The Retreads, The Slurs and The Coke Dares
Thursday, April 15
The Speakeasy at 505 N. Dill
21+, 10 p.m.
$3 cover
There's a punk show tonight at the Speakeasy in the Village, but it will be one of the venue's last. One of the staples of the live scene in Muncie, the Speakeasy will close April 18.
Any student walking up and down McKinley Avenue knows Ball State is considered a "suitcase campus." Any student can explain it, too: "There's nothing to do in Muncie." It's almost become a mantra.
But after April 18, "nothing" will become even less. The Speakeasy, the main rock 'n' roll bar in the Village, will close. But it will go out in style, holding three live performances that will serve as eulogies for the venue that's tried to ignite Muncie's live music scene.
On Thursday, April 15, The Retreads, who are one of Muncie's best-drawing bands, The Slurs (of Indianapolis) and The Coke Dares (Bloomington) will invade the Speakeasy for a final punk rock send-off.
Scottie Retread, the bass player and a vocalist of The Retreads, hates to see the venue go. "The Speakeasy has been a huge boost. There were no real venues for a while. Bars were doing karaoke and cover bands," he said. "The Speakeasy gave local bands and smaller touring bands a shot to play. They have been so supportive of everybody."
Retread compared the Speakeasy to legendary venues like the Grog Shop in Cleveland and the Metro in Chicago, calling it "our local rock dive." He said, "The Speakeasy will play stuff you won't hear other places in town. They take chances on genres that other venues won't touch. You won't hear metal shows or punk rock, really. They don't play booty music or Dave Matthews cover bands."
Jake Hendershot is a bartender at the Speakeasy and a guitarist for The G.O.A.T., a Muncie-based jam/improvisational band. He said, "It's the only bar on campus that is up for live music every single night of the week."
Hendershot has worked at the Speakeasy for about eight months. He's not at liberty to explain why the Speakeasy had to go under; but, he likens it to the lack of enthusiasm for live music in Muncie. "The kids on campus would rather go someplace else. They'd rather listen to whatever they do at Dill Street," he said. "But enough people weren't into the live music. We definitely have a crowd of people who come in every single night. But it sucks that more people would rather go to Dill Street and hook up than see a band play."
Retread said he hopes someone will pick up where the owners of the Speakeasy left off. "I'd love to see another dirty rock bar with the next owners," he said. "I think this place has been a focal point for musicians. That's where the people in bands go and hang out. It's the scenester bar. Whoever is playing, members of 20 bands will be there."
Hendershot said, "I hope that whoever ends up buying the Speakeasy will have live music. The campus needs live music."
The April 15 show, billed as the "Total Destruction of the Speakeasy," will be that live music, filling the Speakeasy with a few hours of honest-to-goodness punk rock.
The Retreads' album "Highway to Helsinki" is an intense affair, cementing their status as near-legends of the Muncie scene. The four-piece plays punk rock steeped in tradition -- loud guitars, snide, snarled vocals and furious drumming. Though the band's lyrics mock the lighter side of the underground ("I used to think that you were fresh your sophomore year / tight little athletic body and a cute little rear" in "Too Much Junk"), "Highway to Helsinki" also features "I Quit," a song confronting alcohol addiction. Through and through, the record is full of gems, like "Doin' It for the Dudes" and "We've Arrived (Live at Budokan)."
Retread compared supporting act The Slurs to The New York Dolls; the band's recent three-track EP confirms the Indianapolis-based bands penchant for punk interspersed with glam rock. "The Kootch" of The Slurs said, "We play punk-influenced rock 'n' roll, kind of like if The Dead Boys were in a bar fight with The Monkees with Keith Richards and Angus Young taking bets." The quirky Coke Dares lean more toward the rough-edged sounds of '60s rattle 'n' roll, pinching off tight riffs and howled vocals -- usually under a minute -- in songs like "Guns 'n' Reasons," "You're Not Carrying a Big Box" and "That's It, I'm Chasing this Rat."
"There's nothing to do in Muncie." Even if the claim is half-true, after April 18, Ball State students will have one less option until new owners sweep in and turn the Speakeasy into something else. In the meantime, Retread said, "We're just trying to put it to bed with a big show."
And for what it was while it was, the Speakeasy deserves it.
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