The Conservatory

Smells of hobo KUM and despair!!! Excellent «George Washington Style» Plywood stage

Formerly the Conservatory. Parking lot is in poor condition and seems to have a lot of underage kids just hanging out in it. Door fee on a Friday night was $ 14, rather high for what you get. Inside has no seating of any kind. Building was clean the night I went, but rather run down.
The positive… They have all different kinds of local acts trying show their talent. Rock, Rap, & Digital DJ types. They get 20 minutes to showcase what they have. The theme, feel & idea of what they seem to be trying to do is why I give it two stars. (Otherwise it would be a one).

This place was rough to say the least. I have traveled with the independent music scene all over the country (and the world) visiting some really cool little hole in the walls, dives, dumps, trash heaps, places over their prime, and places that just do not get it. 89^th SC has to be by far one of the worst venues I have attempted to catch a local show at in a long time. It is right down there with a little hole that I found myself in in Vietnam minus the blatant drug use in the joint. In this case it was in the back parking lot. I can handle a poorly run venue in a building that is falling apart, however, I do not appreciate a staff that is more worried about impressing their friends and picking up girls over the safety of their patrons. When I walked out to my car in the venue’s back parking lot to take a phone call, there were a group of mixed underage and of aged girls (you could tell based on some had the 21+ wrist bands, some did not) who where trashed out of their minds. Besides drinking, whatever everyone does it at an event like this, they were self per-​claimed ‘getting their hits and loading up before going back in’ and proudly going on about it, again sometimes comes with the territory at places like this. What took it over the edge was then they started to pop squats on the side of people’s cars in the lot because it was funny. The entire time the guy from the venue wearing the security t-​shirt was standing near by chatting up the girl he was trying to take home. All in all, the lack of professionalism of this venue is the worse I have ever seen in this part of the county! If you are looking for a good night and a cheap hit, try their back parking lot on nights when the house is packed because the staff won’t care. You will not find me trying to find undiscovered talent at this place anytime soon!

I went to several shows here when I lived in OKC. It’s small and divey, which I like. They get some great bands passing through. Drinks are fairly priced. The layout is pretty good so you can get up front in the pit if you like, or you can hang in the back closer to the bar. Whatever suits you. The sound for shows is decent, not excellent. It’s kind of like watching a garage band perform, which has its pros and cons.

besides hearing your favorite local band, there is also the opportunity to drink nothing but import beer. there is even a sign above the bar the reads «no bud no miller no coors». that’s awesome!

I mean this out of love for the place, but the conservatory is a terrible place for shows. The acoustics are better in my living room — but seriously, it’s a concrete building the size of a small house with a decent sized stage and some plywood doors. This place has seen better days.
But that’s part of the charm of the Conservatory. It’s a piece of crap, but you get to feel like you’re going to some hole in the wall secret show to see your favorite grunge band.
I wish there was a place in OKC to replace the conservatory. I think the only reason the blue note hasn’t replaced the conservatory for shows is because it’s 21 to enter. It’s hard to maintain an all ages venue and still serve alcohol. So I hand it to them for sticking it out. And I’ll still go because I will always want to go see my favorite small time bands, and big venues just aren’t as much fun.
HOWEVER if I have the option of the conservatory, or anywhere in Tulsa, I’m making the hour and a half drive. Hands down.

I swayed between 4 or 5 stars, but had to not let my love for the place cloud my review. However, I am a fan of the Conservatory.
First, the place is rundown…
The bathrooms are sometimes functional.
The seats have exposed springs.
The floor has probably never been swept or mopped.
And…it has that weird, old garage smell.
With all of that being said, I’ve still seen of my favorite bands stop off here for a show. I don’t know why they decide that the Conservatory is the spot they’d like to jam at, but if they’re going to stop there… then obviously the Conservatory is doing something right, right?
The Conservatory serves cheap beer and good times. Oh, and they host some awesome bands. What more could I ask for from a venue? I don’t care about the aesthetics of a place when all I’m there for is to listen to some of my favorite bands do what they do best.

Was a TOTA show here so I grabbed a mic and did my thing. Some beers to drink too. I hung on the ceiling! :) my life is ordinary.

If you go to live music bars for booze and bathrooms with scented handsoaps then the conservatory is not the place for you. If you go to a live music venue … I don’t know … for LIVE MUSIC then the conservatory is great for that. Let’s see DINOSAUR Jr., MAPS & ATLASES, The XX and my local favorite Glow God are just a sampling of wonderful bands I’ve heard playing here.
I worry that if the conservatory closed it’s doors no one in OKC would be left to take their place. I’d have to drive to the Opolis for all the shows I like, okay maybe the blue note on occasion but they just don’t have the same love, passion — years of built up dust and dirt that this venue has — no one ever will.
So here is my short love letter the conservatory for being host to many under-​the-​radar style bands, talented local indie rock groups and for being unapologetic about their appearance. (side note: it is actually no smoking by the way) Overall I love it, for what it is, a grungy live music club.

To be frank, this place is filthy, parking’s a beotch, and it becomes sweltering pretty fast. That said, you can’t beat the price for how close you are to the musicians!
I recently attending the Anberlin show with my boyfriend. It’s not ideal for acoustic quality, nor for needing to use the restroom — you’re better off wearing depends to the show! But beer prices are cheap, folks in the audience are typically devout fans, and it’s surprisingly really close to good pre-​show dining options, such as Republic.
Go for the music, stay for the experience.

