When a University of Washington study on entertainment in White
Center revealed its citizens wanted a movie theater or an ice cream
parlor, married couple Justin Cline and Ann Magyar saw an opportunity
to help the neighborhood.
“There’s a ton of people that live here because it’s affordable, but
really there’s just a lot of nothing to do in White Center,” says
Cline, explaining how Full Tilt, White Center’s premier ice
cream parlor, pinball lounge, and newest all-ages venue came to be.
“After reading the study, obviously I couldn’t afford a movie theater,
so here I am. We were talking to friends about how cool it would be to
have a place to play pinball; the guy from Husky Deli showed me how to
make ice cream, and there it all was.”
In all of the years I have been attending shows, I can recall going
to only one in White Center, a very grimy house party at which Casy
and Brian may have been too wasted to play. All-ages music and DIY
culture have found a place in Seattle and its surrounding
neighborhoods, but the South End has long been neglected. Now, Full
Tilt—on top of organic ice cream in flavors such as cucumber
jalapeño—proudly offers intimate all-ages shows in its
parlor three to four times a month.
“We envisioned having a space where bands could play, with open
mics, DJs, and spoken word,” says Cline. “An environment that’s
slightly hip and political.” The unique spot carries leftist zines, has
hosted talks about immigration, and welcomes even harsh noise bands,
all in hopes of reviving White Center and helping the community. “When
some high-school kid wants his first show, we want to try to set him
up,” Cline says.
The parlor provides a definite step in the right direction for
slowly developing White Center. Cline describes the neighborhood’s main
drag of 16th Avenue Southwest, where the shop is located, as “really
cool with a lot of funky old buildings, but mostly just seedy spaces.”
He’s enthused about what an interesting new business on the strip could
mean for the community. “We just thought that if someone opened
something cool, then maybe someone else would, and we could get things
going here.”
This Friday, No-Fi Soul Rebellion will roll through to play
for the simple compensation of free ice cream and the experience of
playing to a bunch of cone-wielding fans. Hop on that Metro, grab a
scoop or two, and prepare to witness the guaranteed sexual fury that
only No-Fi’s frontman Mark Heimer can deliver, all in the confines of
one of the city’s most exciting new hangout spots. 