Club Q is now a thing of the past. But for those raised in Broward, or even Palm Beach County, Club Q was all us poor suburban alternative music kids had. Today, its veterans proudly are scattered throughout the local music scene.
No matter which "scene" you branched out to, it all started at Club Q -- with some terrible music. But that's not the point. It was the foundation of our current lifestyles as music snobs. A way of thought and living that we earned, because we've been hitting shows since we were fourteen. We always know what we're talking about thanks to this sonic touchstone.
Here are ten other reasons why we all needed Club Q more than it needed us in 2001.
10. All that practice making flyers for your best friend's band got you a sweet job, right? It didn't? Well at least you remember what it was like to work for the love of something alone. Plus you probably make enough money now to support real musicians.
9. You learned early on that five bucks for a show was nothing to scoff at, especially when the owners started charging eight. Lord, these days, catching a local band can cost you a Jefferson if you're not careful.
8. Honestly, it was the safest place to participate in your first mosh pit. No Way Out was a gateway drug. Everyone's got to start small. Small bloody noses. Small fat lips from an elbow to the braces. Big props from your dudes on Monday morning when, just by showing up, you convinced your lab partner you were dangerous. Small starts.
7. And that mini-mart around the corner? You were going to be exposed to porn and doughnuts eventually. What we mean is, it's likely that you already knew the glory of these two things exclusively, but in this case, Little Debbie took on a whole new meaning at the "check-out" counter. There are still a few folks who owe that mini-mart an apology.
6. Where else was Bum Ruckus supposed to play? Where else would you want them to play? Those dudes sounded as good as a group of disorganized marching band players could in a black light-lit room in BroCo. They eventually played at the Chili Pepper with Glasseater, which come to think of it, was pretty weird, but learning how to small time skank really prepared you for your first Catch 22 show. Even more so, when you first heard the Hippos, you could probably thank Bum Ruckus for knowing how to appreciate something like that.
5. And when was the last time you had a good time just listening to shitty music and sipping Sprite all night? That's right. It was probably your last Club Q show. They didn't serve minors for shit. Good for them.
4. Single handedly brought Pygmy (and a sense of awareness) to Broward. Until then, it was folks screaming into a micro... Nevermind. Regardless, they would have just kept on going north from Westchester until Ray's Downtown Palm Beach if it weren't for Club Q.
3. No amount of acne, baby weight, braces or any other general misfortune of adolescence, or even delusion of musicianship could keep you from being a stud when you were in the band, or at least had a class with one of the band members.
2. Strong possibility here that you would have missed that one New Found Glory show due to a word-of-mouth fail. Worse, you might have missed Wesley Willis at FUBAR. News traveled at Club Q. Especially after that guy got tased.
1. It kept you out of the Sawgrass Mills' Sam Goody for just a weekend.
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