Getting a venue

• houses (basements/living rooms/yards/other rooms), apartments

• clubs

• coffee shops

• rental halls (vfw/union hall/fraternal groups/etc)

• art galleries

• playhouses/theaters

• movie theaters

• college/university rooms

• libraries

• community centers/cultural centers/non-profit buildings

• roller rinks/bowling alleys

• parks/bandshells

• random outdoors

• warehouses

• squats

• barns

• practice spaces

Part of the beauty of doing a DIY event is that you can have your event almost anywhere, depending on the requirements of what you're hosting and your expectations for what constitutes a 'success.' The safest options are those where you can do things without a lot of public oversight - places where you won't have to stress about noise issues, pissing off neighbors or cops, etc. Of course your first option should probably be a place where there's zero risk - having a punk show in an industrial district is a no-brainer - no residential neighbors, area used to loud sounds, not a lot of cops around, etc. Here's a rough outline of some of the potential places you can do-it-yourself:

Houses. (Punkin House, Camp Nowhere, The Green House, the Dog Park, etc) Do you have any large common-space rooms in your house, like perhaps a big open basement? In the Seattle area most basements are partially underground and usually unfinished. That means they're easy to sound-proof for shows (see sound-proofing section!). You may also want to consider a master-bedroom, or perhaps your living room. It all depends on the amount of people you're expecting to put in there. If your event is something other than music then your house may be the most ideal place for all the amenities you may have: kitchen, bathrooms, art supplies, a yard, etc. Plus, if it's your place you won't have to worry about fucking someone else's shit up.

Clubs. (The Paradox, The Vera Project, Neumos) More often than not, established clubs exist to make money by putting on events. If you manage to find a place that isn't money-grubbing, or is a non-profit like The Vera Project or is an autonomous project of a church like The Paradox, then you're in luck. Generally speaking, everything that a club does is a strategic business move, so if you're really trying to book a night at a club be prepared to give them solid numbers: what performers are asking for, how many people they can expect, special space requests, etc. Also, get info from them about what the club takes as a cut, how much they charge for security, booking, sound, staff, and promotion, and if performers get a cut of food/booze sales, etc. If you're working with a non-profit space or a church, be sure to be aware of what their MO is before you start developing a working relationship.

Coffee Shops. (Mr Spots, Sureshot) Welcome to Seattle, where coffee flows like water. You might be able to work with a coffee shop for a number of reasons: they're often competitive with each other and anything that would bring in more people would be a boon to their business, or perhaps the place is ran by someone who is a really great person and wants to contribute to the community by allowing their space to be more publicly useful. Remember that just like a club, people start coffee shops to make money, so try to be as transparent about everyone's expectations as you can be. However, unlike a club you'll have to do more of the preparation for the space: getting a PA, getting someone to work the door or take donations, doing sound and stage managing, etc.

Rental Halls. (West Seattle American Legion Hall, Woodinville Grange) Your local Grange, American Legion Hall, Fraternal Order of Antelopes, or whatever, is likely to have a rental deal for their meeting hall. The rates can vary, so again keep in mind your cost versus expected turn-around. Rental halls are generally just a big square room, and the only amenity you'll get is use of their folding chairs and tables. Also keep in mind that if you're doing a concert, it'll probably sound terrible unless you get a ton of people. Be sure to be extra cautious about the times that you have the space reserved - I've seen events cut short because the rental hall employees didn't want to be relaxed with the reservation times.

Art Galleries. (No Space, Gallery 108) These can be really great places to have smaller events. Usually there's not much cluttering the rooms, and often they'll have a larger room that would be perfect for whatever you're looking for. Plus, art galleries are often non-profit or have a wealthy benefactor, so making money from events may not be a huge priority for them. Be aware that art can be fragile.

Playhouses/theaters. (CHAC, Theater Off Jackson) Pretty much anybody involved in the arts will spend a good amount of time hurting for an audience, and a great way to help is by diversifying your audience. Theaters and playhouses are often willing to have a group of volunteers put on events that will bring people to their space as a way of exposing themselves to a new audience.

Movie theaters. (the Grand Illusion) If you have a local independent theater, especially one that plays more experimental cinema, then you may be in luck. There's nothing more fun than having a multimedia event that's well executed. Often theaters will have a set rate for a rental, but see if you can work out a deal with them that's more of a collaborative event than a simple private rental. Who knows!?

