In last week's column, I broke the news that Edmonds's short-lived all-ages venue the Halcyon closed its doors after only a few months of operation. In the same column, I reported that the future of Capitol Hill's Gallery 1412 was also starting to look grim. Wasn't I just the brightest ray of sunshine last week? I'm happy to say this week, though, that there is a silver lining on the looming gray cloud of venue shakeups—Gallery 1412 will not be closing down despite unimpressive support during their Halloween-weekend benefit show. In fact, in the face of current adversity, the all-ages experimental-music space is beginning to operate stronger than ever, with the venue's staff pulling together and reorganizing the system that currently exists. Christopher DeLaurenti reports the whole story on page 37.

But all this shakeup in the underage music world has got me thinking—the Paradox will be changing managerial hands come the new year, the Vera Project is still operating at less than 100 percent while construction on the Seattle Center space continues (although the recent Vera shows at the Downtown YMCA's Fusion Cafe have been tons of fun, and the Saturday, November 11, Kane Hodder/Mon Frere bill will be no exception), but besides the great all-ages support from local bars (Neumo's, El Corazón, Crocodile, Studio Seven, etc.), the list of "all-ages, all-the-time" venues in this city feels a little, uh, meek. Which is why, more than ever, there needs to be support for the local DIY venues that keep things active.

One such place is the University District's Camp Nowhere, a DIY house venue that (according to its MySpace profile) aims to "create a safe, fun space for people of all ages." The house/venue's folks are quick to note that "we are a show space, not a get-drunk party, so if you're looking for a backdrop to your blackout, please consider somewhere else." "Backdrop to your blackout..." sounds like Hold Steady lyrics to me.

Great up-and-coming locals have already played there (including Valley of the Dinosaurs, the Assailant, Blues, and the Helm) and the future calendar boasts dates with Bremerton's Helen Killers as well as the triumphant return of Iron Lung. The show I was all worked up over, though, was the Sunday, November 12, lineup with Matt and Kim, the Pharmacy, and Holy Ghost Revival. Then I found out on Monday, November 6, the day this here column went to press, that the show was canceled and will be rescheduled sometime in December. Dammit! So there's no show, but there's still some great news to share—Holy Ghost Revival frontman Conor Kiley tells me that the band recently signed to a new London label called 1965 Records, which is a subsidiary of major label Columbia in the UK. Crazy! The label will rerelease HGR's Bleeding Light, and the band will also record new material for them in early 2007. Congratulations!

In the meantime, be sure to visit www.myspace.com/campnowhere for Camp Nowhere's full calendar or to send 'em a virtual high five for their support of the all-ages scene.