Seattleites were out for political blood.

Allegations of sexual abuse and drug trafficking had been leveled against the Monastery, a dance club run by the Universal Life Church that catered to the underage. The fallout from the resulting public outcry led to the ruination of Seattle’s all-ages music scene; with harsh regulation brought on by the city’s 1985 Teen Dance Ordinance, shows for anyone under the age of 21 were almost nonexistent.

“The Teen Dance Ordinance, in a broad sense, made it prohibitively expensive and difficult to run an all-ages show,” said Nick Turner, development manager at the all-ages Vera Project.

Restrictions included the need for off-duty police officers at all shows and $1 million in liability insurance, among other things. Unless young musicians and fans were linked in to all-ages house shows and DIY venues, they were forced to make the trek to neighboring cities such as Bellevue and Redmond for their live-music fix.

After years of lobbying and legal cases, the All-Ages Dance Ordinance was passed in 2002, loosening many of the laws exacted by the Teen Dance Ordinance that governed a now severely stunted underage music scene. Since then, all-ages shows have boomed, although some elements of the Seattle music scene remain a hostile environment for young musicians.

“There’s always a need for a diversity of spaces,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of different levels that shows need to exist at.”

Part of the solution to fill the all-ages void has been the Vera Project. The idea for the venue was developed in 1999 by James Keblas and Shannon Stewart, two UW students studying abroad in the Netherlands. They were directed by friends to the Vera, a volunteer-run and Dutch government-funded film and music venue.

At the same time in Seattle, the Music and Youth Task Force was recommending that a city-funded, all-ages venue be formed. With seed money from the City of Seattle and various other organizations and private donors, the Vera Project put on their first show in January 2001 in a downtown concert space. Demand for an all-ages show was high enough that hundreds of people had to be turned away. Since then, the Vera Project has developed a permanent residence at the Seattle Center, with a venue that can hold an audience of 400 and host educational programs, such as sound engineering, to launch students into the music industry.

Sol Moravia-Rosenberg, a 20-year-old UW student and hip-hop performer known as SOL, credits the Vera Project with helping him in the Seattle area music scene. He frequently performs at the Vera Project and will headline at the Vera Stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party July 25.

“I’ve played a lot of all-ages shows and built a pretty healthy crowd,” Moravia-Rosenberg said. “I appreciate it so much … I don’t see why anyone would want to exclude that demographic.”

However, as a younger musician, Moravia-Rosenberg has faced plenty of issues in the Seattle music scene as well. Due to liquor laws, he often isn’t allowed into a venue until his part of the performance and is forced to leave directly afterward. This puts the kibosh on his ability to network and learn from other musicians’ performances, among other things.

“I played a show with Wu-Tang [Clan] last year. I had my own room backstage with the name on the door. I couldn’t get backstage and eat the food or anything because it was 21-plus,” he said. “It’s not that bad, but it’s definitely not easy.”

Venues usually fall into one of three categories. Some, like the Vera Project, cater to all ages. Others, like the Tractor Tavern, are exclusively for the 21-plus crowd.

Many music venues, such as El Corazón, offer shows to an underage crowd while requiring ID for bar access.

April Nishimura, an international studies major, works as a booking agent for the UW-based group, Dyno Jamz, and also plays cello and other instruments with the band, The Lost Boys. Her band plays primarily all-ages shows, and she sees a big difference in the audience at these shows.

“People really listen to the music,” Nishimura said, “I’ve been at house shows where everyone just sits down and listens to the music. That would never happen at a bar.”

Moravia-Rosenberg feels that venues that serve all ages but also have a bar work best, allowing the venues to make larger profits and also allow everyone in. He had a CD release party in February at Chop Suey, a bar that caters to all ages and serves alcohol.

“The artists and promoters are taking a major cut off the door, and the venue takes all the money from the bar,” he said. “The venues need that bar money to stay afloat. They aren’t going to make nearly enough money selling Gatorade bottles as they are shots of Citron.”

The revitalization of the all-ages scene has benefited younger musicians in that they now have the chance to meet and mix with others in the music industry. Dyno Jamz and SOL took first and second place, respectively, at the EMP Sound Off! — a competition for bands. Since then, they have played together and also made connections with other groups that were part of the competition.

“The connection I was able to build with the other performers was astonishing,” Moravia-Rosenberg said.

That support system that has grown out of the all-ages music scene, and the experience gained by young musicians is proving to be invaluable.

“Young people are so excited about music,” Moravia-Rosenberg said. “At least try to open up to them more. Now that I’m doing it professionally, I still remember the people I looked up to.”

Reach reporter Haylee Morse-Miller at features@dailyuw.com.