The Hi-Fi Club

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  This is a bar with a Rock club in the back. I am not a fan of the bands they usually draw, but it seems like a decent place to see a show if you are into rock/hard rock.
  
  The bar is cheap and the staff is cool.

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  Posted on 08.11.09 Amy T.

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  This is a very cozy little bar, right on the Cleveland/Lakewood border, that emphasizes live music and in particular metal/ hard rock.  It's across the street from the Phantasy that is usually more into the dance or goth so on a busy weekend, when both clubs get hoppin' (plus the all night restaurants located nearby), this block definitely turns into nightlife central.  Billy Morris who used to be in the band Warrant reportedly owns the Hi Fi Club and can be seen wandering around on a lot of nights.
  
  Despite being located close to residential neighborhoods, the Hi Fi club has continued to book some mighty fine hard rock and metal for some years (since it changed from being a folk-rock club called the Blind Lemon in about 2002 or so) .  There's also a "Heavy Metal Karaoke Night" once a week that is very popular with some people I know though I'm not into the karaoke.  It reportedly attracts some regular singers who actually perform with good local bands or have the pipes to do so.  
  
  A few of the pluses about this place:
  - Lots of parking in a lot next to the club, on the main street and on side streets.  Only drawback is when the Phantasy also has something going on, you'll be competing with their patrons for parking.  I have also heard some people say that the Drug Mart lot a couple blocks up is a bad/ scary place to park, so you may want to avoid parking there.
  -Comfy couches and lots of seating for taking breaks.  It's set up more like a living room than a crappy warehouse bar.  The stage area is more bare but that's a small part of the club and you can also see the bands pretty well from most of the bar area, because the stage is quite high.
  - Lots of TVs in the bar area, tuned to different channels, that you can watch during band breaks or if you don't like the band.  One is usually showing sports while others show news, old movies or what not.  
  - Beer selection isn't terribly extensive, but there are several decent beers (Blue Moon, Red Stripe, Great Lakes) available at fairly low prices as well as a lot of specials on cheaper canned beer.  
  - If you're hungry, there are at least two 24 hour places (My Friends and Diannas) as well as fast food just a stone's throw away.
  
  I spent a New Years Eve here, or maybe it was New Years Day, a few years ago all by myself in order to see some of my fave local bands play.  I didn't know a soul at the show that night but between the TV showing "The Exorcist", the bar and the comfy couches, it was like I was just hanging out in my living room waiting for the bands to come on.   I've also been to shows here on a few other occasions and I can't remember ever being too bored or uncomfortable (except to the extent the club gets kinda hot, like most clubs, in which case you can step outside for a bit here).  
  
  The only bases on which I'd knock off maybe half a star is that the women's restroom only has one toilet, which is inadequate considering that a sizable number of females go here, but it's a pretty big and clean space so you could conceivably  go in a group (as I've seen women doing) to cut down the wait time in line.  Also, sometimes the club management is a bit on the hucksterish side.  But these are minor points and given the relative amenities of this club compared with big bare spaces I've seen bands in, I'm not inclined to bitch too much.
  
  Protip:  If you drink here and need to drive home, be careful to sober up first, as the cops in Lakewood are pretty vigilant.

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  Posted on 05.08.09 M. M.

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