Powerhouse Pub is a live-music bar and event venue in the Historic Folsom district of Folsom, California, located at 614 Sutter Street, Suite D, Folsom, CA 95630.[1][2][3] Across Submerge Magazine's coverage it appears as a recurring home for Greater Sacramento-area rock and cover bands, EP and album release shows, a weekly local-music series, and special themed events.[4][5][6][2] The venue has been operating since 1999 and draws approximately 1,000 visitors per week.[7][8]
At a glance
- Address: 614 Sutter Street, Suite D, Folsom, CA 95630, in the Historic Folsom district.[1][2][3]
- Phone: 916-343-1108; email: powerhousepub@aol.com.[3]
- Opened 1999; the building has served as a livery stable and car dealership over its 150-year history.[7]
- A frequent host of record-release shows for local bands (Misamore, 2011; Once an Empire, 2015).[4][6]
- Former Wednesday-night home of Andy Hawk's Local Licks Live Music Series before it relocated in 2014.[5]
- Hosted special events such as the Northern California Pinup Girl Competition (2012) and New Year's Eve dance parties.[1][9]
- Cited by local musicians as one of the venue-tier rooms important for a city's scene.[2]
Location and identity
Powerhouse Pub sits in Folsom's Historic Folsom district at 614 Sutter Street, Suite D.[1][2] Submerge references describe it both as "Powerhouse Pub" and simply "Powerhouse in Folsom."[4][5] As a venue it is consistently associated with Folsom rather than central Sacramento, while drawing acts and audiences from across the greater Sacramento region.[4][5][6] As a physical venue rather than a touring or local act, its local-status is "na."
The 614 Sutter Street building has a long pre-venue history: according to the Folsom Times, the site served at various times as a livery stable and a car dealership before becoming a music destination — a history spanning roughly 150 years.[7] The venue is listed by the Historic Folsom District merchants association and described as "a lively, eclectic maze of bars and decor."[3]
Physical space
The venue features a state-of-the-art LED dance floor, an upstairs balcony, an outside porch, and a Garden Deck with views of Historic Sutter Street and the American River Parkway.[10][7]
History and milestones
Powerhouse Pub opened in 1999. The inaugural live show was performed by Wonderbread 5; according to the Folsom Times, owner Murray Weaver recalled that "they packed the place that night."[11] The venue celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, at which Wonderbread 5 returned to the stage.[11]
Most of the staff have been with Powerhouse for approximately 20 years, and the venue draws roughly 1,000 visitors per week.[7]
Role in the scene
The pub functioned as a regular stage for Greater Sacramento-area bands releasing new music and for general live shows.[4][6][12] Hard rock band Misamore (founded by guitarist Josh Amolsch) held the release of its debut EP Horizon at Powerhouse Pub on April 13, 2011.[4] Alternative-rock quintet Once an Empire was, by their own account, "scouted" at the venue on a Halloween night — a performance (in Anchorman costume) that helped earn them a coveted slot on Sacramento's 2014 Concerts in the Park — and later held the release party for their second EP, Changing Shapes, at Powerhouse Pub in Folsom on March 14, 2015.[6] Ska-reggae-funk band ZuhG played the venue on February 21, 2015, testing new material before studio mixing sessions.[12]
In a 2018 interview, the Damn Liars' Chuck Bradley named Powerhouse Pub (alongside Goldfield Trading Post) as the kind of venue that is "important for a city to have," framing rooms like it as validating stages for working bands.[2] The band was slated to play the venue on January 25, 2018.[2]
Recurring nights and events
- Local Licks Live Music Series: Radio personality and local-music supporter Andy Hawk ran his Local Licks Live Music Series on Wednesday nights at Powerhouse in Folsom before moving it in 2014 to every other Saturday at Rounders Sports Bar and Grill in Citrus Heights; the Powerhouse-era format was described as "more of a full-on rock show."[5]
- Northern California Pinup Girl Competition: The venue hosted this pinup-pageant event on September 29, 2012, featuring a Q&A and crowd-judged contest, barbecue and an outside bar, classic cars in the parking lot, vendor booths, a charity raffle (benefiting Ride to Walk), and live bands afterward.[1]
- New Year's Eve: Powerhouse Pub was listed among Sacramento-area New Year's Eve options for 2014–2015, hosting a dance party with local cover band Take Out.[9]
Acts and figures associated with the venue
- Misamore — local hard rock band; EP release show, 2011.[4]
- Once an Empire — local alternative-rock band; scouted there and held an EP release party, 2014–2015.[6]
- ZuhG — Sacramento ska-reggae-funk band; played Feb. 21, 2015.[12]
- The Damn Liars — Sacramento rock band; slated to play Jan. 25, 2018.[2]
- Take Out — local cover band; New Year's Eve 2014.[9]
- Andy Hawk — radio personality who ran Local Licks at the venue before relocating it in 2014.[5]
- Wonderbread 5 — performed the inaugural live show when the venue opened in 1999.[11]