Club Downunder

ormerly the DownUnder Coffeehouse, the CDU actually started out in the basement of the FSU Oglesby Union, right underneath the current cafeteria. There were events down there starting in the late 1960’s, mostly comedians such as Steve Martin and Michael Keaton as well as local, regional, and national acts.

In the mid 1980’s, the Union went through a complete renovation and a new building (since renamed the Turner Building for retired Union Director Nancy Turner) was added to the complex. During the 2 ½ years of construction, the CDU was closed and concerts were moved to the ballrooms, the Union Green, or The Moon.

In the fall of 1988, the Club Downunder opened in it’s current location, a building that formerly housed the FSU bookstore. Finally, the CDU had a permanent home. The calendar at the time featured movie nights, comedians, student organization events, and concerts.

These first couple of years of concerts featured such bands as the Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation tour), Alice Donut, Dinosaur Jr, Pylon, Alex Chilton, All, Soundgarden, John Hammond, and the Dead Milkmen.

As alternative music continued to thrive in the early 1990’s, the CDU booked some of the biggest bands in the burgeoning college radio scene. V89 was at the height of its popularity and the CDU stage was graced by the likes of Buffalo Tom, The Lemonheads, The Feelies, Superchunk, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Ween, Cracker, Stone Temple Pilots, Afghan Whigs, Gin Blossoms, the Silos, The Verve, Poster Children, Guided By Voices, Young Fresh Fellows, Archers of Loaf, Goo Goo Dolls, Seaweed, Jawbreaker, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Jonathan Richman among others.

In the mid to late 90’s the CDU continued doing local and national shows, including Luna, Polvo, TFUL 282, Trans Am, Derek Trucks, Dismemberment Plan, Modest Mouse, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Galactic, Son Volt, Cibo Matto, June of ’44, Brainiac, Godspeed You Black Emporer!, Low, Promise Ring, Jimmy Eat World, and Jawbox. There were also countless ska and swing bands during this period, which we don’t like to talk about.

For years the CDU shared the space with food service and it housed Wild Pizza and Rally’s for FSU student meal plans. In the summer of 1997 food service left the facility and we were left with a room that was exclusively for events. While food service was still provided during events, it was not open for regular meal plans or lunch hours. For the first time we cold start decorating the room ourselves, and did our best to cover up the old stigma of a college cafeteria with a ton of paint. A large dressing room took the place of the Rally’s kitchen and the loading ramp was degreased.

At the end of the 1990’s, the CDU began to slow down. There were fewer shows and even fewer people coming out. Whether this was due to the death of Kurt Cobain and the rise of Creed or whether we were just booking bad bands has yet to be determined. While there were very few shows during this period, standouts included Death Cab for Cutie, Of Montreal, Mary Timony (of Helium), Rainer Maria, Crooked Fingers, Pedro the Lion, and Juliana Hatfield.

In 2001 the Club Downunder split from SCE and became it’s own department called Club Downunder Productions. The Club was renovated once again (the lava lamp years), and the CDU was open 6 days a week, whether for dinner or for events. Big shows started again with the White Stripes, The Donnas, Yellowcard, Har Mar Superstar, Pinback, North Mississippi Allstars, Cat Power, Mofro, Spoon, Iron & Wine, and Ted Leo. Open Mic, Karaoke, or Poetry nights and events such as Charles Atkin’s Blues Lab, Monday Night Football, and student organization events augmented nights without shows. Attendances began to climb again the CDU began to regain its reputation of being a great (and cheap) place to see bands.

2003 brought another new administration and proceeded to hit record marks in attendance and number of shows. Highlights of the past few years include the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Sea & Cake, Mastodon, The Walkmen, Drive-By Truckers, Mark Kozelek, Mouse On Mars, Matchbook Romance, and Rilo Kiley. The CDU is hard to recognize for anyone who remembers the early days. Gone is the turquoise paint, the strange wooden grates over the windows, and the pizza decorated carpet. In the summer of 2004 the room was completely renovated with new paint, all new furniture, and even new fixtures in the bathroom. The Club Downunder is one of the most successful programs on FSU’s campus and continues to churn out year after year of diverse events.