There are venues, then there are VENUES.

There it was, the iconic awning: CBGB–OMFUG that I'd only ever seen in pictures. You walk in…you are careful not to touch anything because you might stick to it…

There are venues, and then there are…VENUES.

Way back in the day we had some friends who lived in Manhattan (New York). We flew out to visit and arrived kinda late(ish). Like, past their bedtime on a weeknight.

Got to their flat and put our bags down.

“So, what do you all want to do?”

With the hopeful look on their faces that the answer would be…

“Uh, we're kinda worn out from the day's travel…maybe just get some pizza and call it a day.”

Wrong.

I want to go to CBGB's.

Silence.

“You want to go to CBGB's tonight…now?”

Yes…this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. (Turns out I was right, as they closed their doors in 2006.)

We went. There it was, the iconic awning: CBGB–OMFUG that I'd only ever seen in pictures.

You walk in…you are careful not to touch anything because you might stick to it.

Immediately, though…there is presence.

In that dark, dingy milieu, the walls breathed the ether of so many legendary bands that got their start there. The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, The Cramps, Bad Brains…

You walk into that space and feel the history. The sweat of those bands pours through the cracks…the sound blends with and resonates with whoever is on stage.

It's a thing.

For that very reason, we ducked into the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles a few years ago. One iota cleaner than CBGB's…but the same vibe.

You could feel the presence of The Doors, The Byrds, Frank Zappa…Buffalo Springfield.

A little closer to home, Indianapolis has a LOT of spaces like CBGB's or the Whisky a Go Go.

The Vogue, The HI-FI, The Chatterbox, Slippery Noodle, Melody Inn, Jazz Kitchen…The Mousetrap.

This “venue” conversation came up recently as I was talking with Aryn Ross of The Straight Up Chumps, who happen to be playing at The Mousetrap this Saturday.

I asked him if, as an artist, do you kinda of “get up” for playing at an iconic venue like The Mousetrap?

His answer explains CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go…and the Mousetrap.

“The Mousetrap is a vibe and any and all that have been there or played there know it. It’s really easy to tap into that heady headspace as soon as you hit the door. We feel a sense of musical freedom in that space but also a duty to not only explore sonically but to share in the openness of the experience as a band and with the crowd. Yeah the Mousetrap dates are definitely ⭕️ on calendar and when we get to share the bill with bands like Phree and Act Casual it only takes it up a few notches.”

I mentioned to Aryn that, like the other venues here, when you go into The Vogue in Broad Ripple and see all the acts that have played there over the decades…you just kind of feel that energy.

“(I am a) firm believer that frequency and energy can even alter inanimate objects and they themselves will radiate that positive energy back to us. Those divey iconic venues have been baking that energy into their walls.”

That…right there…is the special sauce.

The energy of all those who came before, woven into the lore of The Mousetrap…baked into the walls of that venue.

Get your tickets now.

Phree w/ Straight Up Chumps at The Mousetrap
Saturday, November 7 | 8 PM–1:30 AM