoot can expect an accessible, low-pressure environment where self-expression is welcome.
Sean-Michael Yoder feels that this week’s “Five to Consider” are all appropriate for late fall / early winter. This week’s list includes the house, techno, and urban sounds of Butch‘s double-disc release, the melodies and dreaminess of Guy J‘s Esperanza, and the break beats, booty bass, and turntable trickery of Stanton Warriors.
The inhabitants of 591 55th Street (or The Basement as it is commonly called) spend plenty of time playing Street Fighter and drinking. A few months ago, a combination of boredom and distaste for venue promoters prompted The Basement to dedicate some time to hosting bands.
Since then, a variety of musicians have performed in their space. Word has spread and many shows have reached capacity. 591 55th Street will be expanding in the near future to accommodate the crowds.
Austin, Texas is so overflowing with live music now that the city throws together an eighty-band festival in its sleep. So it was for the Fun Fun Fun Festival, whose biggest handicap might be its goofy name.