Watch Razing The Bar

Loud, messy, and often outrageous, The Funhouse was one of Seattle's landmark punk rock venues. From 2003 to 2012, the venue offered artists a place to experiment with new musical styles and performance ideas, and quickly became a breeding ground for local talent. As a young man, KEXP DJ Brian Foss made the decision that it was better to fail at something that you loved than spend a lifetime doing something that you hated, and he imbued The Funhouse with the same spirit, creating a place where creativity, risk, and fun could flourish both onstage and off. Many members of the venue's offstage community soon found their way both onstage and into the Seattle culture at-large, including the then-nascent burlesque movement and the Rat City Rollergirls. First-time director Ryan Worsley was one of those people in the crowd, and had been documenting the scene for years. By incorporating a wealth of archival footage and memorabilia with dozens of interviews with employees, friends, and a multitude of local musicians, Worsley's Razing the Bar stands as a testament to the creative community that The Funhouse fostered, as well as a warning of what may become lost in Seattle's all-consuming quest for urban density.