The Patio, Indianapolis Indiana

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Permalink Reply by Bill Zink on June 26, 2008 at 11:20am

Good (some great) shows I saw there: the Minutemen, Husker Du, the Meat Puppets (twice), the Replacements, Cibo Matto . . . uh, jesus, my memory really is shot.

Best opening gig: 10:01 opening for the Meat Puppets. Apparently, The Patio had booked 10:01 when the Meat Puppets were coming through, and rather than move the 10:01 gig, they just had them open. I've got to give it to them: a classic rock cover band in the mid - 80's, replete with glam metal hair, playing to a room full of howling Meat Puppets (alt rock) fans, they really kept their poise, and gave the crowd the full treatment - rock god moves and all. Totally professional in that way.

For years after that, Sorg and Woollard and I had all kinds of fun with their motto: "It's 10:01, TIME TO ROCK!!!" For years that was my answer any time anyone asked me the time.

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Permalink Reply by Sean O'Neil on June 27, 2008 at 1:12pm

The Patio was the place many Muncie bands aspired to play when we were starting, especially Crankpin. We went to a lot of shows there and we thought, "Man, if we could get a show THERE, then we're really making it."

Then we got a show there, and we were like, "Man, if we could get a show at the Vogue, then we're really making it!"

But Jonee Quest always did us right on the soundguy front, and I don't know if the Indy crowd liked us, but we loved playing there.

Back then it was before they changed the stage and remodeled. The stage used to be facing the back wall straight on, instead of the angle it's at now. And that stupid pole was right in front of the stage with a big torn-up pad wrapped around it.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Kennan on June 27, 2008 at 1:32pm

My first memories of the Patio go back to bout 1993 I think. I had just moved here from California. I was so blown away by bands like Neurotic Box, Birdmen, Acid Green, Soulpaint, Gravel Bed....I could go on and on. My point is that the scene here was such a surprise to a 21 year old coming from Long Beach, CA. I thoght it would be a bunch of country rock bands or something.....I'm telling you, that first summer that I moved here, I made up my mind to plant roots here. The passion and conviction that those bands had proved to me that great art can and does happen anywhere. In fact, in my opinion, more great art happens in places like Indy, because there is(was) no record label presence here. Sure it would be great if every band in Indy could sign to a label and blah, blah....You make art to satisfy your soul....Not to appease some label guy....

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Permalink Reply by Jyl Freed on June 27, 2008 at 1:42pm

Oh man. I totally embarrassed myself at one of those Meat Puppets shows (which I have a video tape of, btw...) - I'd gone to do a write up for Karmakaze, I think, and when I got to the door, I told the door guy, "I'm on the guest list. " He asked if I'd seen the Meat Puppets before, and I told him "No", and that I was kind of ambivalent about coming because I'd bought their record and wasn't really bowled over. Then the door guy said, "I'm Derek, I'm the drummer for the Meat Puppets".

DOH!!

He was so cool about it, though - he said, "It's all right - everybody can't like everything." I never forgot that, and always mentioned it to friends who didn't care for any of our bands. And I meant it, too.

As it turned out, live The Meat Puppets totally bowled me over & I made a point to tell Derek I was sorry and I was wrong, and I was a fan ever after that. He was so nice. It's a shame about Chris...

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Permalink Reply by Bill Zink on June 27, 2008 at 2:17pm

Jyl, you might be aware of this, but the original Meat Puppets, including Chris, are touring again.

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Permalink Reply by suade99 on June 27, 2008 at 2:25pm

High Point: seeing The Meat Puppets play The Patio during the "Out My Way" EP (circa 85/86).

Low Point: being dragged to The Patio see the coverband named P.S. Dump Your Boyfriend by some chick who I was trying to "date" at the time. Needlesstosay: That ended that... (I did get completely cranked on Long Island Iced Teas that night on her dime... so... thanks?)

