Vamp Takes Over Venue by Brooke Palmer photos by Heather Croxton
A version of this article first appeared in the San Antonio Current, November 2007.
Located at the dark corner of Jones and Avenue B, bordered by abandoned houses on one side and the San Antonio Museum of Art on the other, Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar is the pinnacle of the complex and beautiful culture of downtown San Antonio. Easily missed if driving by, the venue is modest on the outside, but inside where the music happens the aura is one of high-energy and enthusiasm. Drawing mostly from downtown and south-side residents, Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar has the potential to attract all demographics of music-lovers by hosting local to international acts in a variety of genres. The room where bands perform (and also where the bar is located) has a basic black-box feel to it, which is perfect for those who enjoy a no frills, up-close-and-personal experience with the performers. Extending from the main room is a smaller, moodier room decorated by macabre art. Outside, a caged patio reminds you that you’re in the dark contours of the city. Though the space has housed several different establishments (Generator, Green Onion, The Lounge on Avenue B, Reverb, Club 1083), the current iteration, Rock Bottom, opened in February of this year and just weeks ago fell into the hands of James Garvin, a man of many dimensions. Garvin is the owner of dance-club Atomix on McCullough and a vampire by night. Though his fangs may be frightening to some, his demeanor is hardly fierce; he is polite and laid-back, eliciting ease and comfort. And when discussing the acquisition of Rock Bottom, he speaks with the vernacular and articulation of a businessman, one who knows and loves music. So why did Garvin buy Rock Bottom? “The opportunity presented itself,” he answered with strategic ambiguity, followed by a coy smile. He then explained that he prefers to work with smaller, non-corporate venues. “I’m using the idea similar to, say, a cavern club, with your local artists trying to make a name for themselves to international touring acts that need a place to play.” Garvin moved to San Antonio from California about five years ago and has owned Atomix for two years. He says he’s worked in “the biz”, as he calls it, in various capacities for 5 years, but music and clubbing have been a part of his life for much longer. He is a former musician—he began playing the piano at age six, then took up the trumpet—who now says he “listens to music.” As for nightlife, he’s been visiting nightclubs around the country and around the world for 30 years.
James Garvin, owner of Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar and Atomix
“You find out what you like and don’t like in a club and you take those elements and try to create an element that you enjoy, a comfortable environment with nice people where you can walk in wearing a suit, khakis, Levis, shredded shorts, flops or combat boots. Yeah, that’s our crowd. Flip flops to combat boots,” says Garvin. The variety of musical acts at Rock Bottom is almost as diverse as the crowd Garvin hopes to maintain. For instance, local reggae band One Destiny plays the first Monday of every month. The other Mondays are host to “Rasta” night with DJ Victima. Most other nights feature bands of all forms of alternative rock: rockabilly, psychobilly, punk, screamo, emo, etc. Rock Bottom recently hosted Black Metal Fest, and on New Year’s Day will host Punk Fest, a yearly San Antonio event put together by Tony Chainsaw, Rock Bottom’s primary door and
security guy who, according to Garvin, is “famous in San Antonio.” Rock Bottom has been the chosen venue of national bands such as Mushroomhead and U.S.S.A, and international acts like Japan’s female-fronted noise-rock band Melt Banana(who will perform at the end of November). Some of Garvin’s favorite local bands that play Rock Bottom include A Kid Called Thompson, Sick City Daggers, and Ledaswan.
When Garvin wasn’t talking about the biz, he was singing the praises of his staff, to whom he referred as “the core group that keeps this place running.” The aforementioned Tony Chainsaw is the one to go to for information about the bands playing at Rock Bottom. For general information, Garvin led me to manager Oscar Bocanegra. Bocanegra is friendly and talkative and pretty soon our conversation developed into a sociological musing on the sexism present in the United States. This topic arose via his remarks that Rock Bottom aspires to be a comfortable place where only good-natured rowdiness is tolerated and where women can feel safe and comfortable. We discussed the unfortunate reality that many bars either don’t care to watch out for their female customers or have security staff that doesn’t actually do anything. To be safe amongst this reality, he recommended that women carry mace, take self-defense classes, and learn how to be more aggressive when confronted with unwanted attention. Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar is multi-faceted with its loud music, casual atmosphere, and a plethora of knowledgeable and quirky staff. Garvin intends to outlive Rock Bottom’s predecessors and he appears to have what it takes. Only time will tell.
