Spaceland
Category: Music Venues [Edit]
Neighborhood: Silver Lake1717 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026 (323) 661-4380
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Live
- Best Nights: Mon, Thu, Fri
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Yes
- Coat Check: No
108 Reviews for Spaceland
Possibly the quintessential Silver Lake scene: not-too-broke, not-uber-hip hipsters catching some surprisingly high-profile bands, as well as local and touring up-and-comers. Monday night is free, and probably the best night to go. Cheep PBRs, too.
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I was just here on Tuesday, and the credit card minimum is now up to $20. The website said my friend's band would go on at 8:30; they were actually scheduled for 10:00. We tried to arrive at 8:00 but they wouldn't let us in and said to come back at 8:30. So we went strolling (read: mountaineering) around the charming neighborhood but still couldn't get in until 9:00.
This sounds like a negative review, but these were actually the only negatives of the night. Cover was only $5. The PBR was $3 a pint. The smoking room made my week. Just watch out for the acoustics in there--thanks to the bizarre domes on the ceiling, someone at the next table might be able hear you whisper like you are right next to them. So don't make fun of other people or tell deep, dark secrets in the smoking room.
Oh, and the bands were great fun, too. Watch out for the neighborhood streets--all the signs I saw said they went permit after 11 PM.
You can't fuck with Spaceland, not in the game of "tiny-to-moderately sized music venues". You can try to fuck with it, like the Echo has, but they've got their own set of problems to deal with before they can even approach knock this joint from its throne.
There are "cons", because nowhere is perfect. Yeah, parking can be a bitch but you're always gonna be able to find something up Silver Lake Blvd somewhere near the reservoir at worst and shit, you could use a nice walk, couldn't you? Just watch for the cars when you negotiate that crosswalk. Yeah, I guess there are "hipsters" here wearing "hipster" clothes and that's gonna get the style po-lice out in force when it comes to the criticisms of those who come here but seriously most of this crowd is just a bunch of regular people out to see a show, even when the band in question is a particularly hipster-baiting one. Yeah, okay, I'm not a huge hipster fan but they seem to tone it down at Spaceland for some reason. Maybe it's respect, like when Henry Hill's school buddies carried home his mom's groceries in "GoodFellas".
I've seen some dope-ass shows here. The Dirtbombs, Andre Williams, Quintron, the Sadies, Pernice Brothers, Holly Golightly, Babyland, Quasi, Detroit Cobras, Edith Frost, Crooked Fingers, Low, Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Drones, Adam Green, Calexico, Billy Childish, Why?, and countless other bands I could rattle off to score points with some phantom readers of this review but I won't because I think I've already proven my speciously impressive indie bonafides. The sound system is always good, though occasionally a little loud. No complaints from the bands I've seen, except for that Anton dude from BJM who told the sound guy to get his girlfriend out of the sound booth (not sure it was his girlfriend, may have been an employee of Spaceland, but listen that Anton guy is nuts and doesn't know a sound guy's girlfriend from his annoying tambourine player).
The downstairs bar is pretty par for the course when it comes to this type of joint (and I will point out to the cheapskate owners of the Echo that they serve their beers in pint glasses, and not half pint sized plastic cups), but if you're going to have a drink I recommend the upstairs lounge. If you want to have a conversation while there's music playing in the main room, this is the place to go. The jukebox is loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to overwhelm conversations, the pool tables are a nice touch, and there's ample seating considering the size of the room. And they have Chimay on tap, and they serve it in a Chimay glass. I believe it costs a mere $6, which for that potent brew is a more than reasonable price.
One word of warning, though: those upside-down satellite dishes on the ceiling have a nasty habit of bouncing whatever you say from your side of the room all the way to the other, so if you spot some douchebag in the far corner acting like a creep or some plastic surgery mishap girl having a drink in the booth 15 feet away and you unleash a conversational tone-level insult to your friend, don't be surprised if the target of your momentary judgement actually manages to hear what you say and splashes a drink on your dome. Not that this has happened to me or anything.
