One of the most enduring legacies of punk rock was the do-it-yourself DIY philosophy it instilled in youth across America and around the world. Whether creating homemade fanzines, pressing their own records, or reimagining living room floors as stages, to do it yourself was to seize control of your destiny… if on the cheap, and but for a passing moment. If a band could pool their resources to procure a van or a station wagon, they could travel the country playing shows for gas money—no manager, booking agent or label support needed.
These kinds of possibilities fueled a positive youth subculture just about everywhere, including right here in Peoria, Illinois. As such, its constituents were scrappy and resourceful by necessity. Named after a former Peoria Park District director, Owens Recreation Center is best known for its ice skating rink, where native Peorian Matt Savoie trained to become an Olympic champion. But in the summer of , a group of Peoria teenagers rented a large meeting room adjacent to the skating rink and transformed it into a makeshift punk rock venue.
These memories were a foundation that paved the way for an entire generation of Peoria showgoers. He hosted a handful of shows there in , a few years before the place closed for good. Suit had a knack for finding unusual and out-of-the-way venues—places that had never before witnessed a show. As far as we know, this was a one-time happening and a very clean show.
In the late nineties and early s, a couple of local churches hosted all-ages shows in their basements. Thanks to promoters Jeremiah Lambert and Jared Grabb , among others, both spaces hosted dozens of touring and local bands alike during their several-year runs. Peoria Pizza Works on Prospect Road has long been known for hosting live music—the late great Peoria bluesman Luther Allison even recorded a live album in its adjoining lounge in Beginning in or so, a number of local promoters started hosting punk and indie rock shows alongside their more established open mic nights.
The space was huge, the rent was cheap, and the college even provided a stage and risers. Check out that delightful piece of Peoria history here! Tiamat was a record store by day, but at night, with the record bins pushed to the walls, it was the closest thing to an actual punk club this city ever had.
