Uunderage Music Fans will have another option to see live music starting this weekend with the debut of the San Jose Rock Shop’s new all-ages performance space.
Part of what makes the opening so exciting is that the people behind it—Dave Nevin and Jimmy Arceneaux (full disclosure: a Metro employee)—are both avid music lovers with longtime histories in the San Jose scene. Nevin has owned the rehearsal/instrument-repair center San Jose Rock Shop (at different locations in the South Bay) since 2008, and Arceneaux booked acts at the Edge in Palo Alto for 10 years back in its heyday.
They were able to make the San Jose Rock Shop financially feasible (and all-ages) by agreeing to not sell alcohol, which doesn’t bother Nevin and Arceneaux at all. “It’s about people that actually want to show up and enjoy live music,” Nevin says. “It’s not about selling beer. We wanted to do an all-ages venue, because that’s what the city needs. There is no outlet for this. It’s the community that needs to be fostered.”
Arceneaux has a particular passion for all-ages venues. In his career, he has chosen to book exclusively at all-ages venues. Before the Edge he booked at the Omni in Oakland, the Stone in San Francisco and One Step Beyond in Santa Clara. After the Edge, he booked at the Pound in Oakland. “When I was growing up in Texas, I had to sneak into venues to see shows ’cause they were 21 and over. Kids need something to do,” says Arceneaux. “I don’t see why it can’t be successful, because there is no place for kids to go.”
Like the Gilman in Berkeley, San Jose Rock Shop will be a private club. All attendees must be members, which equates to a couple bucks a year for membership fees, membership cards and leaving some basic personal information on file with Nevin and Arceneaux. Unlike Gilman, it won’t be a nonprofit venture. But in the case of San Jose Rock Shop, they will depend on the retail portion of the business to make money, not live shows. “We’re putting together shows that we believe in,” Nevin says. “It’s not something we’re worried about making money with. It’s the passion part of the business.”
San Jose Rock Shop celebrates the opening of the venue with a three-day grand opening event. On Oct. 19, the venue will host Scarlet Stoic and the Antioxidents. Dark Earth, Molly Murphy, Grimace and the Fakers perform on Oct. 20. Stickup Kid, Leer and the Proxy Stalkers will play on Oct. 21. All the shows start at noon.
San Jose Rock Shop
30 N. Third St., San Jose
408.215.2065
.San Jose Rock Shop Unveils All-Ages Venue This Weekend