College/university rooms. (Husky Union Building) Colleges are filled with resources for students - all they have to do is ask the right person. And if you don't get the right answer, ask a different person. At the UW, they have a huge budget to spend on bringing music to campus, so you can try to find the student in charge of that project. Or ask any person in charge of facilities. I once had a friend with a key to a lecture hall, and he would host movie nights at 1am in secret - ask around!

Libraries. (Shake The Stacks) The University branch of the Seattle Public Library once had a project called Shake The Stacks, where hardcore bands would play, and the teen programs director would hang out and take kids to get their library fines erased. This was a great collaboration and did a lot to get kids more invested in the library, right up until an expensive window was broken. As with any kind of partnership, it's all about how you frame your project and who you talk to, and always always always remember to completely respect the space you're using. Bloodhag also once did a tour of NW libraries and put out a documentary about it called The Faster You Go Deaf The More Time You Have To Read.

Community centers/cultural centers/non-profit buildings. (Cascade People's Center, Garfield Community Center) Often the only hesitation that community centers have about letting their space be used for punk or diy projects is that often young people don't clean up their messes, be it from a show or from Food Not Bombs cooking in their kitchen. Always remember that if you're working with a community space, you gotta play by the rule of leaving it nicer than how you found it. These spaces are especially great for doing Punk Rock Yoga, or workshops, or a weekly bicycle maintenance class like The Bikery does (thebikery.org)

Roller rinks/bowling alleys. These places can go either way - they're either jaded and burnt out from dealing with crappy kids all day and won't want to hear about your project, or their run by someone who is honestly really great and is willing to try something new. In the conservative eastside 'burb of Bellevue, King Skate does a monthly Gay Skate event, and they've also had a free homeless youth skate night. At a bowling alley in Sumner, I played a punk show that the local college radio helped put on.

Parks/bandshells. (Volunteer Park) Parks often have rental fees for reserving use of their facilities, but luckily you'll probably only need those for very specific things that you may be able to go without. Organize your potluck or anarchist gathering or Live Action Role Playing game (or, LARPing) and have a blast. Or contact the city parks program about what you want to do, and maybe you can get some bands to play a parks event. I saw a no-wave punk show with touring bands at Volunteer Park once, and often there's music events at Cal Anderson.

Random outdoors. Guerilla events are rare and fabled fun. In SF, people often put on shows at BART stations, and I once also played one in a gross alleyway via an extension chord running from my friend's appartment. If you're low-powered enough, plug into an adapter on a car battery. Some kids in Redmond once had a weekly Soda Club gathering in a grocery store parking lot, which would often be a launch pad for further debauchery.

Warehouses. (SS Marie Antoinette, Dirty Feet) Warehouses are often cheap and remote - and both of those things lend themselves nicely to the more dangerous or unpopular side of art and performance. If you can't find a willing host who runs/owns a warehouse, renting one is a hassle - you may have tons of work to do to make it livable and you'll probably have to hide the fact that you're living there from officials. Another danger of warehouse events is that often the untidiness and unofficialness of the space may make people feel like they have to respect it less. Sadly, the SS Marie Antoinette had multiple run ins with unsavory people who thought it was an "anything goes" kind of place, and it almost spelled their doom.

Squats. (Scribble Squat, Bike House SLC) Squats are rarely legal, so events there can be sketchy for bringing unwanted attention. In Europe Squats are often THE place for shows - youth center squats like Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen aren't uncommon. If you find yourself at or are able to organize an event at a squat, consider yourself lucky.

Barns. I used to hear about it all the time - crust festivals at some barn about an hour away from town. I'm not kidding, it would happen about 3 times every year. It makes sense - isolation gives you the freedom to go a little crazier, and if you have a cool farm you can do all sorts of things - collect apples from the orchard and make cider, teach a little about animal husbandry or milking goats, pet some cats, listen to bands, and have a slumber party in the barn loft. The only issue you'll generally have if you can get a place is getting people out there, which is why those crusties used to book them as festivals - the more exciting the event the most people will commit to coming.

Practice spaces. Bands often have cramped little spaces filled with junk where they do all their practicing, often a rented room in a warehouse. These places can't usually fit many people and are sometimes out of the way, but at least you won't have to worry about noise issues.