There is no denying that this place is pretty much a shit hole, but they get the occasional good bands from around the country and a bunch of good locals. Their bar is very reasonably priced, $ 2.50 for a 16 oz PBR. Can’t hardly beat that! Fun place though and usually brings a good crowd without being too crowded, if you know what I mean?

I have a love/​hate relationship with The Conservatory. In reality, more of a like/​hate relationship as there’s not much to love here. If you are playing the Conservatory you are either on the way up or the way down and neither the ‘twain shall meet. Without The Conservatory there would be yet one less venue in Oklahoma’s already almost nonexistent live music scene. This is about as spartan as one can get. I’ve seen some great shows here over the years so for that alone I will give it three stars. I really started to hate this place when I saw Local H here earlier this year. Band leader Scott Lucas had to come out and argue with whomever was at the bar regarding their sound, and there were also scant few folks here to catch this show. But, the argument was solved, and Local H’s great two piece unit rocked the small crowd, although the poor turnout and venue definitely made their attitude poorer. And, I must too also comment on the recurring theme of the restrooms. Absolutely disgusting! I’ve used better facilities at dive bars in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico! This is the one place where I could believe that old urban legend about getting (and how should I put this delicately?) public lice (ok, I’ll just say it, crabs) from a public toilet! So, ladies and gents if you ever need an excuse just tell ‘em you were at the Conservatory and all doubts will be erased. And you just might see a good show too.

Gravel parking lot. Murals on the outside walls. Barely (or non) functioning air conditioner. Good beer selection. Horrid bathrooms.
Sounds like a typical ‘punk’ venue to me. It is. I’ve played here once and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most fun I’ve had playing in OKC. The sound wasn’t bad, we were treated fairly by staff/​ownership, and the place was packed with people looking for a good show.
There’s nothing fancy about this place… Or clean, really. It seems to sit somewhere between abandon and repair. Studs in the walls are exposed. And those cinderblocks… You’ll see what I’m talking about.
This is one of those gems, a bastion, of punk rock’s refusal to die. Places like this only exist because of the magic that happens inside. You will sweat. You will drink. You will have fun. ³⁄₅ stars for being legit as hell.

it’s a local sweetheart for OKC, and that’s why it gets 3 stars.
also, i’ve seen some great shows there.
but the bathrooms are terrible. absolutely terrible. i would rather pee my pants, and i’m not kidding.
of course i’ll still go there if it’s a rad show, but i do wish it was cleaned up a little so everyone could enjoy it a little more.

It’s hard to be mad at The Conservatory, I’ve seen some of the most memorable shows there. When Atmosphere and Brother Ali played a few years ago, the sound went out and Brother Ali did the whole set a-​capella. Luckily, we knew every word to every song so we loved it. I bet it wasn’t so good for him. Then there was the show where the girl threw up on me in the bathroom and the one where I emceed and it was 117 degrees in there and I almost passed out on stage. So, I guess it would be good if they swept and got AC and took care of bands better but then we wouldn’t be able to bitch and moan and shell out our 5 bucks anyway. Also: the record store next door and the alley between is the best part.

listen, if you’re a yuppie, you’re not going to want to go here. if you dig local music, and good number of great musicians from oklahoma city and abroad come here. i’m still surprised to see the amazing talent that comes to this venue and fills up the entire place.
beer selection is awesome, it’s cheap, and they don’t sell any bud light or any of that crap. the art on the outside of the building is awesome, and the renovation really has maximized the space within the joint.
after the bands finish you can always bet they’re going to be outside the place chain smoking with other fans, it’s cool they have the outside lighting so it’s safe to chill out there with your friends.

The Conservatory is a good little rock venue for OKC.
It reminds me a bit of Emo’s in Austin if you have ever been to Austin.
The first show I saw here was a band called Tweak Bird. The cool part about The Conservatory is that it is so small in size you can really mingle with the bands. They seem to do a decent job of booking fairly good bands here.
This place is def a dive bar, so don’t expect glam which is really more my style anyway so I like it.

I only lived in OKC for about 18 months, but in that time I saw a handful of shows here. Some good (Hudson Falcons, Red City Radio), some not so good (boring instrumental indie rock). And while the sound may not be the best all the time (this can be the band’s fault as much as the guy running the soundboard) its still a good, dirty punk venue and lives up to that status. Since it is right next to Size Records and the owners kind of co-​op both places when the other is unavailable, Size stays open late on nights when the Conservatory has shows. The men’s bathroom has to be one of the worst travesties in the state, though.

As someone who has been going to shows for over 10 years, I will say a good portion of those shows were at this venue, I drank underage in vans behind this place, met tons of cool people, made some of my best friends, and have a lot of memories here from when it was the green door as well as after it became the conservatory. It’s a great venue, with a great owner and a great vibe. everytime i go to a show here i feel 15 again. it’s not prissy, it’s a dive bar and it always has been but the white stripes played here, the blood brothers, band of horses, weakerthans blah blah blah and like a billion other bands that are amazing… its a place to play in oklahoma that everyone knows about, and im sad it has such a low rating.

Abysmal place for a band to play. Absolutely abysmal. It might be okay for a band who formed three weeks ago, and only learned their instruments five weeks before that, but for any touring band this place needs to be avoided.
The place is being «renovated» but it looks like it was an excuse to have dust over everything… why wasn’t the soundboard covered in plastic?
The owner was inappropriate towards a guest of the headlining band. Whether he just has a bad sense of humor or is truly a jerk is not for me to say, but it was far from professional.