Tag Archives: Bret Bair

Holy Diver to take over Starlite

New All-Ages Music Venue “Holy Diver” to Take Over Starlite Lounge Building

Some buildings just can’t keep quiet. Only a few weeks after it was announced that the downtown Sacramento music venue Starlite Lounge was closing (more on that here), we’re already getting word that the building will once again host live music in the not-so-distant future with a new name and a new management team.

Bret Bair, one of the forces behind the music venues Ace of Spades and Goldfield, among other local businesses, told Submerge today that “the ball is definitely rolling” for him and his team to take over the old Starlite building and start booking shows there under the new name Holy Diver.

“We hope that we’ll be doing shows there by Nov. 1, but there’s a chance it could be sooner,” Bair explained, going on to point out that they won’t be doing any “crazy, rebuild-the-whole-place type changes” to the building, but that they will be doing some cosmetic stuff.

Bair is also hopeful the venue will be able to host all-ages shows, stating that they will “work with the City of Sacramento on hopefully getting conditions that are similar to Ace of Spades.”

Originally, Bair and his team had planned on opening Holy Diver out in the suburbs, in a space that used to be called The Body Shop, but permitting setbacks and other hurdles caused them to jump at the opportunity to bring the project downtown.

“We plan on continuing the whole thing, you know, with bands upstairs, DJs downstairs,” Bair said of Holy Diver moving into the building downtown (which for many years before Starlite Lounge was known as The Townhouse).

“We’d like it to be a cultural epicenter,” he said of the space.

Keep it locked here and Submerge will do our best to keep you in the loop about when we can expect to Holy Diver to open. Bair and his crew also have a number of other projects in the pipeline, including opening a bar called The Cabin in a space near Kupro’s on 21st Street that used to be a tattoo parlor, and turning the aforementioned Body Shop space into a country bar called The Tackle Box. More on all that later, too.

For more on their other venues and to see upcoming shows they’ve got booked, visit Aceofspadessac.com and Goldfieldtradingpost.com.

holy dive bar

New All Ages Music Venue “Holy Dive Bar” to Open in Sacramento

EDITOR’S NOTE 8/17/17: PLEASE READ THIS UPDATED ARTICLE! “HOLY DIVE BAR” IS NOW OPENING DOWNTOWN IN THE FORMER STARLITE LOUNGE BUILDING AS “HOLY DIVER!” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

Sacramento-area concert goers in the 21-and-under crowd will soon have one more option for a night out with the opening of a new all-ages music venue in Sacramento. The team that brought us Ace of Spades, a popular 1,000-plus capacity club in downtown Sacramento, plans on opening a new all-ages venue “sometime later this year,” according to partners Bret Bair and Eric Rushing. The new venture will be called Holy Dive Bar, and while details remain sparse at the moment, Bair and Rushing have confirmed with Submerge that they do have a location picked out. The new venue will be comparable in size to The Boardwalk, which they no longer are operating. Holy Dive Bar’s exact location will be announced in the coming months, but we can confirm that it is not downtown but somewhere “in the burbs.” By the looks of it from the venue’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/holydivebarsac) it looks to be somewhere in the area of Madison Avenue and Auburn Boulevard. According to Bair, Holy Dive Bar will “cater to the local scene as well as up-and-coming national acts,” going on to say, “We’re doing it for the kids!” This is huge news for the local music scene! We’ll try and keep our readers informed of updates on this new venue. In the meantime, check out their other shows at Ace and Goldfield.

Iconic Sacramento Music Venue The Boardwalk Will Undergo Major Changes in Early 2017