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I learned my lesson. I brought earplugs this time. I am so glad I did. I just had the second best night of my life. Really. This is only the second time in my entire life that I feel complete as a human being. Belle & Sebastian in San Francisco was the first, but not even you could beat that. Thank you Spaceland.
I guess I should also thank The Henry Clay People, The Deadly Syndrome and Airborne Toxic Event as well. You three bands are the future of Rock & Roll.
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05/24/2008
Oh Spaceland, I love thee but you treat me so bad. You're like a country ballad. You promise the… Read more »
I can recreate Spaceland at home by installing two speakers in my closet. It's tiny, it's smelly and the crowd is overwhelmingly poser-ish. Why, then, will I continue frequenting this Hipster Utility Closet?
It's Indie!
I'm so Indie, I goes to Spaceland.
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Rainy night... sucks cause I parked a mile away... and being from Phx no Umbrella....
small venue yes Lighting and sound where underwelming...
drinks where a little pricey and the creit card $15? limit thing sucked...
OK but
they have a pool Table... wich is my newest adiction... and great for talking to stragers...
which one of the most interesting was a guy just sitting in the Corner drawing in a little note pad... Found out he works as an animator... but every once in a while gets out and just draws people... it helps him remember why he loves what he does.. and not just think its a job... a thing we all could use from time to time...
so I really enjoyed myself ... but hated the place... hmm
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The venue is average to kind of sucky sometimes.The tickets are usually very reasonable in price at least,the band's are decent, and the parking is relatively cheap (I think valet was $4). It's also not that far from K-Town so I can gorge myself before coming here. I don't complain about hipsters it is the price you pay when you come to these places and for enjoying hipster things.
The layout sucks though, with that weird divider thing in the middle to obstruct the view if you are unfortunate enough to get stuck by the bar. The stage isn't in the middle of the venue it's slightly to the left so you gotta go around the divider and squeeze around there to get the best view. I like intimate shows but I find this place incredibly small, the kind of small that is really sucky if you're short like I am since you can't even really move to the side to see through people (remember the weird divider?)
The stage is also small, the lighting system reminds me of the one I had in my high school theater and the sound is not so awesome given that all the speakers are shoved in such a small stage and the acoustics of the set up and room. It kind of reminds me of Anaheim's Chain Reaction with alcohol.
The Rentals are always good though even 7 of them crammed up on that stage.
Spaceland rocks! next to the Echo, its an awesome place for local music acts. It has a good vibe, great bar, and has great music. Pricee is awesome with occasion free shows. Gotta love that! Parking is difficult, but they have a valet lot.
Let this god awful ass heap die!
Spaceland is still riding high on their success in the 90's when the club served as cultural mecca for the burgeoning alt/grunge society. They booked all the acts that were too "risky" by measures of other clubs.
That reputation is all they have now. That's how they book their lovely national acts. However, if you go on any other night, you can look forward to a band of sickening hipsters who have spent more time worrying about their thriftstore chic clothing than their music. If I want to listen to some manic depressant douche with dyed black hair strum one chord over and over, I can go to a high school and pay some kid $5. But if I pay a $10-15 cover, I want to hear something good, maybe even experimental (in the spirit that gave this place its rep in the first place).
The sound is awful, oftentimes because said hipster manic depressant is also sitting behind the board. The drinks are expensive. The smoking room in the back with NO VENTILATION is like bobbing for rotten apples in Elliot Smith's coffin.
But here's the real fuckin' problem: There is still a regular crowd. Why? It's not fun there! It's boring and smelly and sound like hell. Even after all I've said, I'm a musician and would like to play there for the regular crowd. But even though this is the hobo's thong of LA clubs, I can't get booked there because the waiting list is a mile long.
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Oh, Spaceland. Everytime I go, I go with my hopes up...But it is all quickly dashed the moment I get inside.
As a venue, I guess you could say it's decent. Its on the small side which isn't necessarily bad. I've only been to Spaceland for shows, so my review is based on that.
It is a plus when a venue is small. Getting up close to the artists playing is easy. What my main problem is: The sound is absolutely incredibly horrible. I saw the Raveonettes play last year, and even they were commenting on how bad they thought they sounded. I've seen other amazing acts at other venues, and then saw them at Spaceland and felt bad for the band. The spoiled accoustics ruined many a show for me. Lately, and no matter who it is, if a show is going on at Spaceland, I will not attend.
