Capitol Garage is a Sacramento music and nightlife venue, located in the city's Midtown/downtown core, that hosted weekly DJ nights, hip-hop and reggae bills, and album-release parties across Submerge Magazine's coverage from 2009 through 2014.[1][2] Submerge sources distinguish between an "original" Capitol Garage and a later venue carrying the name, suggesting the operation moved or was reestablished over time.[3][4] The venue was founded in 1992 (with some sources placing its origins in 1991) with the concept of providing Sacramento with a music venue for an emerging punk scene, originally set up in a garage across from the Capitol building.[5][6]
At a glance
- Sacramento venue in the Midtown/downtown area, hosting weekly DJ nights and live bills.[1]
- Founded 1992 (per official site)[5] or 1991 (per LocalWiki)[6] by Jerry Mitchell and John Lopez.[6]
- Original location: a garage across from the California State Capitol, serving punk rock, coffee, and small bites.[5]
- Relocated in 2004 to its current address at 1500 K Street (15th & K St), Sacramento, CA 95814.[5][7]
- Home of the weekly Friday reggae/dancehall night "The Get Down to the Champion Sound."[1]
- Listed at 1500 K Street as of 2014.[2]
- A later DJ residency, "Joints and Jams," was started there by DJ Rated R of the Live Manikins.[8]
- An "original Capitol Garage" hosted Sacramento hip-hop group The CUF in the scene's late-'90s/early-'00s heyday.[3]
- Recurring host of local CD/album-release parties.[9][2]
- Described by Sacramento365 as "one of Downtown Sacramento's few mainstays."[10]
Location and identity
By 2014 Capitol Garage was listed at 1500 K Street in Sacramento.[2] The venue was originally established in a garage across from the California State Capitol, where it served punk rock, coffee, and small bites to an emerging punk scene.[5] According to the official Capitol Garage website, the venue moved to its current location at 15th and K Street in 2004.[5][7] The current K Street space features walls adorned with local art and memorabilia from the original venue, explicitly preserving its punk-era identity after the relocation.[5][10]
A 2009 feature places its weekly reggae programming "right here in Midtown."[1] Submerge sources also refer to an "old Capitol Garage" and an "original Capitol Garage," indicating that the name spanned more than one location or era; Cake's John McCrea recalled the band playing secret shows at "the old Capitol Garage," and a 2011 retrospective on The CUF cites "the original Capitol Garage" as a venue of the late-'90s/early-'00s scene.[4][3]
There is a minor discrepancy between sources regarding the founding year: the official Capitol Garage website states 1992, while LocalWiki records the establishment date as 1991.[5][6] Both agree that founders Jerry Mitchell and John Lopez created the venue as a punk-oriented gathering space.[6]
Format and operations
According to LocalWiki, Capitol Garage operates as a café by day and bar by night, open daily from 6:30 AM to 1:00 AM, with karaoke on Sunday nights beginning at 9:30 PM and free Wi-Fi available with purchase.[6] The K Street location has 75 indoor seats and 45 outdoor seats (120 total capacity), a private dining room accommodating up to 100 people, and a reception/banquet capacity of 150 people across approximately 1,800 square feet.[11] Sacramento365 characterizes it as "one of Downtown Sacramento's few mainstays," noting it is regularly "packed with a line out the door in the evenings with people waiting to see the latest live performance."[10]
Role in the scene
Weekly reggae night: The Get Down to the Champion Sound
Capitol Garage hosted a weekly Friday reggae and dancehall night called "The Get Down to the Champion Sound," documented by Submerge in 2009 as having run for about four years (placing its start around 2005).[1] DJ Esef recounted being invited by a promoter to DJ a reggae night at the venue; after early double-booking mishaps he spoke directly with the owner, who gave him responsibility for Fridays.[1] Esef then brought in Selector KDK (Kevin Kinnard), and vocalist Ras Matthew joined the weekly sessions.[1] The night grew from flyering into a packed weekly draw and hosted guest performers from around the West Coast and Northern California; its sound system shared bills with acts including Jah Warrior Shelter, Tribe of Kings Sound, Wokstar, Shortkut, Skatalites, Lutan Fyah, Afrika Bambaataa and Rankin Joe.[1]
Hip-hop programming and DJ residencies
Capitol Garage figured in Sacramento's hip-hop history on two timelines. The "original" Capitol Garage was among the venues (alongside Old Ironsides, The Distillery and The Press Club) that hosted The CUF during one of the most active periods of the local scene in the late '90s and early '00s.[3] Later, DJ Rated R of the hip-hop crew Live Manikins started a DJ night at Capitol Garage called "Joints and Jams" during the group's hiatus.[8]
Album-release parties
The venue recurs in Submerge coverage as a site for local-artist release events. Sacramento rapper Blee held the CD-release party for his album Hotwater Cornbread at Capitol Garage on July 20, 2013, with DJ Epik, NPire and Peso Harlem among the performers.[9] Reggae/hip-hop artist J Ras's next Sacramento show after his 2014 album Find My Way was booked at Capitol Garage (1500 K Street) for December 26, 2014.[2]
Other appearances
Capitol Garage was one of roughly twenty stops on the route of the 6th Annual Sacramento St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl in March 2011, organized by 5hundy Social Club.[12]