The iconic, all-ages music hangout — which launched its second go-round at 133 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids in September 2021 — will ‘bid farewell’ to that space on New Year’s Eve and take time to relocate.
Looking for a New Home: Skelletones has attracted teen crowds in its S. Division Avenue space on and off since 2001. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Consider it Phase 3 for Skelletones.
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The all-ages club at 133 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids that quickly became the go-to hangout for young rock bands and their fans between 2001 and 2009, then reopened after renovations in 2021, will take a “hiatus” after New Year’s Eve and seek a new location for its live music offerings.
“We will take a hiatus to regroup,” said Mark “Mirf” Leech, who owns Skelletones with his wife, Annette.
He announced on Facebook earlier this week that Skelletones would “bid farewell” to its current space on New Year’s Eve, noting they’ve “gone back and forth on what we should do come January. For a myriad of reasons, we’ve decided to let our old space go. It’s not necessarily goodbye, though we thought it might be.
“Being a ‘lifer,’ this is too much in our blood. It’s a privilege to serve our scene in some small way.
So we’ll take some time while we figure out the future. A new place to call home.”
Mark Leech
Leech told Local Spins that word has spread quickly about the decision.
“We did so much to this space back in 2000 to make it show-worthy, safe and legal,” he said. “I love seeing the growth of our city, and at the same time, it feels like sometimes some of us are getting squeezed out.”
He noted that parking has become more limited near Skelletones due to new apartments that opened up recently.
“It gets to be a lot of work, directing traffic every night, so people don’t park in specific spots, even though they’re labeled. We’ve had customers and artists and older women from the Grand Rapids Women’s Chorus (who use our space for rehearsals) who’ve been towed by Merl’s at a price tag of $325 per car. It’s a punch in the gut every time.”
He added that while revitalization of downtown has had its benefits, it’s also pushed up property values and “pushes out the smaller spaces unless you have a full bar or restaurant … or you want to pass those costs to kids, raising ticket prices …”
Skelletones has become legendary for spotlighting emerging punk, hardcore, metal and indie-rock bands (many playing in front of a live audience for the first time) while also providing teens “a place to belong, to give them a place to practice their craft, to feel safe,” Leech said in a 2021 interview.
Indeed, bands and their fans lovingly embraced the club as evidenced by the long line of young fans wrapped around the block to greet the re-opening of Skelletones after a 12-year hiatus in 2021.
“Everybody should come out and support this place,” teen musician and patron Dom Hart said in a 2021 “Destination Live Music: Comeback Road” video about the venue. “It’s awesome what they’re doing here.”
Several notable bands got their start at Skelletones, including post-hardcore’s Against Me!, August Burns Red, mewithoutyou and others, as did legions of under-age music fans who couldn’t otherwise cheer their rock heroes at adult nightclubs and concert venues. Skelletones prohibits any drugs or alcohol.
Upcoming shows include Nashville punk rockers Night Talkers on Oct. 2, Fedaykin’s album-release show with Tonguecutter, Blisshead and Lucius Fox on Oct. 3 and Misplaced Memories, The Lithiums, Zudocks and Lily Bomber on Oct. 10. View a full schedule of shows online at skelletones.com.
“We want an all-ages, no-alcohol space that promotes low-dough events for younger, up-and-coming artists to develop their talents, teamwork and the person they’re becoming in their younger, formative years,” Leech said.
And, as stated on its website, “Skelletones is and always has been a DIY labor of love.”
A Place to Belong: Skelletones offers that for young bands and fans. (Photos/Derek Ketchum/Destination Live Music)