I have not been to Spaceland for their regular bar nights, but I would advise anyone to not waste their money and see a show at this venue.
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Now, I'm not an expert on...well...anything, but I know that when I go to this indie scene hotbead of scarfs and fidoras, I am in hipster heaven.
Personally, when I've got nothing to do on a Monday night and want to shake the blues away, I just stroll on over to Spaceland where I know within moments I will be met with toe tappin tunes and a parade of experimental fashion statements that make this little slave happier than a hipster with new short bangs.
As my compadres have already stated, there are a couple of downsides:
1. The smoking room is altogether creepy and smells like dying.
2. There is a 20 dollar minimum if you choose to buy beverages with your credit card of choice, which can kind of defeat the purpose of the free show.
3. Parking? Though I've never really had a problem and there is a delicious Thai Restaurant next door.
Altogether, I enjoy my monday night. The people are so pretty and the energy is fantastic. See ya there.
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What an absurd collection of LA douchebags. A gathering of pseudo-hip losers who all moved to LA with hopes and dreams of being discovered in one way or another. This is the kind of place where - if you've got it in you to actually strike up a conversation - the person you're speaking to has one eye on you and the other on the door, looking to see how their fashion mullet stacks up to the one that just walked in.
Completely and totally lame. If they changed their format a little and started hosting a fight club here, I might consider stopping in next time I'm in town. Otherwise... next.
As I was parking near Spaceland, a hipster guy actually rolled down his window and asked me for directions to Spaceland. A guy! Luckily all he had to do was go down the street and he'd get there. I met the guys here for a show, the venue is pretty intimate and there's a bar...$10 cover and a $9 drink later we were listening to two opening acts and then the main act. The stage is pretty no-frills. You can find parking on the street (some of the side streets are permit though) or in their lot. I would probably go back if I band I loved came to play and I wanted to see them up close and personal.
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The best. I've seen some of the greatest shows ever here, including a benefit show with Karen O, Har Mar Superstar and The Breeders. This is the place to go see emerging as well as popular bands. Midnight Movies, The Like, Los Abandoned, Low Flying Owls, Sahara Hotnights, The Datsuns and so on. Go and be merry, plus pool tables and Chimay on tap in the upper lounge. Yeah and Monday nights is residency night and is usually free, when The Like had residency I went all four weeks. I can't believe there are people who haven't gone here.
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The out-of-this-world bar, Spaceland, is a launching pad for up-and-coming bands. Spaceland's first live shows ever included Beck and the Foo Fighters, and well before they were famous, bands such as Jet, The Bravery, L7, and The Killers played here. This venue packs in the hip and trendy crowd to catch bands such as The Walkman and Giant Drag, a local, indie rock duo. The shabby and sloppy decor looks as if a spaceship crashed into the building and left a few spacey items hanging around. You may need a spacesuit to hang out in the enclosed smoking room due to the amount of smoke. With a pool table, video games, cheap drinks, and live music on any given night, Spaceland is a great spot to catch hot bands before they blast off!
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I never go here because I like to sit down and I never get out early enough to sit down at this kind of place. But there are great bands, a cool/weird plexiglass pool room for smokers, and a general rock and roll up-and-comer vibe that always (almost) guarantees a great night out.
I prefer it to some of the other rock joynts...Monday's are usually free entry, that's nice when you're one of them artist types what wants to see some muzak but ain't got no funds.
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Long lines, no parking, weird layout, poor acoustics, weak lineups, the grossest possible hipster crowd. I didn't even want to go here when I lived next door and it was free!
My first visit was this Monday. I went because I love free stuff! Free entertainment, I'm there! haha
So I got there at 8:30ish because that's what time the website had. Maybe that's when doors opened, but I felt like I was waiting outside for a while because 8:30 rolled by. Once inside, there was more waiting as the first band didn't go on stage until maybe 9:15/9:30ish. I guess you can't complain about the wait if it's a free show, but I think if the show didn't start until 9:30, the website should have said that.
