Top Seattle Nightclubs Join Endangered List

It's not easy to make it in the intensely competitive world of Seattle nightclubs. And, as several clubs are finding, even after you've built a steady audience, your troubles may be far from over.

Indeed, some of Seattle's most popular nightclubs are on shaky footing. Two clubs are having trouble with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, and one can't seem to shake the police. Another is having the land it occupies sold from under its feet, and a fifth is at legal war with its landlord.

Here's a look at the members of an unofficial "Endangered Clubs List":

-- Colourbox, 113 First Ave. S., 206-340-4101. For eight years, this has been the place to rock out in blues-heavy Pioneer Square. This "joint cover" club has three, four, sometimes five metal, punk and alternative bands a night, every night.

Now the Colourbox faces an uncertain future. The owner of the building, Samis Land Company, says it will not renew the Colourbox lease, which ends in mid-June.

The Colourbox would like to stay where it is, despite an ongoing dispute. Steven Johnson and Christopher Beno, owners of the club, have sued Samis for not fixing a sewage system they say is faulty.

"This situation has caused us very substantial damages," said Johnson. "We are currently in settlement negotiations, and for that reason I am unable to go into more detail at this time."

"Their lease is up in about a month, and they'll be moving," said William Justen, managing director of Samis. He says Samis is planning a "major historic renovation" of the building, which will result in 48 apartment units.

As for the suit over the sewage, "(The Colourbox) thinks it's our fault, we think it's their fault," Justen said.

Where will the Colourbox be after its lease expires on June 14?

"We have no firm plans for the club's future," said Johnson.

This week's headlining rock bands at the Colourbox (music starts at 10 p.m.): Tonight, Fuse ($4 for Colourbox only/$5 joint cover); Friday, Neo Soreskin ($6/$8); Saturday, Local 808 ($6/$8); Sunday, Lithium Fix ($3/$5); Monday, Mud Bug ($3/$5); Tuesday, Custom Made Scare ($3/$5); Wednesday, Atillah & Dave Project ($3/$5).

-- RKCNDY, 1812 Yale Ave., 206-667-0219. This black box may be one of Seattle's ugliest buildings. And that probably makes it all the more attractive to the teenagers who gather here to see punk and hard-rock bands - intense locals like the Murder City Devils and Zeke, and touring acts such as the Suicide Machines, Dropkick Murphys, Man or Astro-man.

Seattle's kids are soon to lose this part of their social life. The legendary club - it had one of Pearl Jam's first shows not long after it opened in 1991 - is almost sure to be gone by the end of the year. The RK may be dead by autumn.

"There's a real good chance we'll be around the entire summer, maybe the fall," said a hopeful Lori LeFavor, who owns the club. She leases the building from Alex Rosenast, who is selling the lot to a developer who plans to demolish the building and put up the Spring Hill Suites Hotel.

"We'll be hanging in there, right until the wrecking ball hits," pledged LeFavor.

LeFavor has no plans to open RKCNDY elsewhere. "I've proven to myself that running an all-ages club in Seattle is legally and financially impossible. . . . There's no way to make (all-ages) work unless the laws change in Seattle."

Nobody's booked this week at RKCNDY. Next show: Hot Water Music and England's Leatherface, May 26 (10 p.m., $8).

-- Speakeasy Cafe, 2304 Second Ave., 206-728-9770. The Belltown cafe / club will close in June for remodeling. When it reopens, it will still have 21-and-older shows in its back room, but will no longer have all-ages live music in its front room.

Minors will still be permitted in the front area of the cafe.

For more than two years, the Speakeasy had been holding live-music shows, with a mixture of minors and alcohol-consuming adults in attendance.

But Gigi Zenk, a representative of the state Liquor Control Board, said, "Speakeasy was never authorized to have live music with minors present while alcohol was being served."

Gretchen Apgar, vice president of Speakeasy Inc., sees it differently. She said the liquor regulating board "screwed up our business model . . . They deemed what we were doing acceptable for the longest time - 2 1/2 years - and then they didn't."

This week at Speakeasy (showtimes 8:30 p.m., $3 cover): Tonight, Cobra; Friday, the Brent Arnold Project; Saturday, Christian Asplen. All are jazz shows, 21-and-older.

-- The 700 Club, 700 Virginia St., 206-343-1255. In early 1998, the bland Jersey's All American Sports Bar took a storage room and created one of downtown's most vibrant night spots.

The funky, eerily lit 700 Club (taking its name from the address) quickly found a crowd for bands that blend jazz, funk and hip-hop. Members of such top Seattle fusion acts as Maktub, Zony Mash and Crack Sabbath often play here.

But will it last? Chris Clifford, owner of Jersey's and the 700 Club, said the liquor board is "trying to close me down." He has received potentially license-revoking citations for such offenses as having a foosball table in the wrong spot, and abbreviating the name of Jersey's in a 700 Club advertisement.

Clifford has filed a suit against the City of Seattle and the liquor board, claiming that WSCLB agent William Schrader has unfairly targeted the 700 Club.

Schrader said he could not comment on the 700 Club issues, "because they're under adjudication."

WSLCB spokesperson Zenk said Clifford has received eight citations for violations in the past two years. "If (Clifford) followed the liquor laws of the state, he would not be having a problem with the Liquor Control Board."

This week at the 700 Club (music starts at 10 p.m., cover charge $5): Tonight, the "gypsy funk" of Kultur Shock; Friday, Jumbalaya; Saturday, jazz-funk Digable; Sunday, Kaya, featuring Reggie Watts and other Maktub members; Monday, funky jazzman Emmanuel Lewis; Tuesday, Battlestar Dyslexica (former Crack Sabbath members); Wednesday, the soul-funk of the King of Clubs.

-- Studio 420, 420 E. Denny Way, 206-325-4881.

Since January, when he opened this 18-and-over dance club at the bottom of Capitol Hill, Amir Taherazer has had nothing but trouble. Police were at the techno / hip-hop club almost every weekend, apparently responding to repeated noise complaints from neighbors.

In February, the City reduced the occupancy of the warehouse-sized club from 423 to 153. Now, even after soundproofing improvements aimed at cutting down on noise complaints, Taherazer says he's still having problems with the police.

Taherazer said that on a recent Saturday night, "a parade of police came in - 10 of them . . . They were going through the whole building, walking right across the dance floor, asking people for IDs, making their presence very noticeable."

Pam McCammon, a media-relations officer with the Seattle Police Department, said police have responded to "noise disturbances, nuisance, traffic issues and property destruction" complaints concerning Studio 420 and its patrons.

"We will be continuing to work with (Studio 420) and the community . . . to create a safe and enjoyable environment for all involved," said McCammon.

Taherazer says he has no plans to give up his club. "No one's going to stop me. The reason I'm doing this is there's nothing for kids to do in Seattle."

This week at Studio 420 (10 p.m.-3 a.m., $10): Techno DJs on Friday; hip-hop DJs on Saturday; top 40/R&B DJs on Monday (new night).

Tom Scanlon can be contacted at (206) 464-3891 or tscanlon@seattletimes.com.