The Rebirth of the Funhouse and Return of Chop Suey

The Funhouse was always a delightful oddity across the street from Seattle Center. Under the towering shadow of the Space Needle, the scary-clown-adorned venue served as a hub for Seattle’s punk scene for nine years before developers essentially served club co-owners Bobby Kuckleburg and Brian Foss an eviction notice. After hosting its final show on Halloween night in 2012, the only murmur from the Funhouse came in the form of the documentary Razing the Bar (which essentially serves as a love letter to Foss and his spirit as the venue’s booker).

More than two years later, the time has come for the Funhouse to be reborn. Effective April 1, Foss and Kuckelburg will take over the lounge at Eastlake Avenue punk club El Corazon and turn it into the new home of the Funhouse. As part of the deal, Foss and Kuckelburg will become co-owners of the building, thereby ensuring they won’t be booted out once again in the name of gentrification. Foss will book shows at the Funhouse (capacity 200), as well as the occasional concerts at the main El Corazon showroom (capacity 800). And yes, the clown is coming along to make the new spot feel a bit more like the Funhouse of old.

In other venue news, after saying goodbye less than two months ago, Capitol Hill’s Chop Suey somewhat quietly hosted its soft reopening last Friday under the new ownership of Brian Houck, Erin Carnes, and Brianna Rettig. For those paying close attention, it wasn’t really a shock that Chop Suey returned so soon, but it’s welcome nonetheless. The ownership group has retained beloved booker Jodi Ecklund and plans to continue along the same musical trajectery. The concert schedule for March and April is already pretty full, so there are plenty of chances to reintroduce yourself to Chop Suey.