The decor is kind of tongue in cheek. The venue is called Spaceland and the inside definitely is dark and moody. There are metallic blue with silver curtains that emphasize the space theme, no glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling although you might be expecting them. It kind of reminds me of a cheesy tv prom.
The bands were really good and you wouldn't think so if it was a free show. But they played like we paid to get in. The sound is really great! I also love how intimate it feels since it's a pretty small venue, you can get really upclose.
There is also a fully-stocked bar that takes up a whole side of the venue and a pool table tucked into the corner inside of a plexiglass room.
I definitely see myself going back to Spaceland to see another show, free or paying. I also loved how I didn't feel old since it's 21 and over. The only creepy thing was that there was this really old guy taking photographs of the crowd.
Parking was fairly easy as there is parking all along both sides of Silverlake Blvd.
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Holy crap! Sorry about that, but it is so warranted.
Everyday I find another reason to absolutely love Los Angeles. This coming from a seven-year San Francisco resident, now dying in Irvine, as he awaits his move to Los Feliz. Spaceland is just a place that, in the early portion of my love affair with Los Angeles, defines this city for me, specifically what I call the core of Los Angeles, between downtown and all the way down one of the streets that ends up nailing the ocean in Santa Monica.
I saw The Bravery there the other night. What an amazing experience. I liked the band that played before them (Wild Sweet Orange)... so much so I bought their EP on iTunes. Too see the Bravery with like 200 others was unreal. I can only imagine seeing Beck, the Killers, freaking Elliott Smith in that setting. I am not sure what else to say, other than LA I am glad I found you and Spaceland, I am glad you are a part of LA and my new environs.
Go to their website www.clubspaceland.com, listen to who is playing this week, and make plans. Then you and your crew head over. Can't go wrong. Great venue. Great beer prices.
Note: If you are listening to the band and you have heard them on the radio you will find yourself in a line. So go early.
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Spaceland is in a very interesting location...
I've seen a few live shows here, and all the times I've been it's been a blast. It's a hipster zone by far, which I'm obviously not a hipster, but perhaps if I could lose about 50lbs of muscle and 10lbs of fat, and change my style from macy's to thrift store, I'd fit right in... but regardless, I've still had a fun time at Spaceland. Best time to go is when a band you like is playing, otherwise, it's not the coolest hang out spot in town... except sometimes mondays are cool.
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I'm not much of a concert goer. It really bugs me if the band sucks live or the sound sucks so much ass you can't make out a single word their saying. But like any sporting event, it's much more fun at the game then watching it at home. I came here to watch my cousins band play. I can't really compare this to a lot of other concert venues because I don't go to many as I said earlier but I don't think they place was that bad. Its a pretty decent size, two full bars, tables. The venue was free, valet was free. Not too shabby. I really did feel out of place here though. I'm not really this rock hipster so when I walked in, I felt like I got a lot of stares like "did this guy get lost?" Anyways, I got to see 3 bands play including my cousins and my coworkers. It was pretty cool. I should probably try to get go to more of these things. Heres a shameless promotional plug. I'm a whore what can I say.
http://www.myspace.com...
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Spaceland, you have changed my life. Several years ago, my ex boyfriend invited me to join him for a show @ Spaceland. With terrible driving directions, I had no clue that this small club located on Silverlake blvd across from the (now closed) Netty's and Backdoor Bakery. Once I walked into Spaceland, I knew that I was coming back.
Since that night, I have seen several bands including Supergrass to Spoon. I decided to move into the neighborhood.
The best night at Spaceland is the free Monday night where you could check out local bands at their residency.
I highly suggest getting there for parking or paying a few extra bucks for valet parking. Be careful of the permit parking signs. I have seen several cars getting tickets.
Stop by the 7-11 store located on Effie for the best cheap coffee at late hour
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I kind of hate the fact that people can't go outside. It charges too much for a bar show and the drinks cost more than they do at other places. I didn't have enough money to get drunk. What the hell is up with that?
However, when I went last night (Friday) we just parked in the residential area. Not a bad walk at all.
