Camp Gay has a Web site (camp-gay.org) covered in unicorns. And no homosexual connotations. And a mission statement.

“Nerdy yet powerful” were the words Todd Bailey, the 26-year-old co-founder and resident of Camp Gay, chose to describe his building’s name and ethic.

And for the past few years Camp Gay has made good on those words, serving as one of Chicago’s most interesting alternative venues for area artists and bands.

The allure comes not only from the tongue-in-cheek name (Bailey said they almost called the place simply “Gay”) but also from the unique atmosphere of the structure itself. The two-story space quadruples as a venue, band practice room, living quarters and electronics repair center. “Everyone who lives here is working on something all the time,” Bailey said. “We want to be a functional community and part of a larger community, Chicago.”

Camp Gay has become part of the Chicago scene by hosting bizarre shows from some of America’s most ridiculously named acts. Past shows have included Mommy Won’t Wake Up, Extreme Animals and Friends Forever, the last a band that performs exclusively out of its van.

But it’s hard to find out about these events — or even the venue’s address — since Camp Gay scaled back advertising to keep shows smaller and less likely to be broken up by police. “Some people have accused us of being elitist about it,” Bailey said. “But, dude, it is our house.”

And the house atmosphere makes the shows more eclectic. “I just remember a guy walking around wearing really tight pink pajamas,” said Sarah Peters, a Communication senior who saw a show at Camp Gay last year. “And a fire pole.”

Ah, yes. The pole connects the second and first floors; at a recent Coughs show, people slid down it into a mosh pit. Heaven is suddenly located in Humboldt Park.

Bailey sees Camp Gay as a piece of heaven too. “We want people to say, ‘Those guys live in filth, those guys are getting work done, and those guys are helping other people out.’ On a good day, when we’re sober, that’s what it’s all about.” Nerdy yet powerful, indeed.

Medill sophomore Matt Weir is a PLAY writer. He can be reached at [email protected].