Club Retro was an all-ages live-music venue in Orangevale, California, in the greater Sacramento area, operating on a church property and serving as a hub for the region's young hardcore, metalcore and pop-punk scenes in the late 2000s and early 2010s.[1][2][3] The venue was located at 6521 Hazel Avenue, Orangevale, California 95662, on the property of the Family Christian Center (FCC).[4][5]
At a glance
- Located at 6521 Hazel Avenue, Orangevale, on the campus of the Family Christian Center.[4][5]
- Operated on church property; a line for one show wrapped the building and extended onto "the back of the church's property."[6]
- Opened circa 2003, founded by youth pastor Matthew Oliver.[5]
- Capacity of more than 500; one of the largest club stages in Sacramento.[7]
- All-ages venue (ages 14–25), alcohol- and drug-free, operating primarily on Fridays and Saturdays.[5][7]
- Hosted touring national tours as well as local/regional CD release shows.[8][1][6][3][9]
- Ran a recurring "Annual Christmas Show" — the December 2010 edition was the "Fourth Annual."[3]
Location and character
Club Retro was situated at 6521 Hazel Avenue in Orangevale, a suburban community in the Greater Sacramento area, on the property of the Family Christian Center (FCC).[4][5][1][2] The venue operated on church property; coverage of a 2009 show described a line of attendees that "wrapped around the building and then continued onto the back of the church's property."[6] For that same show the venue had "newly added barriers" at the stage front.[6]
According to a 2006 Sacramento News & Review article, Club Retro opened circa 2003 — approximately three years before the article's September 2006 publication date — and was founded by then-27-year-old youth pastor Matthew Oliver.[5] The venue served attendees ages 14 to 25, was alcohol- and drug-free, and operated primarily on Fridays and Saturdays.[5][7]
The venue's interior reflected its dual identity as a performance space and youth gathering place. In addition to a main performance room known as "the Retro room," the facility included a café selling non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, a lounge area with couches, a TV and an Atari, and a "spiritual reading" room.[5]
Club Retro was one of the larger all-ages venues in the Sacramento region, with a capacity of more than 500 people and a stage described as one of the largest for a club in Sacramento.[7] It also featured a VIP room — rare for an all-ages venue of its type — and a programmable laser lighting system capable of scanning the audience and spotlighting performers.[7] Free earplugs were provided to attendees.[10]
It functioned as an all-ages space. A December 2010 CD release show held there was advertised as "$8 in advance and $10 at the door," with doors at 6 p.m. and "all ages are welcome."[3]
Founding vision and rules
Matthew Oliver founded Club Retro as a substance-free, faith-adjacent space for young people in the Orangevale area.[5] The dominant genres at the venue were hardcore, "scream core," and alternative, per Oliver, though the programming also included acoustic, R&B, and rap acts.[10]
The venue maintained strict rules for performers: no profanity from the stage, no derogatory or offensive language, and performers were required to keep their clothes on. Free earplugs were provided to attendees.[10]
County zoning dispute (2006)
In 2006 the venue's continued operation was challenged by Sacramento County. County officials cited the Family Christian Center for "creating a public nuisance, operating a nightclub and unpermitted use in a residential zone." A violation notice mailed on August 28, 2006 ordered the church to cease operations and gave it 30 days to address complaints from neighbors.[5]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Club Retro served a dual role: as a stop for national touring packages and as a launchpad for local and regional bands' CD release shows.
On the touring side, the venue hosted the Sweet Brag Tour on April 19, 2009, headlined by Dayton, Ohio's The Devil Wears Prada with A Day to Remember, Sky Eats Airplane and Emarosa.[1][6] Submerge's review characterized the night as a scale of event the venue had not "seen or felt such a concert for sometime," describing professional touring production (the headliner's stage "littered with professional lighting") and a packed pit.[6]
On the local side, the venue was a regular site for record-release shows by Sacramento-area and nearby bands:
- Sacramento band Early States held the CD release show for their debut EP Powerlines at Club Retro (around late 2008).[8]
- Granite Bay pop-punk band Grenade Jumper held the release show for their EP Still Not Goin' Home on December 19, 2010, an event that doubled as the venue's "Fourth Annual Christmas Show."[3]
- Yuba City indie/pop/rock group Thee Atlantic released their self-titled EP at Club Retro on March 12, 2011.[9]
Sacramento punk band The Secretions also performed at Club Retro, where they shot footage for a music video for their song "Back in the Day Punk"; they brought a trampoline on stage as "stage diving assistance" and filmed the crowd during the set.[11]
Notable shows and events
- Early States' Powerlines EP release show (c. 2008).[8]
- The Sweet Brag Tour, April 19, 2009: The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember, Sky Eats Airplane, Emarosa.[1][6]
- The Secretions' Club Retro show used in their "Back in the Day Punk" video (c. 2009), featuring a stage trampoline.[11]
- Grenade Jumper's Still Not Goin' Home EP release / Fourth Annual Christmas Show, December 19, 2010, with Crimson Sky, Body Electric, Streetlight Fire, Wings of Innocence and Serenade the Radio.[3]
- Thee Atlantic's self-titled EP release, March 12, 2011, with The Paper Melody.[9]