(photo: mindy hertzon)
Once upon a time, on a thriving, bustling, diverse south beach almost totally unrecognizable to today's strip of eurodiscos and boutique hotels - there lived a black box nightclub named Washington Square that in its five year lifespan, changed Miami's music scene drastically.
Yes, both platinum acts that launched from south florida, The Mavericks and Marilyn Manson, spent quality time on the square's stage - but what made the club special was that it was alive. You could show up at 1 am during one of the "Thon" nights (10 bands a night during the month of march) and see avant garde industrial band Cop Shoot Cop play with local punk heroes The Holy Terrors (pictured above). You could show up at 7pm on a sunday and see Hare Krisna hardcore bands play. Local rock stars such as Load, Quit and The Goods regularly rocked the stage - as did nearly every touring rock band that dared to drive 200 miles south of Orlando. Green Day played to about 90 people at the square in 1991 - and 400 in 1993. And of course, there's the legendary Primus gig which was so oversold - steam rolled out of the club as Les Claypool played in his bikini briefs.
Every musical stripe (as long as it was original) was welcome, and nearly everyone had a colorful exchange with Doc Wiley, the square's soundman/music director/emcee who famously wore black jeans and a black leather vest every night the club was open. And if Doc wasn't engaging you, doorman/Voidville guitarist Sturgis Nikides probably was dropping a perfectly timed wisecrack at your expense as he took your money.
Thanks to the magic of facebook, Square GM Kevin Cornish garnered enough interest to take a weekend off from running his restaurant, KC's Rib Shack, in New Hampshire - and bring back that old Washington Square magic to Churchill's Pub Saturday Night for a thon-like 20+ band blast that will last from 6PM to 3AM. The Holy Terrors, Voidville, Talisman, Charlie Pickett and Scraping Teeth - Spin Magazine's "worst band in america" contest winner - are among the headliners. For advance tickets hit the Washington Square reunion's homepage.
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