From Deseret News archives:
DV8's setup was great
Music notes
These are just some of the bands I've seen at Club DV8 over the past 15 years.
And those memories flooded through my mind when the former club went up in flames last week.
I remember each show like it was yesterday. And while DV8 wasn't as clean as, say, the former Zephyr Club, it was more cutting edge and, in some cases, a bit more dangerous.
The danger I'm talking about refers more to the edginess of the bands that played DV8. But there is also the fact that if a fire had flared up in DV8 during its working days, the Great White's 2003 club-fire tragedy in Rhode Island, where more than 100 people perished, would have paled in comparison.
At any rate, Jars of Clay, Better than Ezra, Poe, the Eels, Grant Lee Buffalo, Vallejo, Ween, Deftones, Buzzcocks, Voodoo Glowskulls, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rollins Band, Body Count, Rage Against the Machine, House of Pain, Everlast and Helmet played at DV8. And in every case, the audiences became just as much as part of the stage act as the bands.
Remember, this was in the '90s when mosh pits, stage diving and crowd surfing were encouraged.
I learned at Club DV8 that I was too short to mosh. My nose was at the right height to find elbows, or vice versa. Many times when I went to wash my face, some of the blood on the restroom floor was mine.
So, I learned fast that the upper floors of DV8 were the safest for me. And since the upper floors were the club portion read 21-and-older I found it quite comfortable to sit on a chair and relax while the all-ages area main floor was abuzz with angst and energy.
I loved the setup. The place was a renovated theater. And when Gothic-laced industrial bands like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Machines of Loving Grace played, it felt like an all-out Theatre de Vampyres.
No Doubt, Fear Factory, Hed (pe), Jimmy Eat World, Sense Field, Elliott Smith, Dance Hall Crashers, Aquabats, Built to Spill, 311, Reverend Horton Heat, Train, Eve 6, Dexter Freebish, Evan & Jaron, Supersuckers, Anthrax, Lamb of God and Superjoint Ritual had their early-career performances at Club DV8.
I even remember seeing Utah's former heavyweight band the Obvious film a video there. In fact, after the shoot, I was able to sit with them behind the stage for a short interview during, gasp, daylight hours.
Morphine, Crash Test Dummies, Pennywise, Proclaimers, Ugly Kid Joe, Hole, Veruca Salt, 7 Seconds, Bouncing Souls, Killing Joke, The Cramps, The Fugees, Jawbreaker, Korn, Throwing Muses, Gravity Kills, Insatiable, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Tracy Bonham and the Specials the list goes on.
Farewell, Club DV8. It's a shame, but a good thing no one was in there.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com
Comments
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies 4:19 a.m.
- College football: Big-5 glance 12:34 a.m.
- Sports on the air 12:14 a.m.
- Missions teach players perseverance 12:08 a.m.
- Scout answer to church's prayers 12:08 a.m.
- Project helps Guatemalan kids 12:07 a.m.
- No expiration date on gratitude 12:07 a.m.
- Nursery Rhymes' gratitude 12:07 a.m.
- Temple Square to use LEDs 12:06 a.m.
- Mormon mom helps hungry children 12:05 a.m.
- Cave rescuers committed to free man
- Howard made the rivalry a rivalry
- Donny and Kym dance to victory
- Cougars cruise past Southern
- Twitterati to BCS: 'We hate you.'
- Loyal to Cougarettes, Crimson Line
- Y. focused on 10-win season
- BYU has slim shot at BCS
- Thunder rolls by Jazz
- BYU ties give Utes an edge
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
259 - Glenn Beck to enter politics?
227 - Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
209 - RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks
202 - Bronco, Kyle rubber match
139 - BYU records with win
133 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
129 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
110 - Boys basketball rankings
110 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
103
When "Dancing With The Stars" began more than two months ago, 16 couples...
Comedian Brian Regan, who is scheduled to perform at Abravanel Hall on...
Game Crazy is the nation's second largest video game retailer and they...
Wouldn't this be a good way to get rid of the carp in Utah Lake? Provide some...
Unlike its general membership, the church is known worldwide for their love...
to two fine women with outstanding husbands and coaches. GO UTES!
This may be true but it only works when grocery shopping. By Black Friday...
I hope some of our Utah state legislators are reading this report and maybe...
What a waste. I'm an American living and working with the rural poor in...
Next three years Syracuse girls state champs! Young and very talented!!!!!...
I'm sorry for the loss this man's family will experience. What was to be an...
Finally a president that does something constructive. Dave, stop telling...
I hope they get him out as soon as possible. What a horrible experience for...


You can be the first to comment on this story.