There is a lot more to a space than just its physical characteristics. Every space portrays a mood, whether it’s a mood set off by the physical properties of the space, or a mood triggered by memories that an individual is reminded of when he or she enters the space. When someone manages to feel an emotional connection with a space, that space becomes special to the person. One of these spaces to me was a place called GS360. GS360 was an ex-wedding hall converted into a gritty all ages rock venue. It was located on Nine Mile Rd. at Schoenherr Rd. in Warren, between an old elementary school and an abandoned auto garage. If it were not for the makeshift sign, the place would have been impossible to find. The exterior was grisly, but the inside was another story.
Upon first entering the building, there was a lobby with lime-green painted walls. There was a small table by the door where everyone would pay to get in, usually $5-7, a very reasonable price for a great rock show. Anyways, there was a huge guy at the door every night named “Thick Nick”. He was an intimidating and sarcastic guy, so sarcastic you could never tell if the guy was serious or not. Then in the corner of the room there was a counter where show-goers could buy snacks, beverages, t-shirts, and CD’s of local Detroit bands. Behind the counter was Aaron, an old high school friend of mine who lived down the street from the venue. Now and then you would see Kevin and Chris there, the owners. They were 2 tattooed-up big mid-thirty-year-old hardasses, but everyone loved them. Their jokes and easy-going attitudes made you feel at home despite the building being in desperate need of repairs.
Leaving the lobby, there was a long hallway that lead to the “theater”, for lack of a better word. The room where the bands performed was very simple: a big white barren room with a small elevated stage. Despite the simplicity, one the owners, Chris, dropped a lot of money purchasing a state-of-the-art sound system and many stage lights, helping to create stage shows on a professional level. When local heavyweights such as the Weakend and Opus Podunk (R.I.P.) played, that place felt like the Fillmore with its artsy lighting and the 300 people jammed into a 250 person capacity room. One thing was for certain, I always felt at home at GS360. The venue managed to bring such a variety of people together every week for all sorts of musical events. Now and then I would even accompany my metal-head friend to a hardcore show. I hate metal and I still had a riot at those shows. GS360 was a way for me to escape the frustrations of life and just let myself go. I loved that space.
GS360 closed in early July 2007 due to financial problems. The venue business is a tough one since it is hard to make money on the weekdays. Some efforts have been made by local musicians and music fans to raise funds to reopen the place, but its future still remains undetermined.
-Mark Suchyta
mark,
this place sounds like it was a really kick ass place to hang out. I’ve never been a pick rocker myself, but this definitely sounds like the kind of place i would want to hang with friends at. I’ve actually never heard of a place that was built simply for local bands. Are there any of those around here? cause i’d really love to go and hang there. Btw, you really described the place well and it was easy for me to put myself ther.
Andrew Reid
This was good, Mark. When did the place open? I grew up not far from there and have never heard of it. Also, its interesting that something with such an impersonal name could be so homey.
Reid- While there are only a limited amount of local-only venues, there are a lot of bars that showcase good local music, especially here in Detroit.
and Jenna, the name GS306 was actually short for Game Studio 360 (as in XBOX 360). The place was orginally located in Clinton Township and was a gaming cafe that had local shows. Eventually, the owners found a building on 9 Mile they liked better. They decided to drop the gaming cafe idea and make it stictly a local rock venue. They never really decided on a new name so they just shortened it to GS360. The venue moved from Clinton Township to Warren in, I would say, 2005 and then closed this year. So it was only in Warren for a brief period of time, probably explaining why you weren’t aware of it.
-Mark Suchyta
I really am feeling your description of the place, it’s obvious the place was pretty special to you.
I found it ironic that the owners of the place and the place itself had so much in common. On the outside, both are very imposing, yet the insides were completely opposite. The building was grim and nasty on the outside, and the owners were big, tattooed, bad-ass looking guys. On the inside, however, the building felt like another home to you, and the owners were friendly and down-to-earth.
- Steve
Good comments, thanks.
Those sorts of places are spaces that you associate things with, and will always remain alive in your consciousness well after they themselves close. The memories you have there you’ll take with you far into your life, which makes them the most vital and important spaces of all, the spaces you make extensions of yourselves. The space that feel alive with energy. The spaces that, when you’re not there, are totally empty and misleading looking spots, but when you get a bunch of like minded people together, life springs forth and you transform a seemingly empty space into the place to be.
Wish it was still around, I want to go back to a few punk venues…:D