Medium Point: seeing Roadmaster at The Patio. Roadmaster! With the dude who would later play bass with John Cougar in the band. ROOOOOADMAAAAAAAASTER! Whooo...

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Permalink Reply by Marvin P. Goldstein on June 27, 2008 at 2:54pm

Ah the Patio-1974 was my first introduction to the Patio. Had my brothers ID. I was 17, he had just turned 21. This was way before picture ID's BTW. Saw the mighty Pure Funk, soon to become Roadmaster and Limousine, soon to become Faith Band. Too many bands, shows, and memories to even recall.

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Permalink Reply by Oland C. Boles on June 27, 2008 at 2:55pm

I have so many memories from the Patio it's hard to think where to start. So many great gigs, shows, and drunken (perhaps other influences) nights. Hell, I'm one of the few males to ever win "The Velour Sex Dance Contest" with the New Duncan Imperials.
My first ever gig at the Patio was with a band called Heretic Lunch, and we were opening for the mighty Toxic Reasons. I was underage, so I had to wait the nervous hours outside until the show started. I remember flyering the hell out of Broad Ripple. Back then your labor stayed up on the telephone poles for weeks, if not longer, and there seemed to be common courtesy not to cover another bands flyer if that show hadn't happened yet. For me and my band mates the Patio was the place to play. Oh sure there was the Arlington, but this was a bar, and the crowd would care more about your music and take you seriously! I don't remember much about that show, but I do remember Fefo and Bruce showing up and watching a good amount of our set. Something about that felt really great. After all, they had toured fucking Europe man!
During the Rowdy years I even sort of worked there a little. I was the guy that did the big calendars that hung on the wall as you walked in to the left and the big events listing on the north side of the building facing the alley. Every 4 weeks or so I'd erase with some sort of solvent the previous month's acts and with my best hand drawn fonts put a new batch up on the wall. Rowdy even let a few of us paint inside on the walls. One of the O'Conner brothers painted these really cool Mayan symbols on the wall over the bar area, and I painted a stylized skater on a ramp with bullets and missiles being shot at him under the bar. I think my paint is still there. They only covered the front of the bar with new wood when they did the renovations later.
The graffiti in the bathrooms and the "Dressing Room" was always classic and ever expanding. I think my favorite was in the band room, "MY COCK IS YOUR SISTER'S PROGRAM".
My fondest memories are playing there with Gravelbed. The Patio felt like home turf, and with Jonee running the board nobody could fuck with us. Sharing bills with Modern Vending, Soul Paint, Crankpin, Acid Green, Neurotic Box, Blind Otis and The Lost Highway, The Zoo Gods, (and so many more); and some great national acts like Alice Donut, Flaming Lips and Archers of Loaf.
The theme nights were always a hit. In the 90's the X-Mas parties were great. To see some of your fav local bands playing the campiest of Cris Kringle was good stuff. Shady 80's, Jonee's Super 70s, movie theme night, and Elvis Memorial shows were all a lot of fun and a good chance to play a little out the box. Even Gideon graced the stage a few times to play with us.
I also have the ability to say that I played at the Patio on the very last night that it was open under that name. It was packed, more packed than it had been in a few years. That was an amazing and bitter sweet evening. The great Otis Gibbs was the big draw, but it felt really special to have a bunch of the old Gravelbed supporters back for one night. There is nothing like playing to sea of familiar faces in your own town, and have them sing along to songs you haven't played for over 5 years.

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Permalink Reply by jonee quest on June 28, 2008 at 12:22am

you mean this?

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Permalink Reply by mike whybark on June 28, 2008 at 1:22am

Classic! Score one for Quest!

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Lee Canner on June 28, 2008 at 2:03am

In response to Marvin's post above...The Faith Band played my senior prom. Ugh. Memories...yeah...glad I wasn't there. Heh

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Permalink Reply by Oland C. Boles on June 28, 2008 at 11:10am

Jonee Quest you are theeeee besstt!!!!! thanks for preserving that!

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