Razing the Bar: A Documentary About the Funhouse

"Razing The Bar" is an amazing, touching, insightful and often hilarious documentary about the life and death of Seattle's beloved punk rock bar, The Funhouse.

It's a beautiful film that lovingly portrays the gritty and giddy reality of what a functioning underground music scene looks like, but also digs deeper into the more universal issues of what the larger affects of involvement with such an artistic community has on people's lives over time. Even more, it sounds an important warning bell about the threats that rampant, unthinking gentrification poses to places like this that breed the culture and vitality that attract people to a city like Seattle in the first place.

While Seattle enshrines and mummifies its storied past as a "Music City" across the street at an antiseptic tomb like the EMP, it does nothing to preserve the kinds of places that once allowed young, poor, desperate, vital musicians to make that kind of culture in the first place, a culture that "Razing The Bar" captures perfectly.

This film is now working its way into the festival circuit, and if you have a chance to see it, regardless of your city or your background, it's not to be missed.

This was a very mammoth project for a first time director. The making of this film ran a very high risk of offending and disappointing a fair amount of people who fell in love with this club that was demolished in early 2013. I think that Ryan Worsely completely captured the history and spirit of the scene that cub owner and booker Brian Foss continues to foster and promote.

It is especially inspiring and to note that this film was also produced with a budget of only $8,000, reflecting Brian Foss's ethos of "embrace failure", by doing what you want in life without worrying about the consequences of not succeeding. Worsely relates this environment of freedom, acceptance and experimentation went on to help spawn many more successful bands, performers and a roller derby league.

In short, this is a great snapshot of Seattle's history that I hope will see a new chapter.

Ryan Worsley Deserves So Much Praise For Doing Such A Stellar Job On This Film! I Am Beyond Thrilled To See This Documentary Get Made, Thanks So Much To Everyone Involved In Making This A Reality. I Had Many Amazing Nights At The Funhouse & This Is Hands Down The Best Way To Relive & Recall Those Moments. The Film Has So Much To Offer & Is A Truly Inspiring Experience. It Includes Music, Laughs, Tears, History, Friends, Family & My Favorite City On Planet Earth, Seattle! It Is At The Same Level (In My Opinion) As Hype!, We Jam Econo, TDOWC & American: The Bill Hicks Story. The Quality Is All 10's. You Have To See This Now!

I know the Funhouse, and a lot of the folks who ran, played, and hung out there. I had no idea what to expect this film to be like, other than I was certain that on some level, I'd be disappointed. Boy was I wrong! "Razing The Bar" captures the essence of the place PERFECTLY.

Ryan Worsley clearly spent a lot of time not only doing her homework on the place, and the people who called it home, but emphasized the FUN part of the equation. She really got to the heart of the story of this amazing, but doomed nightspot.

There are a lot of touching moments in this film, which you wouldn't really expect in a pic about a punk club. There are also an astounding number of funny bits to be found.

Funhouse was never about "Rock Stars", and you won't find any here. At Funhouse, everyone - whether on stage or off, was a rock star in their own way. There was literally zero separation between fan and artist, and this film does the near impossible job of making that notion real to the viewer.

I highly recommend, "Razing The Bar" not only to ALL rock music fans, but to anyone who appreciates a story about a bunch of lovable misfits trying to make their way in a world doing it's best to squeeze them out of existence. Also, this film should be required viewing for anyone starting a band, and even more so, anyone who runs / books / works at a club.

Funhouse was the rare venue that got it right, and, "Razing The Bar" is the rare rock documentary that gets it right.