CIA
(818) 506-6353
11334 Burbank Blvd
(at Lankershim Boulevard)
North Hollywood,
CA
91601
34.1721
-118.3781
Neighborhoods: North Hollywood, South Valley
What People Are Saying About CIA
The Editor
Tara Lis
Citysearch
The Scene
Located in an industrial area of North Hollywood, the California Institute for the Abnormalarts (CIA) is a strange circular maze of funhouse decor and bizarre relics. Somewhere between the shrine to a dead fairy, the skull of the smallest Freemason and the body of fishboy, one begins to question if it's really a live music venue or artifacts from Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Co-owner Carl Crew is a lifelong lover of the unusual, and an ex-mortician; both traits are evident in his carnival-like club, which he refers to as a "multidimensional art space."
The Draw
The majority of the crowd falls into one of two categories: Under 21 or circus performers. Expect to see many of the former outside smoking. Booking policies celebrate indie music, but genres range from rock to electronic, along with cult artists like Girlie Freak Show, who can emit 20,000 watts from her body.
User Reviews
varnr
June 15, 2009
BANDS!!! DO NOT PLAY HERE!!!!! 1. YOU HAVE TO "Tip" the sound guy to mic the kick drum. hahaha. he doesn't do ANYTHING but the 3 mics for vocals. He(Justin) even said "if you tip me, I will mic the kick drum but i only have mics for vocals, it is going to sounds horrible anyways because I don't care" ........ what the hell???? so pointless. just they want to be BAD BAD PEOPLE 2. YOU ALSO HAVE TO TIP THE GUY TO CHANGE MUSIC ON THE FLOOR. COST YOU $20. ASK THE OWNER BOB HE COULD BE REASONABLE. 3. BE CAREFUL with JUSTIN, CARL at the place. They are the worst people you will ever meet. I was shaking by how rude and heartless they are. 4. Bands only get water. ha! 5. DON'T EVER NEVER PLAY THIS PLACE. the place looks great. but it doesn't worth anything to deal with these AMAZINGLY HORRIBLE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!
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babieshay
May 30, 2008
This venue may look 'interesting' but it's a RIP OFF and the owner is a SLEEZE who will LIE to get people into the door. BANDS BEWARE!
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redhalo
July 24, 2007
Myself and some other bands tried to book here and were successful in doing so; unfortunately the owner, carl, doesnt offer contracts. BE WEARY! The establishment was extremely hard to initially contact, and they generally are only operating during the weekends. This is definitely a venue for bands with the ability to pay to play, however, if not; DO NOT BOOK HERE! write down everything the owner says, as he speaks rather quickly. He was incredibly rude to the management of our bands that booked to play here. So, needless to say the show was cancelled and the bands nor the management plan to gig here, ever.....unless new management at CIA takes in effect. The owner seemed very unprofessional and yelled at managers that came in 2 weeks prior to the show. The band finally hired managers and the managers knew they couldnt afford to play here. no contract was offered and the band management finally asked for one. when they got one the band realized they COULD NOT meet the requirements. Lesson Learned: Ask for contracts, or offer them from the get-go to avoid "wasting peoples time".
read full reviewThe Details on CIA
Parking:
This isn't the safest neighborhood around, so try to go in groups. Single women would be well advised to get an escort to their cars at the end of the night.
Know Before You Go:
After a very long wait, the bar finally has a license to serve beer and soju, but still no hard alcohol.
Category:
Nightclubs, Bars & Pubs, Bars & Clubs
Payment Methods:
Bar & Club Type of Music:
Alternative Rock, Electronica, Punk
