The Phantasy Entertainment Complex was a staple in the Cleveland music scene since the early 1980s. The Phantasy helped launch nationally recognized bands

Anne E. DeChant Anne E. DeChant is an American rock singer/songwriter/guitarist based in the Cleveland area. Her career began with the band Odd Girl Out in the early 1990s before releasing her first solo project in 1996. History DeChant grew up in Avon Lake, Oh ...

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...

Exotic Birds The Exotic Birds was an American Synthpop music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in 1982 by three Cleveland Institute of Music percussion students (Andy Kubiszewski, Tom Freer and Timothy Adams Jr.) They wrote their own music, and ...

Filter Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component tha ...

, Lucky Pierre,

the Adults The Adults is a "collaborative name" used for two different recording projects led by New Zealand musician and Shihad frontman Jon Toogood. The first iteration of the Adults was a New Zealand rock supergroup that released a self-titled album in ...

The Pagans The Pagans were an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, that was originally active from 1977 to 1979. They reformed several times, from 1982-1983, from 1986-1989 and again in 2014-2017. Along with fellow Cleveland band ...

Stabbing Westward Stabbing Westward is an American industrial rock band. Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band in 1985 in Macomb, Illinois. The band released an extended play in 1992, followed by four studio albums: ''Ungod'' (1994), ''Wither Bli ...

, and was the debut location for

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

. It was also a stopover for other major acts like

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

Jesus and Mary Chain Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

The Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene ...

, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

and Psychic TV and has hosted reunion shows for bands including Lestat, among others.

History

The Phantasy Entertainment Complex, consisting of the Phantasy Nite Club, The Chamber, Symposium, and Phantasy Theater, first opened in 1918 when it was known as the Homestead Theater. The theater played movies until 1979 and at one point was referred to as the Detroit Theater. Between the years 1976-1977 it was called The Last Picture Show. In the eighties, the theater was renamed the Phantasy, with a focus on

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

and

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

groups. John De Frasia purchased the complex in 1965 when he opened a restaurant inside called Piccadilly Square. After seeing the 1962 film ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', De Frasia built a pirate ship inside the restaurant, which was converted to a music club in 1973. One side of the ship is used as a DJ booth, while the second half is a sound stage. The walls of the complex contains early new wave posters and stickers from most bands that have appeared at the complex since its opening.

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

and

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

performed at the Phantasy Theater in 1987 a day before their film premiere of ''

Light of Day ''Light of Day'' is a 1987 American musical drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands and Joan Jett in her film debut. It was written and directed by Paul Schrader. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman and the cinematogr ...

''. Within the same complex The Chamber dance club began in 1996 under the joint management of DJ Cable and Michele De Frasia and had since been the local haven for Alternative, Goth and Industrial subcultures. Notable artists that frequented The Chamber and are from the area included

Andy Kubiszewski Andy Kubiszewski (born September 30, 1961) is an American musician, songwriter, remixer and producer. He has worked with bands Exotic Birds and Stabbing Westward, contributed to several other bands, and composed music for TV shows and films. W ...

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

, Kevin McMahon,

Lorin Morgan-Richards Lorin Morgan-Richards (born February 16, 1975) is an American author, illustrator, and songwriter, primarily known for his young adult fiction and Weird West series ''The Goodbye Family''. In the past, Richards served as the publisher of ''Celt ...

, Larry Szyms and

Textbeak ''Michael Szewczyk'' (born 1973), known as DJ Textbeak, is an American DJ, artist and record producer. DJ Textbeak is known internationally for his varied style of dark and experimental music including remixes for ∆AIMON, Cyanotic, 3Teeth, Arch ...

. In 2009, the complex was investigated by paranormal researchers who claimed to have captured audio of spirits. In 2010, a fire swept through the complex. In 2015, the De Frasia family announced that the Phantasy Nite Club complex was for sale. A deal to sell the venue fell through at the last minute in 2018. As of June 2020, plans for the Phantasy to become an LGBTQ community hub and entertainment complex were nearing completion. On July 8th, 2020 ownership was transferred to the West 117 Development Phantasy LLC as part of the Studio West 117 complex.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phantasy Theater Goth venues Music venues in Ohio Lakewood, Ohio

History

See also

References

External links