What can I say about the Yucca? It is by far my favorite spot to stop in and catch a show. Any weekend you can pop in and catch an act performing for a low fee of ……….FRRREEEEEE!!!!!!! Yes, free! The owner Rodney Hu is a man of the people. We put a show on their a year and half ago and he trusted us, give us free reign to the venue and kept the cover charge at FRRRRREEEEE!!!! He is superb to his bands (that is if you are good to him) and in turn gets a good turn out flooding the place with Tempe residents. Did I mention the shows their are free???

A few years ago I discovered the Yucca (late I know) and it sort of feels like a place your uncle would play at (wood panel walls, cheap PBR in tall cans, ya know), however during the week he gets traveling acts and always opens his door to the local acts as long as you do him well (bring people). He truly is a local supporter. They recently bought the place next door and turned it into a area to sit and drink local brews and micro brews from all over. Even if you are next door, you are more then able to hear the music playing on stage. The only thing constricting a person from seeing the band is a door from the main bar area to an area you could have you mom, girlfriend, anyone that may complain the music is too loud. He has created an environment that welcomes anyone and everyone (over the age of 21). The only real know is you must be over the age of 21 to attend a Yucca show. They have had outside concerts, have inexpensive drinks and great music most of the week. To see upcoming shows just click here to find out more. Go there and check it out. It’s on the corner of Mill and Southern.

At number four I have placed the outdoor/indoor venue located in the heart of Tempe. Although this special venue is known more for its jam band and bass heavy acts that dawn the stage, they do not segregate just for them. They are more then welcome to open its doors to many local acts like Small Leaks Sink Ships, Black Carl and local band Mergence are having their CD release show February 4th (Just to name a few of many). In case you missed the title, we are talking about the excellent Sail Inn. It has many things that most venues do not like fabulous location (just west of Tempe Beach Park a mile from Mill Avenue), a history that can tell many stories and of course the outdoor stage that is perfect for the likes of Arizona. Everything is better in Arizona 8 months out of the year and why wouldn’t you capatalize on an outdoor stage.

The Sail Inn reopened its doors for live music back in 2009 after a long hiatus that kept people wondering when they were going to reopen. Although their myspace (WTF if Myspace??? Am I right or am I right??) says their 103 years old, their history seems as though they have had enough great acts to fill up thier building for at least that long. So if you like great jam bands, local acts or pretty much anything outside of Death Metal (No thanks, I choose life) or hardcore rap then this is the spot for you. For more info, click here to see their future acts.

To start my week and 2 day voyage of my 5 favorite music venues in Phoenix, we will look at unique venues, a historic venue (in regards to Phoenix) and my favorite venue to see a live show. We will start at the Clubhouse Music Venue, located on Broadway, west of McClintock in Tempe, Arizona.

The reason this is one of my favorite spots to see live shows is because this is typically where you see larger names come to play. As you jump on their website, it gives you a list of bands that have strapped on their guitars, brought their MC’s and turned the treble down and pumped the bass. They play all sorts of bands and hip hops artists and jam acts. This is the main appeal I think for most show attendees. So, you not only get to see bigger name acts in a smaller venue, but you also get to see a plethora (my favorite word) of acts. Another great thing about this venue is 100% of shows are all ages (that may not be right, maybe 99%). Regardless, whomever you are you can see a great show. Seems simple right??? Well, not only do all types of bands go their, but kids go there at a young age and it becomes a cult venue for native Arizonians. Small advantage but still a very big advantage over 21+ venues. Lastly, the website is very user friendly. THis seems stupid too, but in an internet age, this is a must. So, what’s left??? Can we get an App for our phones for god sake!!!

To start my week and 2 day voyage of my 5 favorite music venues in Phoenix, we will look at unique venues, a historic venue (in regards to Phoenix) and my favorite venue to see a live show. We will start at the Clubhouse Music Venue, located on Broadway, west of McClintock in Tempe, Arizona.

The reason this is one of my favorite spots to see live shows is because this is typically where you see larger names come to play. As you jump on their website, it gives you a list of bands that have strapped on their guitars, brought their MC’s and turned the treble down and pumped the bass. They play all sorts of bands and hip hops artists and jam acts. This is the main appeal I think for most show attendees. So, you not only get to see bigger name acts in a smaller venue, but you also get to see a plethora (my favorite word) of acts. Another great thing about this venue is 100% of shows are all ages (that may not be right, maybe 99%). Regardless, whomever you are you can see a great show. Seems simple right??? Well, not only do all types of bands go their, but kids go there at a young age and it becomes a cult venue for native Arizonians. Small advantage but still a very big advantage over 21+ venues. Lastly, the website is very user friendly. THis seems stupid too, but in an internet age, this is a must. So, what’s left??? Can we get an App for our phones for god sake!!!

Earlier this summer at the Sasquatch Music Festival, someone captured the three minute video I’ve pasted below. One guy dancing to Santagold starts what becomes a massive dance mob by the end of the song. The video became an YouTube sensation, with over 2,000,000 views.

Many folks have written interesting posts analyzing the event and at some point you’ve gotta stop analyzing and realize this man just needed to DANCE and maybe the rest of us do too. But before we do that, a couple of observations from the place where open source community-building intersects with Sasquatch guy dance mob-building.

Observation #1: Don’t stop dancing too soon

According to some reports, dancing Sasquatch guy had already been dancing for quite a while before someone turned a camera on him.  It sometimes takes a while for people to notice what you are doing, so be patient and stay true to your vision while the community is still growing.

Observation #2: Dance with your earliest supporters

In the video, when the first guy shows up to join dancing Sasquatch guy 20 seconds into the video, the first thing dancing Sasquatch guy does is run up and pat him on the shoulder, then he starts dancing with him. In fact, if you watch closely, you’ll notice guy #2 starts doing a move with his hands, and dancing Sasquatch guy actually starts following his new recruit’s move.

Humbly embracing the ideas of your early community members is certainly a great way to gain their loyalty. Everyone wants their ideas to be heard. A vibrant community will be acting out a shared vision, and a founder often needs to collaborate with his community in order to truly get their support. If he tries too hard to impose his vision, new recruits may be turned off and leave.

Observation #3: Know when to get out of the way

Once guy number three shows up, almost one minute into the video, things start to change. Within seconds, a bunch more people join, and suddenly there is a movement. In fact, you even lose sight of dancing Sasquatch guy in the crowd.

I wonder what dancing Sasquatch guy was feeling at that moment. On one hand, he had created this instant dance party. On the other hand, a lot of the folks running up towards the end of the video don’t seem to have his passion, courage, and unique dancing vision.

The way community leaders handle these situations is fascinating to me. I’ve seen open source community projects or bands where the founding members get very upset when their movement takes off, but then veers away from their original vision. Some community members embrace the progress and feel flattered to see what they’ve begun. Others get upset, start to exert control, and end up killing their movements in the process.

As a community leader, you should always attempt to influence rather than control the community you create. And if you feel like your community members are straying too far from your vision for the movement, well, maybe it’s not your movement anymore.

And when that happens, you have two choices. One, accept the change, and revel in what has been created. Or two, go start a new dance party somewhere else