And Entrance was great! So was Golden Animals.
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I just got back from an awesome Big Business show at Spaceland, where I am never disappointed!
I've seen so many amazing bands here! From Kylesa and Black Cobra, to the Binges and tweak bird.
There is a cover charge for most shows... but at $8-10 it stays pretty affordable.
I only buy beer here ... $5 for a pint of Pabst's is not my idea of a great time.. but what are you gonna do?!?! its LA! I've learned to sorta deal with the high costs of drinks in this city!
The smoking lounge is cool and a classic. I'm personally not a smoker... but giving people the option is just great with me! Besides, I love bars/venues with more than one atmosphere or lounge- and this one is super sweet!
The sound system is great here. I have never complained at a show!
Had a great fucking time rocking out!
Friendly crowd... with a little of everything... your everyday people mixed in with them silverlake hipsters.
The place is a little stuffy and it sucks that they have a no ins-and-outs policy. But i don't usually have a problem with that since i love hanging out inside!
Parking is not the easiest task.. but I've always managed to find some on the street and skip the fee in their private lot.
Sometimes I even get lucky and find a spot really close by.
this is a great bar/venue definitely worth checking out!!
I always intend to go on Mondays but I never make it even though I live 5 minutes away. It is an ordeal to get to Spaceland. I have seen lots of bands here. There are always some good looking dudes, depending on what you are looking for, but there are lots of little creeps too.I will always go to Spaceland if a band that I am interested in is playing. You can dress up or not. It's a cool place. I don't have anything bad to say about it. I've never been alone, but I think I would feel alright going alone. Reasonable cover charges.
Just spent NYE here and saw the best Smiths/Morrissey tribute band in the world, The Sweet and Tender Hooligans.
The venue was a bit dirty, especially the mens bathroom. Guys kept piling empty bottles and glasses onto the tiny wash basin until, surprise surprise, a drunk man knocked them all onto the wet and slimy floor. A winning combination. The glass stayed there all night.
I am also fed up with venues not enforcing anti-smoking rules. I came home stinking of cigarettes.
Now that all my moaning is done, Spaceland is a cute rock venue with a lot of history. I would definitely go back to see a band I loved.
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Thank you. Thank you for having a music venue that's 21+ and not where lil young kids running around. I love this venue. I don't feel too old or too young, just perfect :)
One of the best spots in LA. Whoever books the bands should get a raise. Please don't change. This is hard for me to say, but... I love you.
Oh, Spaceland. Has it really come to this?
On one hand, there's so much to like about you. You're a great space with an excellent layout. Your bands are consistently excellent. Your booze is affordable. You offer delightful people-watching. You're tucked away in a pleasant little corner of Silver Lake, down the hill from the Reservoir.
However . . .
Please open your doors. Please, baby, please open your doors.
The experience I seem to keep having with you is that I show up when you tell me the doors are opening, so as to relax and put a buzz on while the place fills up, but for some reason you make me stand on the sidewalk. You tell me you're opening in about a half an hour; when I come back, you're still not open, and it's usually at least another half-hour after that before you do finally open.
Sometimes I just don't understand you, Spaceland. If you open a club and people are lining up outside it to give you their money, doesn't it make sense to, you know, let them in? My economics may be a little spotty but I'm pretty sure that's how it works. Now, I know that you're f---ing Spaceland and letting people inside is, like, so April of 2005, and I should be willing to wait for you. But if I stand on a sidewalk for an hour doing nothing (the neighborhood around you doesn't really offer much in the way of killing time, unless one can be entertained by walking the aisles of a 7-11 for an hour), I start to get bored and wonder what the hell I'm doing there.
So Spaceland, I don't know. You're just not the club I thought you were. Your bands are often superb. But you seem to be turning into one of those places in L.A. that suck.
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I love Spaceland because I hate seeing live music. But at this place you can play pool, drink, and smoke inside. So my friends are like "duhh, we have to go see Panda Bear and Grizzly Bear at Spaceland, it's going to be wicked awesome!!" And I am excited because I think it is going to be a bunch of fat, hairy gays and it turns out to be regular gay hipsters. IT'S OK CAUSE I CAN STILL PLAY POOL AND SMOKE!
