Square Pillows
Description: As one of the two bookend clubs on either side of the Denny Way freeway overpass (the Off Ramp being the other) that ruled the Seattle scene during the early 1990s, when the city was discovered by the world. RKCNDY was a huge, two-level, warehouse-type space that had amazing sound and was an all around great place to catch a band most any night of the week. The closure of RKCNDY in 1999 was a hard hit to the all-ages scene, especially with Seattle's Teen Dance Ordinance still firmly in place for another three years.
Description: Serving as a template for the countless new-wave clubs that sprung up in the city in the ’80s, the original Danceteria opened on West 37th Street in '79 to great fanfare, but it was Danceteria’s second incarnation at 30 West 21st Street, which ran from 1982 through 1986, that cemented the club’s place in nightlife history. It was there, of course, that Madonna’s first live performance took place in 1983 and would later serve as the setting for a pivotal scene in Desperately Seeking Susan. But forget about Madge, the club was much more renowned for its array of cutting edge DJs and as a setting for musicians ranging from shock-punkers, The Plasmatics, to modern-classical giant, Philip Glass.
