Even though I am officially in my 30s, I look like I'm still in college, which made me feel slightly less uncomfortable when I walked into The Clubhouse. Yes, it is near ASU, and yes, it is an all-age venue, so I should have expected that the club would be filled with 18-20 somethings. But just because I look 21, doesn't mean that my internal reality made me feel a little out-of-place. But, I was like, whateva!

It is somewhat of a dive bar trying to be a club but failing miserably. Like a nerd trying to be punk or a cheerleader trying to be emo -- it somehow didn't work for me. It felt like I was in someone's basement turned rocker's haven. Black walls, haphazard decor, and one sole stinky quasi-couch that looked like it had been salvaged from some dump. 

The stage was at the front of the club, and the bar in the middle dissected the under-21 crowd from the over-21 boozers. Unfortunately, if you wanted to drink, you had to stay on the over-21 side of the bar. That sucked because you barely had a view of the stage. WTF?!  Shouldn't the paying lushes get a better view than the youngsters who only paid to get in the club? Stupid. I have to say, though, the sound system was a helluva lot better than some of the other small music venues I've been to.  That's a plus.  

Finally, this last annoyance will definitely show my age, but having to stand the entire time I was there was horrible. My feet hurt, dammit! And, I just wanted to sit down! But, I'll suck it up the next time because there are some great bands that play here, and for me, great music can make any situation better.