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Spaceland is one of my favorite places to spend a Monday night. Monday's are great, no door charge and great music! The music is usually Indie, Rock, Punk, Folk, Electronic, Modern 80's. The place has a great dance floor, and there is usually a comfortable medium of people that you can get your dance on! Spaceland is one of those places you can call home, the place draws a very chill crowd, it also offers a smoking lounge which is un-heard of in LA. I have attended Spaceland on other nights, I think the door charge is about $5 dollars. Monday seems to pull the most people that I have seen, however every night seems to be pretty fun. Great place for groups, or to meet some new friends. Parking is a bitch, I have the pleasure of walking...
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This place is never disappointing. This is a good place to check out a band if your into an intimate setting.
There is a juke box in the other room with a great selection of music.
A pool table (be beware on certain nights there is a table hog guy with a ponytail that places pool for hours, so you might not be able to play).
As far as venue, this is the best. Just a hangout bar....its expensive unless your here to see a band.
Come on a Sunday or Monday when its free so you can see a band and go to a cool bar.
By far the coolest venue in LA - small (yet not too small) and an amazing lineup of bands. Well stocked bar(s) and there's an indoor smoking patio.
By far the worst place in LA to find parking. At this point, just pay for the valet. There's no outsmarting those parking cops.
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Living in Los Angeles definitely had its perks. While the city is often disconnected and full of people who only care about advancing themselves at another person's expense, there are also the occasional moments of complete comedic enjoyment.
After an $8 cover charge at Spaceland, my friend Chris and I made our way to the bar for a Jack & Coke. Late-night happy hour wouldn't start for another 45 minutes, right around the same time that Becky, the mediocre headlining band would go on. I showed my comrade the venue, we watched Downtown play and he quickly made it a point to move to the enclosed semi-loft portion of the bar where smoking was allowed.
I quickly followed suit. Noticing the jukebox with tunes yet to be played (my friends know my gravitational tendencies toward a lonely jukebox), I demanded some dollar bills from my buddy. We had a mutual agreement this evening...he payed for Sushi, I would pickup the bar tab for the evening (This was a bad decision). I made my normal crowd-pleasing choices; Clash, Bowie, & Jackson 5.
I'm now quietly standing by the jukebox when a 40ish looking women approaches me. She compliments my choice of music, and we start chatting. She introduces herself as "Cama", which I have still yet to figure out how to pronounce. She asks if I've ever heard the soon to headline band before, and I mention that I've only heard a few songs from their Myspace page. She explains that the band has been around for a few years, and had actually commissioned a Hollywood celebrity as its bass player for a period of time. By now I'm a few drinks deep, and my general lack of interest will soon bite me in the ass.
Becky, the headlining band soon goes on & we watch them play. Like I mentioned before, mediocre at best...but the lead singer Becky (who would have thought) was really cute. They finish playing, and my friend and I move back to the semi-lofty area again with Cama. It is now the heart of late-night happy hour, $2 PBR flows like water down the falls of Niagra.
At this point, I'm at optimal lack of grace & general stupidity. I approach the bar, which is filled to about 75% capacity and wait for my turn to order. While I'm standing (or swaying) patiently and waiting for my turn to order the next round of drinks, I see a very familiar face! I quickly lean (or almost fall) into the gentleman beside me & exclaim, "That dude looks a lot like Keanu Reeves!", and he humors me with a "Yea, huh?".
I quickly took it upon myself to stare directly into the eyes of the Keanu Reeves look-alike standing 10 feet away, and start spouting off my favorite one-liners from all the wonderful(?) films he ever created.
"There's a bomb a the bus, what do you do? What do you do?!?"
"I am an F.B.I Agent."
In return, I am given one of the coldest stares that I have ever received. This is the type of stare which one must perfect--standing in front of the mirror for hours. I drunkenly think to myself, "Wow. That guy must get that stuff a lot, but it's his own damn fault for looking like Keanu Reeves". The bartender asks me what I'll have, I order the trio of drinks and put them on the tab which I'll close out an hour or so later.