Major changes are coming to The Boardwalk, an iconic all-ages music club that’s hosted national and local bands across many genres since the late 1980s. The venue is set to close in January and February for a remodel, and when it re-opens in March to celebrate its 30th anniversary, it will become a primarily 21-and-over room operated and booked by the original owner, Mark Earl. Those who follow the local music scene closely will already know that since late 2014, The Boardwalk has been operated and booked by Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, founders of popular downtown Sacramento music venues Ace of Spades and Goldfield. Rushing also booked shows at The Boardwalk from around 2000–2010. But now the two are stepping away from The Boardwalk in order to focus on their other ventures and to let Earl do his thing with the room. And while we here at Submerge are sad to see more all-ages shows in Sacramento going away, there are still a handful of rad gigs booked by Rushing at The Boardwalk through the end of the year, like badXchannels on Friday, Dec. 2 (a new project from Craig Owens of Chiodos and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows); Mushroomhead on Wednesday, Dec. 7; Tribal Theory on Friday, Dec. 9; Animals As Leaders on Friday, Dec. 16; Hail the Sun on Saturday, Dec. 17; and Brotha Lynch Hung on Dec. 30, just to name a few. Visit Theboardwalkpresents.com to snag tickets to any of those shows. Keep an eye out here on Submerge for follow-up articles on the new Boardwalk incarnation, as well as any updates from Rushing and Bair, who are rumored to be looking for a new downtown spot to open another venue.

B-Side Is Midtown Sacramento’s Chill New Dive Bar

Get the Spins

As my friends know all too well, when I drink, I like to DJ. So when I heard about a new dive bar in Midtown called B-Side, where you could play your own records, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this brilliant concept myself.

B-Side is operated by the time-tested trio that brought Shady Lady to the forefront of Sacramento cocktail culture. But unlike Shady Lady, B-Side has a laid-back dive-y atmosphere. There’s no velvet damask wallpaper and moody lighting; there aren’t even drink menus. It’s the kind of place where you’re not going to be out of place in a hoodie and can get anything from a $3 Oly on tap to a fancy you-call-it cocktail with its corresponding high price tag.

“As much as we all love cocktails, there’s something to be said for a simple bar with no frills,” says Garrett Van Vleck, one of the managing partners at B-Side. “People seem a little surprised when we tell them there’s no cocktail list but they also quickly realize how nice it is to order whatever they want. We wanted a back-to-basics dive bar, but if you order something like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, you’re going to get the same quality drink you would at Shady Lady.”

Submerge-B-side-e

While Shady Lady’s decor is decidedly prohibition-era themed, B-Side has a sleazy ‘70s audiophile vibe. Rope lighting lined the bar shelves with record sleeves serving as the sole non-alcohol bar adornment. A collection of antique audio equipment backed the prominent DJ booth while a Russ Meyer film played scenes of gratuitous nudity of mod babes with blue eyeshadow and big hair. Between the patrons and DJ Roger Carpio spinning an eclectic mix of vinyl, it was very loud.

“We started with the idea of doing a vinyl record-centric concept and the ‘70s vibe sort of developed as an extension of that,” explains Van Vleck of the inspiration for the bar concept.

Sacramento DJ veteran Shaun Slaughter heads up the event booking at B-Side. During one of the regular events, “Loose Change,” the DJs pass out request books and people can pick from a selection of 45s. At another event, Vixens of Vinyl, female DJs headed up by DJ TrashEpiphany spin psychedelic, garage, punk, glam and trash. Open turntable night encourages anyone to bring a couple of their favorite records and take turns DJing.

Submerge-B-side-c

Slaughter enthusiastically describes his approach to B-Side’s entertainment.

“My idea is that all the DJs should make it feel like a house party,” says Slaughter. “Each night has its own theme, but the only instruction I gave them was to have fun and don’t think about it too much … Originally I thought about booking only ‘70s-sounding stuff to align with the bar concept, but Garrett really emphasized doing all kinds of music. We’ve been having a blast!”

Bret Bair, known locally for his ownership of Ace of Spades and part ownership of Goldfield, also owns the building in which B-Side resides, along with its liquor license. The building formerly housed the defunct, but legendary, Monte Carlo.

Van Vleck explains how the Shady Lady gents (which includes Jason Boggs and Alex Origoni) came to lease the B-Side space.

“Bret Bair from Ace of Spades bought the building a couple of years ago and kept it running for a little while as the Monte Carlo,” says Van Vleck. “Then he shut it down and started doing some rehab on the building. About a year ago we reached out and inquired about teaming up to do a project. We all felt like the B-Side concept was a good fit for the space and moved forward from there.”

