{Photos by Victoria VanBruinisse}

To the concertgoer in the know, knowing the difference between a good venue and a bad one is not unlike knowing the difference between Van Halen with Diamond Dave and Van Halen with Sammy Haggar. One can elevate the concert-going experience (see Panama, Janie’s Crying), and the other is sometimes merely suffered through (Why Can’t This Be Love?), or simply outright intolerable (Right Now, anyone?). When conditions are ideal, the way a space is situated, acoustics, the proximity of the bar(s), lines of sight, and capacity come together like the opening chords of Jump to create that swelling of glee in one’s chest and can make a memorable night of music unforgettable.

As avid concertgoers, we here at Three Imaginary Girls have experienced the good, bad, and ugly of many local venues. Seattle has an embarrassment of riches with regard to them, and many of them have the distinction of being birthplaces to some of the most important bands of the Pacific Northwest. In poring over the Stranger, the Seattle Weekly, and absentminded gawping at the waterlogged, sagging fliers posted on telephone poles in front of bus stops, it would appear as though new venues spring up here faster than the ringlets of the Red Rocker himself (Really, you call yourself that, Mr. Haggar?).

As Schoolhouse Rock told us, “knowledge is power,” and we hope to give you, our beloved readers the info you need to make your live music experiences the best! We will be featuring information about local venues including where they can be found, a little about them, and some insider info from the people who work in them.

Our first featured venue is Neumos Crystal Ball and Reading Room. One of Capitol Hills best venues, Neumos is centrally located and has elements of a small intimate space, despite having plenty of room to move on even sold-out nights. Despite being on the Hill, there is ample street parking if you’re wily, and pay parking if you don’t have the spirit of the hunt within you. With a mezzanine perfect for merchandise sales, a balcony that oversees the main floor to help you embrace your inner Eva Peron, and 3 (!) bars to serve patrons, it’s a little bit posh and a little punk rock, and with few interruptions in the line of sight, any spot in the house is guaranteed to be a good one.

The sound stage is large and dramatically draped in red velvet, like something out of a David Lynch Twin Peak-ed daydream. Perhaps the best thing about it, however, is the extensive live show calendar. It includes almost every genre of music, both on the local and national scene and has been host to many TIG favorites, including The Shins, Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band, Iron And Wine, Band Of Horses, Mountain Goats, Jens Lekman, Les Savy Fav, The Cave Singers, Silver Jews, Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks, Ben Gibbard, and The Long Winters. With all of these amenities to recommend itself and more, Neumos more than earns our sparkly obsessive seal of approval.

Venue Address:
925 E. Pike St.
Seattle, WA 98122

Hours:
Office Hours are 10AM - 6PM, Monday - Friday.
Moe Bar Hours are 3PM - 2 AM everyday.

Advance Show Tickets:
You can buy tickets online at http://www.etix.com and at Moe Bar, which has the lowest service charge. Moe Bar is open from 3PM to 2AM daily.

An interview with “Marketing Mistress” Alicia Amiri provided some interesting facts about Neumo’s history, its do-goodery, and its TLC tendencies:

Imaginary Mimi:
What is the relation between the Moe Bar and Neumos?  Is it similar to that of Moe’s Mo Roc’n Café?

Alicia Amiri:
Neumos and Moe Bar are parts of the same business. Each side helps out the other. Different spaces work better for different kinds of events. The venue was originally opened as Moe’s Mo’Roc’N Café in 1992 and re-launched in 2003 as Neumo’s (pronounced “new moe’s”).

IM: Your live show calendar is so widely varied- how do you develop it?

AA:
We have 2 really solid talent buyers and I help set up local shows and fill out bills. All of us have different interests and connections, so we end up setting up pretty varied events. We’re really just into throwing fun events and we’re all insane music fans over here, so we’re pretty up for anything.

IM:
Neumos has a well-documented history of supporting non-profit organizations. Does it have groups or a mission that are particularly important to it?

AA:
Oh thanks. It’s cool that you have that impression. We’re completely committed to the community. We love being on the hill, in Seattle, in one of the most awesome music communities in the country and we don’t take that for granted. We want to be as welcoming and supportive of the community as possible. We’re always into talking about ways to help out local organizations that share our political beliefs. We want to help keep Seattle progressive and fun.

IM:
What aspects of Neumos, in your opinion, make it an ideal place to see shows?

AA:
Well, it’s my favorite venue to see shows at, so I’m biased. We have the best live sound of any mid-sized venue in town. All of our show staff is super chill and super pro, which is an unusual combination, from the bars, sound, security and production. It’s also the smallest room you’ll get to see some amazing shows in (when you get a ticket fast enough) like Cat Power, The Kills, the Raconteurs, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Yeasayer.

IM:
Is there a particular genre of music audiences are more likely to come to Neumos for?

AA:
I think we’re probably known as a rock and indie venue, but we really do all kinds of shows. [We] actually do quite a few electronic and hip-hop shows.

IM:
Has the surge in residential spaces available on Capitol Hill affected neighborhood / Neumos relations with regard to club noise on concert nights?

AA:
We’ve been pretty fortunate to not have noise problems (yet). We’re stoked about more people moving into the neighborhood and hopefully it’ll just be no big deal.

IM:
Describe Neumos to someone who’s never been there in three words.

AA:
Crazy. Sexy. Cool.

{View all of the amazing Neumos photos taken by Victoria VanBruinisse}