PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Have you been noticing the same trend I have lately - that “Dive Bars” are in, but the places springing up are really more like a commercialized Crabby Ole Mondays than a genuine hole in the wall? Well, for those of you who are fed up with the wanna be’s can rejoice, because The Mutiny truly IS a dive! It’s dark, dank and really rank, where the pool is free, the drinks are cheap, there’s never a cover and the guy’s can claim the dubious distinction of relieving themselves in what is quite possibly the world’s largest urinal… one of which us rubber necking ladies feel the need to get a sneaky peek of!

This is a place where you can shackle yourself to the bar and get loaded from a mere twenty, thanks to the frosty half pitchers! At the same time, you can get acquainted with the regulars, some of which are really past the expiration date, all while admiring a dizzying array of local art on the drop ceiling tiles overhead - some of it is really impressive! Add to that a fun juke box that caters to just about every rockin’ taste and live bands that pass a pitcher around for tips (since they don’t charge at the door). How much fun can a group have when they really do want to slum it?

The bands that play here are usually of the Punkish persuasion, though 80s cover bands and metal acts do find their way inside. The tie that binds is the acts are all pretty much starving artists looking to get a little stage time, so don’t expect too many up and comers or bands traveling from anywhere further than the south side. However, just like the prizes in a Cracker Jack box, you never know what you’re going to get: probably nothing with much pizzazz but plenty of moxie to make up for it.

Now of course, that make shift stage in back looks like it’s ready to collapse at any second, the sound is pretty bad, there aren’t a whole lot of places to cop a squat, there’s a weird smell you can’t quite put a finger on and Fire Marshall Bill might have something to say about the crowds. But personally, I think it just adds to the charm. The people are genuinely nice and easy going, and the bands play their hearts out, hoping to rattle a few wallets in order to scrape up some gas money home. Really, this place is a whole package, and singling out all it’s ills and woes does not do it justice. Needless to say, elitists, germaphobics and A-List bands would probably rather find someplace else to go.