{Alex Origoni and Jason Boggs}

{Alex Origoni and Jason Boggs}

Origoni, Boggs and Van Vleck have their hands in many regional projects, including Brewster’s in Galt, Fieldhouse in the Arden area and upcoming establishments Amaro (an Italian bistro slated to open in the R Street Corridor and partly owned by Deftones’ Abe Cunningham) and Sail Inn, which will revamp an existing bar on the West Sacramento riverfront.

One would think that working so closely together on so many diverse projects would wear on their friendship, but Van Vleck divulges that they get along better as time goes by.

“The three of us have polar opposite personalities and that works to our advantage,” says Van Vleck. “There’s no yes men and you never have to worry about getting an honest opinion. We argue all the time about every detail of every place, but in a constructive way. At the end of the day there are no egos, we just debate the ideas until we settle on the best one, then have a shot of whiskey.”

While good music and libations flow freely at B-Side, one thing you won’t find—yet—is a bite to eat. But times will change.

Submerge-B-side-a

“We are going to add on a patio and do a food truck program as often as possible,” says Van Vleck. “Right now, we’re just concentrating on getting the bar running smoothly, but hopefully the food side will come along soon.”

So far, B-Side seems to be a neighborhood bar in terms of the clientele. And that’s exactly what the partners are going for—although time will tell what kind of crowd will become regulars.

One thing’s for sure: these guys know what they’re doing and have a track record of successful execution of their bar and restaurant concepts. Pair that with a unique idea like B-Side and open up shop in a city full of music junkies, and you’ve got yourself a dive bar that is sure to stick around for a long time. B-Side is solid gold.

{Local artist Jose Di Gregorio hanging his art work inside B-Side}

{Local artist Jose Di Gregorio hanging his art work inside B-Side}

B-Side is open at 1430 S Street from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. Find them on Facebook to view the full events calendar.

Midtown Venue Witch Room Goes Out In Style With “Sac Go Home Fest” Feat. 20+ Local Bands!

Another one bites the dust.

We hate to say it, but in case you haven’t already heard, the short-lived Midtown music venue Witch Room is set to close its doors for good at the end of December. If you’re keeping track (we sure are!) this is the fourth Sacramento venue to shut down in the last year. First Luigi’s Slice and Fungarden, then Marilyn’s on K, then Assembly Music Hall, now Witch Room. In a statement released by Witch Room co-founder Olivia Coelho, she said, “The simple fact is that we were not able to sustain enough revenue to cover our expenses and provide compensation to the founders that was sufficient to justify our efforts.” She went on to point out that they knew what they were doing (read: “fostering creativity”) was risky and difficult, but that they wanted to give it a good 10-month shot to see what happened. She also pointed out that she and Witch Room’s co-founders all “expect to maintain our intense interest in the cultural life of this city that we love, and hope to contribute to it in the future.”

It was rumored that Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, owners of Ace of Spades and Goldfield, had shown interest in purchasing Witch Room and keeping it a live music venue, but when we hit them up Rushing told us that they “walked away from the deal.” (More on Rushing and Bair’s attempts to purchase a new venue will be in our next issue!)

While we are incredibly sad to see Witch Room close (we’ve been to more than a few awesome shows there this year and have done quite a bit of editorial coverage on artists performing there), we are also excited to see that they will be going out in style with a super-rad two-day local music free-for-all (literally, it’s free) called “Sac Go Home Fest” on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014 and Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. Organizer Drew Walker (also Witch Room’s beloved sound guy and talented local musician) told Submerge that Sac Go Home Fest is “purely for the community,” and that “it’s gonna be all locals who were down to play for free to celebrate the place!” As of press time Walker had confirmed 20-plus solid locals for the weekend-long shindig. On Saturday, you’ve got bands such as Pregnant, Lite Brite, PETS, Removed, Carson McWhirter/Nick Reinhart Duo, Cove, Honyock, Musical Charis and a couple others. On Sunday, Walker has lined up Doofy Doo (his own project), along with Fine Steps, Appetite, Dad?, Dog Party, The Kelps, Squidz, an open jam with Instagon and much more. “Come help the WR staff, friends, fans and haters celebrate both the life and death of Sac’s coolest shortest lived venue,” Walker wrote on the event’s Facebook page. “Buy all of our beer and make us an offer on the refrigerators too. And then, Sacramento, go home.”

