The Chameleon Club is a music venue located in the historic downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

History

Founded by Rich Ruoff and Alexandra Brown in 1985, the Chameleon Club was originally located in the back room of a prominent fine dining restaurant called Tom Paine's (after the historical figure

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

). At its conception, the small approximately 100 person capacity room offered performances of live, original music in Lancaster City. In 1988, three years after its opening, the club was relocated to the 200 block of Prince Street with an entrance on Water Street. Circa 1995, the venue was signed on to do a live television show entitled "Live at the Chameleon Club" which aired on PRISM Network, a now defunct Philadelphia area cable network. In 2002, following a questionable police raid, Rich Ruoff sold the Chameleon Club. This was the first time the club was sold to a non-founding entity.HighBeam
/ref> In less than a year it was again sold to current owner Nick Skiadas. In 2008, a major renovation took place in which the adjacent building was acquired and integrated into the existing facility. During that time, the stage lighting was overhauled to include low heat/power LED lighting, and the stage was enlarged to provide more area for touring bands. A feature-length documentary film was made about the venue On September 4, 2020, the club's management announced that the downtown location would be closing. Although the article stated that a new venue would open in 2021, as of June they are only promoting events in other locations on their Facebook page.
accessdate = 2021-06-03

Notable artist launches

* The band Live (band), Live played the Chameleon Club early in their career. It is said that the band practiced in the club in their early days. (Interview with founder Rich Ruoff 2007) * The Innocence Mission, a popular folk/rock band is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and played many early shows at the Chameleon Club. (Interview with bass player Mike Bitts 2011) * Suddenly, Tammy! * The Ocean Blue *

FUEL A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

August Burns Red August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Ja ...

whose original record label, C.I. Records resides next door in Lancaster, Pennsylvania got their start playing the Chameleon Club. (Interview with August Burns Red, 2009) *

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

played there early in the life of the club. (1990-02-09) * Gregg Allman and Dickie Betts informally kicked off their reunion here there (1985 or 1986).

References

External links

Official site
{{Music venues of Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania