My first memory of The New Frontier Lounge was in 2008. At the time I was underage and was trying to trick someone into letting me in for the first year of the Squeak and Squawk Music Festival. I was yelled at, and walked away in shame.

Now, I can proudly say that I may be considered a New Frontier "regular." I keep encouraging the bartenders to tell me that my "money isn't good here," but they've been hesitant to catch on to that idea.

On Oct. 1, The New Frontier turns 2 years old. It seems like it's been around forever, but I suppose it also seems to me like I've been 21 forever, my only reminder being the embarrassing memory of being turned away from Squeak and Squawk.

I've found myself drawn to The New Frontier mostly because of its curious ability to feel, at various times, like a tight-knit small town bar, and a hip gathering spot for exciting shows. A few months back, a half-assed "open mic" (which hilariously required participants to audition) at The New Frontier became my Tuesday night. The open mic felt uncannily as if 12 of my friends and I had broken into a bar to hang out for the evening.

"I felt like Tacoma needed something else," says New Frontier owner Neil Harris. "There really weren't a lot of places, other than maybe the Java Jive, for the kind of indie scene to play in town. And there's a good indie scene here. It may have gotten better with a place for them to actually play in, but it was here all along."

This weekend there will be a three-day celebration of The New Frontier's continued existence in our city.

On the bills for these three days are some major heavy-hitters in the Tacoma rock scene, including Girl Trouble, Basemint, Friskey, Pioneers West, Wheelies, Blanco Branco and a Sunday show that will feature Neil Harris himself, performing for the first time in a long while.

"It took a while for Tacoma to get comfortable with (The New Frontier)," says Harris. "It takes time. Tacoma's a creature of habit. Even two years in, it still feels like we're figuring it out."

The New Frontier Lounge 2nd Anniversary Weekend

301 E. 25th, Tacoma, 253.572.402

• Girl Trouble, Basemint, Friskey, Friday, Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m., cover TBA

• Pioneers West, Wheelies, Blanco Bronco, Saturday, Oct. 2, 9 p.m., cover TBA

• HOTENANNY with Swampy Draws,Blues Billies, Elk Taco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 8 p.m., cover TBA