Midtown’s Newest Country/Rock Bar Goldfield Trading Post Set to Open Aug. 1, 2014

Set in the building that used to house Hamburger Patties at the corner of 17th and J streets, Goldfield Trading Post, Midtown Sacramento’s newest country/rock bar and music venue, is scheduled to host their grand opening the weekend of Aug. 1 and 2, 2014. The building, which has quite a bit of history behind it, is no stranger to live music. A long time ago it used to be Sam’s Hof Brau, a restaurant and bar by day that hosted live blues bands at night. Now in its newest incarnation, Goldfield will be opened and operated by a tried-and-true local team of business owners including Eric Rushing and Bret Bair from two of Sacto’s most successful music venues (Ace of Spades and Assembly), as well as Tyler and Melissa Williams of the popular Midtown barbecue joint Tank House. If there was ever a team that could transform that old funky space into a new successful venue/restaurant/bar, it’s definitely this group! On Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, Goldfield will host a live performance by Joey Hyde (this is a Jon Pardi afterparty, who is playing Ace that same night) and on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014 they will have Deejay Silver (this one will be a Brad Paisley afterparty, who is playing Sleep Train Amphitheatre earlier that night). Both those shows are free, 21-and-over and get underway at 10 p.m. After those big parties on the grand opening weekend, you can look forward to regular happenings at Goldfield like their open mic nights on Mondays hosted by James Cavern, free line dancing lessons on Tuesdays hosted by Sarah Stokes, beer pong tourneys on Wednesdays and live country band karaoke on Thursdays. Welcome to the hood, Goldfield. We can’t wait to belly up to your bar! To learn more, visit Goldfieldtradingpost.com or Facebook.com/goldfieldtradingpost

ACE OF SPADES CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY & IS RANKED No. 52 CLUB IN THE WORLD

Our good friends at the downtown Sacramento all-ages music venue Ace of Spades recently celebrated their one-year anniversary, which made Submerge think, “Damn, it’s only been a year?!?” We literally cannot count how many amazing shows we’ve seen there in the past 12 months! The venue’s debut on Feb. 9, 2011 with Rob Zombie was a sold-out show, a term the venue would get used to. From there they hosted everyone from Tesla to Deftones, Snoop Dogg to Mastodon and countless local and regional acts as well. Pollstar, the concert tour industry’s leading trade publication, recently named Ace of Spades No. 52 on their 2011 year-end worldwide ticket sales top-100 club venue list. “What? There’s 51 clubs ahead of us? We got work to do!” joked Ace’s co-owner Bret Bair. “In all seriousness, we’re extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish in our first year and to be the No. 52 club is awesome and feels very rewarding.” Only a few California venues beat out Ace on Pollstar’s list, most notably San Francisco’s The Independent, which snagged the No. 30 spot. Bair mentioned that they weren’t surprised with the accolade for two reasons: They pride themselves on booking artists from a wide range of genres, and Sacramento is a top 25 market. “Eric [Rushing, co-owner] and I always felt that the city and its passionate music fans would support a larger music venue if we could get the talent, and they have!” Looking back on the venue’s first successful year, Bair mentions that the most memorable moment for him was when the Snoop Dogg show came together perfectly. “I actually stopped for a moment to reflect and thought to myself, ‘Holy shit, Snoop Dogg’s on our stage rappin’ ‘Gin and Juice!’” “I would like to give the City of Sacramento and its suburbs a shout-out!” Bair said, continuing with, “We love the fact that fans keep coming to the shows and having a good time, and that’s what it should be about at the end of the day, getting lost in the music and having a good time. We also want to thank all the local artists who have played our local shows or have supported some of the bigger national shows; without them, we would be out of business by now!” Learn more about Ace of Spades by visiting Aceofspadessac.com