Rhythm Room, a fixture on the Phoenix music scene, asks community for help

PHOENIX – The Rhythm Room, a beloved Phoenix institution, is asking the community to help it avoid a financial disaster.

The venerable bar and concert venue on Indian School Road east of Seventh Street risks losing its insurance coverage if it doesn’t repair its parking lot by the end of March.

“Granted, the parking lot is in a state of disrepair, and a repaved parking lot will be a big improvement,” Rhythm Room owner and blues musician Bob Corritore said in a GoFundMe campaign description and in a message sent to the bar’s mailing list.

The problem is that the fix will cost an estimated $30,000, which is beyond the means of the three-decade-old venue.

Corritore is asking for that amount in the GoFundMe campaign and said if the goal is exceeded the funds will be used to make improvements to the bar’s furniture, carpet, signage and perimeter wall.

The fundraiser was more than halfway to its goal by Thursday evening, three days into the campaign.

The Rhythm Room has been a fixture on the Phoenix music scene since it opened in 1991, regularly hosting a variety of local and national acts, with an emphasis on the blues.

“We appreciate all the support that you’ve shown us in our past 32 years,” Corritore said. “The Rhythm Room hopes to continue for years to come.”

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