Party like an animal

Picture if you will, a musical utopia. Live bands play in an intimate setting. Everyone rocks out and moshes in harmony. All are welcome, for there are no age restrictions. This is no unattainable dream of Eden or Elysian fields. This utopia exists in Bloomington at Rhino's All-Ages Music Club, voted the best under-21 venue in town. Rhino's puts emphasis on booking local and original music. There is no limit on the genre, as acts from punk to ska, hip-hop to acoustic, and everything in between appear on stage.\nThe essence of a live show is extracted in its purest form. Rhino's is basically a big room with a stage on one end and soundboard on the other. The walls are painted with murals, and your typical music-venue old couches dot the grungy floor. Because it is a not--for-profit club, the décor is not extravagant -- but the music is what matters.\n"If the crowd is good and the band is good, it's a happening place to be," manager Brad Wilhem said.\nWilhelm, a former Union Board concert director, chuckled when he heard the club was voted the best under-21 venue, because it is technically the only under-21 venue in town. \n"It's one of the few places with no age limit where you can see live original music, unless you go to a basement show where you run the risk of that getting busted by the cops," Wilhelm said.\nAnd speaking of getting busted by the cops, house parties themselves came in third place in the voting for best under-21 spot. (Second place went to the recently closed Club Cream, a hip-hop dance club for patrons 18 and over.) \nIt's easy to see why house parties made the list. They have mingling, alcohol and they don't have a stern faced bouncer checking IDs. Plus house parties provide that "homey" atmosphere only a house can offer. Nothing says "Won't you be my neighbor?" quite like a keg. \nBut shows and parties in personal dwellings have their setbacks. Walking into someone's personal living space to see a band is much like entering a hermit's cave or a turtle's shell for a show. There exists a level of awkwardness and elitism.\nSophomore Ann DeVilbiss has been a Rhino's patron for over a year. She said the atmosphere is safe and friendly, and because it is a public venue, she finds it to be less intimidating than house shows. \n"The two times I saw Murder by Death they were pretty awesome, and there have also been a few good Nicotones shows," DeVilbiss said.\nBecause of the variety of different genres booked, the crowd is never exactly the same. The mannerisms, emotions and dance moves will be different every time. The audience is what makes the show.\n"A lot of the atmosphere of a show depends on the mood and energy of the crowd," DeVilbiss said.\nAnother frequenter of Rhino's, senior Rob Woodworth, said the all-ages aspect of the club is quite a rarity.\nThough the lack of an age restriction pulls in many high school students, college age patrons don't have to feel elderly. Woodworth said the crowd is a mix of college and high school students. \nRhino's size and approachability are a couple more bonuses it can claim.\n"It has a larger capacity than other venues like Second Story or Axis," Woodworth said. "It is also easy to book a show there, so kids in bands have a good place to try and play."\nWoodworth also believes Rhino's is a feel-good venue. He said he's never seen a fight there, and he enjoys the smoke-free environment and not being "choked by fumes all night." \nRhino's is also heavily involved in the community. Besides live music, the club offers youth outreach programs where high school students can go after school to participate in a variety of activities, such as working on their own radio and television shows. High school students even painted the murals on the walls. In the decade it has existed, Rhino's has become a place for education and entertainment alike. \n"I think it is a positive place in Bloomington," Woodworth said. "I know they try and do a lot for the community, and I would like for there to be a few more places like it around"