A buck still buys a round of tunes at many E.V. bars By CHRIS HANSEN ORF
GET OUT
The first time I saw a jukebox was when Arthur Fonzarelli was starting and stopping the music on one with a rap of his fist.
The show was “Happy Days,” a 1970s sitcom that, surfing the wave of ’50s nostalgia that began with George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” in 1973, rolled the opening credits over a spinning 45 of Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” in an old jukebox. The jukebox was an essential part of Arnold's, the squeaky-clean hangout where Richie and Potsie and the gang killed milkshakes to the strains of Fats Domino and other 1950s musical icons, something teenagers across America did in their own hangouts before chain restaurants essentially killed off the jukebox business with their uniformity and lack of down-home atmosphere.
The jukebox will never be as big as it was in the 1950s, when diners often had a small jukebox in each booth — listeners can now tote their own hand-held jukebox anywhere they go in the form of an iPod — but a good jukebox is still a thing of beauty, where four plays for a dollar allow a listener to treat (or torture) clubgoers with an insight into their very soul.
The best jukeboxes need to be filled with a variety of music to satisfy a variety of clubgoers. I set out in the East Valley, armed with suggestions from co-workers and friends (that usually went like this: “Dude, you should go there — they have a great jukebox!), to find the best in town.
TIME OUT LOUNGE
The scene: There are several pool tables, a long bar and the jukebox sits right by the door so you can drop in some change as you walk in.
The jukebox: Time Out has two distinct crowds — the daytimers and the nighttimers — so consequently the jukebox is filled with a variety of music. The neighborhood regulars like the old-school groups such as The Grateful Dead, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. The nighttime regulars, who are mostly punkers, enjoy Social Distortion and leader Mike Ness’ solo record, Reverend Horton Heat and Operation Ivy, among other like-minded bands.
What gets played: “Mike Ness is big here,” says bartender Toni Barton. “Modest Mouse gets played a lot. The ‘Snatch’ and ‘Starsky & Hutch’ soundtracks, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles are big, too.”
Check it out: 3129 S. Mill Ave., Tempe, .
TT ROADHOUSE
The scene: The TT Roadhouse is smaller than some storage sheds, but it is big enough to hold a long bar, a pool table and a couple of easy chairs, and its juke-joint coziness is part of the Scottsdale bar's charm. The jukebox is tucked in back by the pool table.
The jukebox: TT Roadhouse is a favorite of bikers, punkers and rockabillies, and the jukebox is stocked with music to please the Roadhouse's regulars. British punks, mods and psychobillies such as The Jam, Generation X and The Meteors are represented; American swing and rockabilly bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Stray Cats are on the box, as are old-school acts such as “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and swing bandleader Louis Prima; local acts such as rockabilly faves Flathead get a coveted spot among the national acts.
What gets played: “It depends on the crowd we have in,” says bartender Mike Kelleher. “I personally like the old-school country. The local stuff does real well, and we put in bands' records who drop by the bar, like (British post-punks) New Model Army — they came in and hung out, so we have their disc on there.”
Check it out: 2915 N. 68th St., Scottsdale,
YUCCA TAP ROOM
The scene: Located in a somewhat run-down strip mall, the Yucca is a cozy bar that proudly proclaims it is “the best dive you'll ever take.” By day, the bar is a dank spot for folks from the neighborhood to grab a drink, but by night the Yucca doubles as the finest bar in Tempe for local bands to kick up some dust.
The jukebox: The day crowd, an older bunch, has much to listen to on the jukebox, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd and Waylon Jennings. Fans of local music are kept happy with releases from Valley favorites Chalmers Green (now called Black Moods), Dave Insley, Shelby James, Tramps & Thieves and the Scottistock compilation.
What gets played:“The local music gets played a lot,” says bartender and local music booker Venus Salin. “We sell all of the local CDs in the jukebox at the bar. Really, we cater to everybody — the day crowd and the night crowd — and if one of the regulars wants something in the jukebox, we have it put in there.”
Check it out: 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe,
THE ROGUE
The scene: This dark bar in south Scottsdale also has a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality, with neighborhood regulars dropping by as early as 6 a.m. to grab a quick brew (or something stronger) before work, then at night the bar turning into the premier punk rock club in the Valley. The jukebox hangs on the wall right by the entrance (or the exit, if the Mohawked and tattooed faithful scare you).
The jukebox: Being that The Rogue prides itself on its punk trappings, this jukebox is the best genre jukebox in the Valley. Glam rockers such as 1970s David Bowie, Roxy Music, The Sweet and T. Rex abound; old-school punk is well-represented, with discs by such bands as The Clash, The Damned and Joy Division; even British classic rock is on the box, with discs by The Rolling Stones and The Faces; several punk compilations dot the racks; and new bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Strokes, The Hives and Oasis are also represented.
What gets played: “I hear a lot of Depeche Mode, Devo, The Clash, The Cars and Radiohead,” says bartender Gina David. So what does the daytime, neighborhood crowd listen to? “They just watch a lot of TV,” David says, laughing.
Check it out: 423 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale,
MONKEY PANTS
The scene: Monkey Pants (whose slogan is “Get your ass into Pants”) is a well-lighted Tempe bar with a big-screen TV for watching sporting events, a few pool tables and a circular bar. This eccentric little bar promotes Wednesday wig night — if you wear a wig you get happy hour prices all night — and the nightly “One O'clock Shot,” where if patrons take off their shirts, they get a free shot (ladies can strip down to their undergarments). And they have the best jukebox, located by the popcorn machine, in the East Valley.
The jukebox: A big sticker on the jukebox says, “Don't like what you see? Well, you can sit there and & bitch about it or you can donate a CD to the Monkey Pants juke.” Apparently there have been many donations. Local acts feature prominently, from newer groups such as Quarter Inch Crown to Tempe classics such as Dead Hot Workshop, country/punk acts such as Cheetah Palomina to hard rockers Steppchild to legendary Tucson rockers The Sidewinders’ hard-to-find first disc, “Witchdoctor.” How is this for variety? Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Patsy Cline, Neil Diamond and Barry White rub shoulders with the Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath, Poison, The Donnas, Michael Jackson and Faster Pussycat.
What gets played: “With the day crowd, you might get anything from Rush to Billy Joel,” says bartender Leah Whitmore. “But day or night, you always hear ‘Willie Wonka.’ We get a lot of Dean Martin on Sunday bingo nights. If anybody donates a CD, we put it in.”
