How to survive on South Central, Electric Blueroom, and more...

How to survive on South Central
Bad news for Vodka Bull swilling co-eds and Rohypnol-packing frat boys: the Red Iguana is calling it quits. After months of courtroom wrangling over an insidiously impressive, lengthy list of violations — shootings, “alleged” sex shows, underage drinking, etc. — the Old City club handed over its beer permit on July 2, rather than face a suspension/revocation hearing set for the week of Aug. 13-17. A lot of time and money has been spent in court the past few months, and the out of state owner, Kevin Hensel, decided to cut his losses and close up shop. The property at 106 S. Central Ave. has had trouble maintaining a business, as the abrupt and shady exits of ThinQ Tank (Yes, that’s actually how it was spelled) and the short-lived Iguana-esque Banana Joe’s can attest. Good luck, whoever picks up the lease on the building. It’s a great space in a good location, so hopefully something vital and lasting will eventually occupy it.

Their milkshakes bring punk boys to the yard
Renee Sanabria recently sold Old City Java to longtime Java barista Meg Parrish. Parrish says the coffee shop will remain more or less as-is, but a minor face-lift and expanded menu are in the works, including a weekend brunch. Bryan James will continue to book the insanely popular all-ages weekend shows, and Thursday night cult films will show for free.

Electric Blueroom?
Blue Cats owner Lee Fling confirmed to a KV staffer what local blogs have been buzzing about for weeks: the Old City club has purchased the Electric Ballroom to serve as a venue for larger-sized shows that are a bit too big for Blue Cats. This is potentially great news, as plenty of bands pass Knoxville over, simply because there’s no appropriate venue for them to play. This will hopefully accommodate more metal and rock acts that are a bit too rowdy for the likes of the Bijou Theatre. The Ballroom will be closed for remodeling but will hopefully re-open soon. Temple, the goth dance night that took place Saturday nights at the Ballroom, has been moved to The French Quarter at 4900 Chambliss Ave.

Down in the basement no more
Lobster Lobster Lobster has ceased to exist. The bad news rock crew “called it a day” more or less unexpectedly, following last Friday’s all-local show at the Pilot Light. Surviving members will continue to play in approximately 32 other Whisk-Hutzel-related bands.