By Kevin Smead | SDUN Reporter

Twenty-five years is a long time for any business to be open, let alone a small, independent venue catering to mostly local and lesser-known national acts. However, if last Thursday night’s festivities were any indication, there are plenty of people who are glad the Casbah is still doing what it does best after so many years.

The event, which took place at the Birch North Park Theatre, focused on the origins and history of the venue and placed the man who started it all at center stage. Tim Mays, one of the co-founders and current owner of the venue, took the opportunity to talk about a range of topics, including how the venue came about.

Though time was limited, Mays recounted a time in which he had booked Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Birch in 1986.

“This was around the time when they used to wear nothing but a sock,” Mays said. He recalled that the show not only lost money, but the venue was nearly destroyed because of the rowdy crowd.

“Many years later,” Mays continued, “about four of five years before we started doing shows here again, I went up to the office and the current theater manager had the flyer from that show. He pointed to it and said, ‘Make sure this doesn’t happen again.’”

The evening rolled along at a brisk pace and featured a number of non-musical guests including the three other original founding members of the Casbah, as well as Mays’ son Keith, who joined via video cam.

Many performers also joined in the celebration. Folk artist Steve Poltz also joined via a webcam, while locals like Pinback’s Rob Crowe and The Silent Comedy’s Joshua and Jerimiah Zimmerman played live. Rocket From the Crypt frontman John Reis also stopped by to play an acoustic version of RFTC’s “Ditch Digger.”

“Thanks, Tim, for giving us our place to play,” Reis said before beginning, placing an emphasis on the “our.”

The theme of family and community ran deep throughout the evening and was especially present during the final number, which of course was “Rock the Casbah.” However, as it was noted, the Casbah is actually named after a bar that co-founder Bob Bennett frequented in Pittsburg, not The Clash song.

Host Leslee Schaffer summed it up best, though, in saying, “[The Casbah’s] mass appeal and longevity is epitomized by the fact that you could 21 or 61 and rocking out at the same show.” She finished by thanking Mays, noting “[he’s] brought us all together, and that’s what this evening is really about.”