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During his very successful run of bookings Vraney brought national and international acts to the club, as well as booking the cream of the crop of Seattle alternative bands. Delta 5’s politically infused feminist politics had made them stand-outs in the early post-punk years.įrom then on bands played at WREX three nights a week, originally booked by Vraney. The next night The Blackouts and The Beakers opened for Delta 5 from Leeds, England.
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Their set was meant to work out any kinks in presenting live music, and in anticipation of the first official show at WREX. The first live band to play WREX was The Fastbacks (with a young Duff McKagen on drums). His sights were high and he intended to showcase the best of popular local alternative bands with rising stars on the indie scene both in the US and Europe. Some time during this period, Mike Vraney (of Time Travellers and Modern Productions) began to book live music at the club. A new chapter in Seattle music had begun.Īt first the crowds were sparse, but they grew throughout 1980 and eventually the club was just as much a “gay” venue as a “punk” venue that welcomed anyone with a love for the alternative scene. There was a ready audience waiting, so, on a rainy night in December 1979 just after 8PM the needle dropped onto “Orphans” by Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. All-ages clubs and all-ages shows had come and gone in Seattle, but no single club had devoted itself to punk and alternative dance music. And with them came their allies and friends in the punk community. Although Gerra spun a few records each night, his real strength was hosting, mingling with and entertaining the crowd and promoting the fact that WREX had now become a haven for young gay and lesbians searching for their own space. manager and part of the staff of The Rocket. White who would later become a graphic designer. The two DJs there were Charles “Upchuck” Gerra, then a prominent figure within Seattle’s punk scene, and Dennis R. One night a week WREX would host dances showcasing the latest independent, alternative and punk rock. Since both gays and punks were then equally shunned by mainstream Seattleites, there was no true clash between the two subcultures.Īrmed with that knowledge two gay young men who were familiar with the cross-pollination between punk and gay culture approached Aaron McKiernan, the principle investor in WREX with a proposal. Occasionally, former Johnny’s Handlebar clientele would drop in after WREX’s opening, not yet knowing about the change in management and regular crowd.
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Seattle’s punk and gay communities have often mingled together, and the subcultural mise-en-scène at WREX was no exception to that general rule. They were always ready to allow punk rock in their midst because it represented the same kind of outsidership, and it’s no wonder so many gay youth were willing to embrace more outré artists that had emerged from gay disco-artists like Sylvester and the iconic Grace Jones. They all gravitated toward punk as an alternative, so they were all one tribe. It’s not surprising that gays bars were regularly part of the punk scene of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Not only that, alot of younger straight adults interested in punk barely regarded a difference between themselves and their queer friends. One of the targets WREX had not yet tapped into was the growing popularity of punk in the LGBT community Many who came of age during the punk era rejected the “ clone” culture that pervaded the gay scene at the time. WREX was still viable as a business, but they needed something more to bring in customers. The Brass Door, Neighbors, The Park Avenue, and a plethora of other LGBT venues that were popping up with regularity. As the novelty of the new gay bar wore off the gay clientele retreated to many of their previous haunts around town. A DJ spun the popular music found in thousands of gay discos around the nation (and in Seattle) which also included a handful of the poppier “new wave” hits that most gay bars also included among their playlists. The unique décor inside WREX included old car seats in the back, old airplane seats in the side area, and Seattle’s first music video system curated by Ted Ladd. For the first few months of it’s life WREX remained a typical 70s/80s gay bar, catering to local gay men. Johnny’s Handlebar, at the time it closed was said to be the oldest, continuously open gay bar on the West Coast. The venue, at 2018 First Avenue, was formerly a leather gay bar called Johnny’s Handlebar, located on the ground floor of a former brothel.
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WREX was established in Belltown, Seattle by Michael Clay, Wes Bradley, and Aaron McKiernan in the early Fall of 1979.