“Basement rock!” proclaims the flyer for Eugene newest “underground” venue, Stonehenge. Located in the basement of a house rented by five students, who also run the establishment, Stonehenge’s setting and bands have students talking. With a cheap cover (up to $5), free punch and day-old pastries donated by bakeries, Stonehenge appears to have found the perfect formula for a low-key yet rocking new venue.
Just past a gravel driveway lit by candles on pothole-riddled Central Boulevard in East Eugene, Stonehenge’s covert location even had the bands checking for directions. The owners and patrons seem to agree there’s something about the venue that keeps people coming back.
“We’ve been having a considerable amount of people come to the shows and telling their friends, so the audience has been growing,” said Adam Zeek, one of Stonehenge’s co-creators and a junior at the University. “And we’ve been meeting a lot of new people and starting a community, which is what we’ve been hoping for.”
Besides the free food, cheap prices and great bands, people return to have fun with friends, listen to good music and enjoy the uniqueness of this venue.
“It’s nicer than the WOW Hall,” Lane Community College student Matt Gellein said.
Most people at the Nov. 8 show that featured The Thermals, Things Explode! and Nero said they got a good vibe from the location, but found it slightly odd — it is, after all, in the basement of a house.
Ashley Keneller, another roommate and co-creator, said creating small clubs in private residences was nothing new.
“There’s been a couple of other places like this in Eugene that have come up and then shut down,” Keneller said. “There isn’t one right now, so (we thought) it was just the right time to start this.”
It wasn’t an easy task to open the new venue.
“We moved in with the idea that we would do shows in the basement. We rented this place in September and have been working on the basement since we got here,” house member Matt Brown said. “It was pretty filthy when we moved in.”
Shortly after the tenants cleaned up in the basement, which holds about 60 people, the bands started coming to perform. Zeek began e-mailing bands over the summer and asking them to check the spot out.
“We look for bands that take it upon themselves to tour the country with their music,” Zeek said, “and bands that are looking for this kind of venue.”
“Whoever is interested, we have them come play,” Brown said.
Stonehenge’s setting isn’t the only distinctive factor; the club has specific goals most venues don’t consider to be part of their mission.
“We want people to come and have a good time and meet other people. Too many people come
to Eugene and move away within four years, which makes it kind of hard to get to know people,” Zeek said. “There are lots of faces here we’ve never seen before, which is kind of our goal, for people to come together. We want everyone to come and feel comfortable and make friends.”
Zeek, Brown, Keneller, and roommates Whitney Gum and Taylor Morrow plan on continuing Stonehenge for as long as they live in Eugene. The next show will be Saturday at 9 p.m. for $5. The show will feature Mirah, Liarbird, The Strangers and Sophisticated Micah Sykes. Stonehenge is at 2841 Central Blvd.

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