Café Colonial is a small, all-ages music venue and café on Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento, located next to the Colonial Theatre, that became a hub of the city's punk, ska and experimental-music scenes during the 2010s.[1][2] Described in coverage as "new-ish" in late 2013, it functions as both an eatery and an intimate concert space.[1]
At a glance
- All-ages venue at 3520 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, next door to the Colonial Theatre (3522 Stockton Blvd.).[1][3][4] The full mailing address for the combined complex is 3520 + 3522 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95820.[5][6]
- Characterized as "new-ish" in December 2013, indicating a founding around 2013.[1]
- A "tiny" / "intimate" room prone to selling out for buzzed touring bills.[3] Its listed capacity is 189, making it the smaller of the two rooms in the complex alongside the 560-capacity Colonial Theater.[7]
- Doubles as a café with a food and merch counter; one regular act (David Lindsay of The O'Mulligans) even has a burger named after him on the menu.[8][9]
- Repeatedly called the "hub" of Sacramento's punk scene.[9]
Location and setup
The venue sits at 3520 Stockton Boulevard, directly adjacent to the Colonial Theatre at 3522 Stockton Boulevard, a larger room that hosts bigger Sacramento punk events.[1][3][4] The combined operation's full address is 3520 + 3522 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95820.[5][6] Café Colonial is repeatedly described as small and intimate; one 2015 preview warned that an in-demand touring bill was "likely to sell out at such an intimate spot."[3] The intimacy is borne out by the room's listed capacity of 189, which makes Café Colonial the smaller of the two Stockton Boulevard rooms operated alongside the 560-capacity Colonial Theater.[7] The current operator also bills it as one of Sacramento's few all-ages venues that also holds a licensed bar.[5] Beyond the music room, it operates as a café with a food counter and sells merchandise such as buttons and stickers.[8] Coverage advised showgoers to park in the gated adjacent lot rather than on the street to avoid car break-ins.[8]
History and ownership
Café Colonial's origins are tied to the adjacent Colonial Theater. According to the venue's operator, the Colonial Theater was originally built in the 1940s to show Spanish-language films and became a neighborhood cultural gathering place for local families[7] — a timeline corroborated by Cinema Treasures, which records the theatre opening on June 7, 1940 under Charles Holtz.[10] Café Colonial itself was established as a supper club attached to that theater, where guests could dine before film screenings, creating a shared entertainment destination along Stockton Boulevard.[7]
The complex is owned by the Santillan family, whose patriarch — a local Mexican radio DJ — purchased the venue after his original theater on Franklin Boulevard was lost to a fire; that family ownership is corroborated by the Colonial Theatre business registration listing James (Jim) Santillan as owner.[7][11] After acquiring the Colonial Theater, the Santillan patriarch reclaimed it for the community, building a stage and introducing live programming that included wrestling and music.[7] Today the venue is operated by Colonial Presents, which describes itself as an independent Sacramento-based live entertainment company programming music, comedy, and cultural events.[7]
Closure and reopening (2018)
Café Colonial closed in November 2018 — along with the adjoining "Colony" space in the same Colonial Theater complex — reportedly due to a lack of funds, according to the Sacramento News & Review, which noted that the previous operator attributed the shutdowns to insufficient money.[12][13] Before that closure, both Café Colonial and the Colony had been run by Matthew Marrujo.[12][13] In December 2018, Blue Lamp owners Gabriell and Ben Garcia took over the lease of the shuttered Café Colonial — announcing the move via Facebook on December 12, 2018 — and planned to reopen it with a full kitchen, beer and wine, and an eclectic calendar of music, trivia, comedy, open mics and brunches.[12][13]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Across Submerge coverage, Café Colonial recurs as a central all-ages room for local punk, ska and experimental acts and as a frequent site for album- and EP-release shows.[14][3][8][15] By 2017 it was described outright as the venue at the "hub" of Sacramento's punk scene.[9] The room's all-ages policy is emphasized in show previews, framing it as a safe, welcoming space — one 2016 writeup joked that a show would run "until the last Volvo-driving soccer mom or dad picks up their punker teen."[8] Scene veteran Sophia Flores (of Crude Studs) recalled doing "cooperative booking endeavors" at Café Colonial, contrasting it with earlier venues like the Javalounge and The Hub.[4]
Recurring nights and events
- The Tune-Up songwriter's showcase: In December 2013, Sacramento musicians Kevin Seconds and David Houston resurrected their long-running Tune-Up songwriter's showcase as a weekly Wednesday-night event at Café Colonial, beginning Dec. 18, 2013, with no cover charge.[1] The Tune-Up had originated years earlier at Seconds' since-closed True Love Coffeehouse and had been revived at various venues; the Café Colonial run featured rotating guests such as Tom Hutchison of the Knockoffs, Dr. Velocity, Warren Bishop, Autumn Sky and Jackson Griffith.[1]
- Sac Ladyfest: The grassroots, women-organized Sac Ladyfest held its second annual edition at Café Colonial on July 15–16, 2016, featuring more than a dozen mostly local bands plus touring acts.[15]
- NorCal Noisefest: The 20th annual NorCal Noisefest (2016) used Café Colonial for two of its days (Oct. 1–2), with the festival's other days held at Luna's Café — placing the venue among Sacramento's key rooms for experimental "sound art."[2]
Notable shows (selected, from coverage)
- BOATS! held the release show for their LP Black and White at Café Colonial (Friday, Nov. 29, 2013), with The Left Hand, The Barfly Effect and the Phenomenauts.[14]
- (waning) played the venue on March 1, 2014, supporting their concept album The Funeral Mountains, on a bill with The Body, Amarok and Plague Widow.[16]
- VVomen (Yuba City) released their EP Hangin' Out Being… there on Feb. 8, 2015, on a bill with touring acts You Blew It!, Tiny Moving Parts and Rozwell Kid plus Yuba City's Brave Season.[3]
- Sonder hosted an EP release show for Unfamiliar Phases there in early 2016.[8]
- The O'Mulligans released their debut full-length Meh at the venue on Feb. 24, 2017, with The Moans and The Enlows.[9]
- At Both Ends celebrated the release of their album Wheel's Out the Window at Café Colonial, and returned to play there July 8, 2017.[17]
- A 2015 sticker for Jesus and the Dinosaurs in the Café Colonial bathroom was a writer's first exposure to that band, illustrating the venue's role as a touchpoint for emerging local acts.[18]
The neighboring Colonial Theatre hosted The Secretions' 25th-anniversary benefit on July 9, 2016; that coverage also documents Café Colonial as a place where the band's peers (such as Simpl3Jack) booked shows.[4]