A Love Letter to The Cosmo
By Sam Crutcher
If you’re familiar with the CU underground music scene, you’ve most likely visited or at least heard of your favorite venue’s favorite venue, The Cosmo. In just under a year, the surprisingly spacious basement located not too far down Green Street has become a hotspot for up and coming local artists and avid music lovers alike. Known for its colorful atmosphere and emphasis on safety, we at Jamtown have had the pleasure of working with The Cosmo as they embarked on the journey of hosting house shows. During the final hours before “tunes for change”, our Palestine Charity Show graciously hosted by The Cosmo, we got the chance to sit down with the people behind the venue to hear their story.
So who are The Cosmo? They’re a team of four students, all residents of the house the venue lives out of. Mallory Benson, a master’s student at the University of Illinois-Springfield, handles most of the logistics, including booking and graphic design. Emma Johnson, a senior advertising student at UIUC handles the money while Annabella, another senior at UIUC, helps around the venue during and prior to shows while handling the photo editing as well. Last but not least, Senior Kinesiology student at UIUC and boyfriend to Mallory, Blain Fryman, acts as the muscle for The Cosmo, whether it be sawing tables in half to make speaker stands, working as a DIY electrician, or simply lifting heavy shit. The bond between the housemates is clearly strong with each resident playing their part in the operation. The Cosmo is built on a foundation of mutual love and respects that radiates throughout the house and can be felt in the way that the four care for the experience they give patrons.
“Me and Anna really liked going to house shows, and I was like ‘I think we can do this!’” Mallory tells us. Anna had recently been introduced to the scene through a manager at Cafe Paradiso who just so happened to run Waluigi’s Mansion (RIP) and a visit to their friends over at The Gay Bar (another popular basement venue) affirmed the feasibility of hosting for Mallory, but this ambition wasn’t fully shared among everyone.
“I didn’t want to do it at first just because I thought there’s no way we’re ever gonna be able to pull this off,” Emma confessed, “but one of my coworkers lived at The Mirror and then Kev at The Gay Bar. After seeing all that with them convincing me, it didn’t take much. Once I was there, I was there.” Her caution wasn’t completely misguided as “I just thought it was going to be a lot of work, and it has been”. However, “the payoff has been a million times more worth it than I could have ever imagined”.
Once the girls knew they wanted to open a venue, it was time to brainstorm a brand identity. The Cosmo’s namesake can be attributed to the Cosmopolitan martini (Mallory’s favorite cocktail), but on a deeper level “we knew we wanted something super girly and to create a safe environment for women,” says Anna, and it’s this philosophy that’s at the core of The Cosmo. “A lot of the other venues, they’re great places, but it can definitely be a little intimidating, especially if there’s a lot of men and a lot of intensity. We loved the house shows, but we wanted women to feel safe over everything with a super girly, fun, welcoming, and inclusive environment.”
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“Blain is an expert goldfish getter, he will go get anyone who looks a little uneasy goldfish!” Mallory recounts. Got a cut on your finger? Blain’s there with a bandaid. Need electrolytes? Blain has liquid IV. The Cosmo truly does all it can to create a safe space for live music from the girls greeting you at the door, to the fun-themed drinks, to the signs plastered throughout the venue with the girls’ phone numbers just in case anyone needs help. Whatever your situation is, you’re never alone at The Cosmo.
On the logistical side, The Cosmo had humble beginnings with one large speaker and a few DJs, including Adam Atrix and DJ Fern (Emma on aux). It can take a lot to throw a show with factors including sound, money management, and the space itself. Making a space that’s been unused for 15+ years suitable for a party is no easy feat. Blain recalled laying down yards of tarp to cover the dusty ground and installing electrical outlets to supply the basement with power. On the sound side, we were able to get them equipment and sound design for live bands booked by Mallory, helping them get to where they are today with their own equipment and knowledge of how to run a show.
Mallory has become quite the talented booking agent, booking bands from as far as Connecticut. This fall is looking to be a busy semester for The Cosmo with shows almost every weekend to accommodate the large number of artists looking for a show to play. However, they do have personal favorites, of course. Brain Sex, Sitrus Sol, Jackrabbit, and DJ Avery are a few names that they throw out, but these are just a few examples of the talent you can find at The Cosmo.
Finally, they left us with a few notable stories. One standout in particular was the blissfully chaotic Circular Fashion Expo afterparty. The four simultaneously smile and sigh as they remember cleaning out the flooded basement with a shop vac minutes before doors and mopping up vomit after a wild & packed set from Triality (which was admittedly punk as hell). They also shout out house show patron George Taylor, who ended up doing their dishes voluntarily in exchange for mistakenly drinking some of the house’s personal alcohol.
All in all, The Cosmo is the place to be. The people behind it have such a passion for the scene and the people. “There’s not a single part of it that I don’t enjoy” is what Emma tells us when we ask her for her favorite part of working The Cosmo, which is seemingly the consensus within the household. They gush and gush about the people they’ve met and the good times they’ve had working the venue, and I guarantee that for each story they have, there are 5 more from the people who come to The Cosmo to enjoy the show. They may come for the bands or the opportunity to get hammered on a weekend with friends, but it’s the care that goes into every aspect of The Cosmo that keeps them coming back. So next time you’ve got a free weekend, make your way down to Green Street to hear some incredible music with some incredible people because, at The Cosmo, you’re always welcome.
Click here to view the full gallery of “The Cosmo + tunes for change”
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