I walk back to the outer edge of the smoke-filled loft, hand the drinks out and stand quietly while thinking about the events which have just transpired. After listening to Chris & Cama's conversation for a few moments, I interrupt and tell them what just happened.
The 40ish oddball woman says to me, "Don't you remember? I told you that Keanu Reeves used to play bass for Becky". At first I was completely disappointed in myself, I had just made fun of Keanu Reeves right to his face.
What a jerk I was, right? I don't think so. If that guy would stop making crappy movies, I wouldn't have reason to quote them.
An $80 tab and many laughs later, I was one of the few great men who horribly quoted Keanu Reeves to his face & received a cold stare in return. I can only hope that he will forever remember the night when some jackass made fun of him to his face, when all he was trying to do was hangout with his old bandmates.
Here's to being starstruck, or lackthereof.
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"where shitty major label bands come to get their start" should be their slogan. or maybe "where hollywood comes to act like they're soo not hollywood."
i can't totally hate, because i've seen some ok bands here. but 85% of the bands that do play here are very bad. this place reeks of industry people looking to find "the next best thing." drinks are priced higher than this hole in wall aesthetic should allow.
i don't approve.
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I love how Spaceland is so laid back. It's good because it doesn't feel too awkward when there's a hipster on one side and some glammed-up L.A. chick to the other side of my, t-shirt & jeans gal. Checking out band here is great, but depending on the act the sound can get a bit too loud, esp if you're in the front.
Oh man, that blue&silver stage backdrop. One some nights I think it funny, how it reminds me of a school dance and on others I want to tear that thing down as I keep seeing it. The stage lighting can get really low, too, so keep that in mind, fellow concert-photogs. Camera policy is pretty lenient. I don't even think they checked my bag. It says no ins&outs but the nice door dude let me back in without a blink of an eye when I forgot something. Also, don't be surprised to see members of the band hang out in the bar area or outside (and sometimes at that Thai food place up the block) before the show -- there's not really a lot of places they can go at that area.
The area's kinda strange. It's surrounded by residential buildings but with a narrow, high-(and speedy)-traffic street right in front, in the end of a narrow windy road -- so don't drive too fast, you may miss it! Street parking is permit-only behind the venue and I've never been successful at grabbing free street parking in the front street. But no worries, the $4 valet parking is easy (and comparatively cheap for L.A.).
From the shows I've attended, I've noticed the venue opens no earlier than 9pm (I'm not sure if there's even staff inside setting up) so you don't need to be too early unless you're trying to buy a door ticket to a sold out show.
Very cool venue. Very cheap, they have killer bands play there, the acoustics are good, and pretty much anywhere you stand is a good place to check out whatever cool, random band(s) are playing there. They also have a few tables and chairs which is great because normally they have a few different bands playing so there is downtime in between sets.
I have been to Spaceland several times and have always had a lot of fun! My favorite experience was when I saw Tsar perform there and this REALLY drunk man stood directly in front of the singer and just kept flipping him the bird....it was so funny! The singer kept going though and did a great job of ignoring the dude. The same dude was also doing some hilarious dance moves in front of the stage too. It was FUNNY.
That is what makes Spaceland such a great place....you never know what to expect. During the month of September Gram Rabbit will be playing there every Monday night so I will be there to root for my favorite band from Joshua Tree!!!!!!!!
Oh, just a heads up....parking can be rough so leave extra time to find street parking although they do have valet parking.
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I love this place!
The bands may be "eh" depending on who's performing, but this place is always a trip to visit. It's like the Student Union at your local hipster college. Everyone comes in dressed as a hipster-wannabe, and some are much less successful than others. The music factor fluctuates, but the entertainment value (people watching) is always worth the trip. This is one of those "Only in LA" spots.
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Good shows, good sound & sweet decor. There's a pinball machine & a pool table in the upstairs smoking lounge that has these weird little acoustic amplifying dome thingies on the ceiling, its own bar & jukebox, and is separated from the rest of the club by a glass wall. Drinks are pretty reasonable, too. But parking is not a picnic.
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