Club LOGOS, Franklin

This Saturday, I took a bit of a journey to Jefferson Street in Franklin to check out a venue called Club LOGOS in my search for good all-ages venues. Coming straight from the Emerson, I was in for a bit of a surprise when I walked into the clean, smoke-free venue with more than just a stage — near the door were video games and pool tables for before the show and while the bands were setting up. There were strobe lights and fog machines and bubbles coming from the ceiling and Tom, the owner of the venue, made sure to announce where the exits were in case of a fire before the first band began, and introduced every band before they played.

The back wall was covered with photos of all the bands that have played there, and Tom explained to me that they make a DVD of every band, and also told me about the set-up for pay. Often, if bands don’t have a set guarantee, they get paid very little for shows, if at all, but every band at LOGOS is guaranteed a certain percentage of the door. Some members of a band from Indianapolis that played that night, Track 32, vouched for what he said and were just as positive; I didn’t hear anything bad about the club at all. The drive there was fairly easy, but long, which may be one reason why there’s not much talk about the venue in places like Broad Ripple.

Catering mainly to the Southside of Indianapolis and the small towns even farther south, the bands that night came from places like Batesville and Ellettsville, as did some of the audience, although most seemed to be part of one group of local kids from Franklin: They didn’t mind a new kid, though. After two and a half years of existence, Club LOGOS is well-established and the kind of venue that parents wouldn’t mind. With many more years ahead, it looks like it’ll get even better.