Ask anyone on the street about some of the biggest stories in Santa Cruz right now and inevitably one person—more likely several—will bring up the questions surrounding the Catalyst Club. What’s going on with it? Will it continue to operate? Will Santa Cruz continue to have its legendary venue? What’s going on with the scarce calendar bookings for a venue that once boasted a show almost every night of the week?
Well fear not, because it appears the Catalyst will still be around. At least for a little longer. On Sunday, July 12th the first of several Atrium shows kicked off a new series. Curated by longtime Santa Cruz promoter Chas Crowder, the new series won’t have to look far for talent to feature.
“We’re going to feature all local artists,” Crowder says. “It’s an attempt to get the community back into The Catalyst.”
It’s a throwback to better days, when the Atrium was the place to go to see homegrown music without breaking the bank. Longtimers may remember the Dollar Nights featured in the room where one could buy a slice of pizza, get a cheap beer and see a show when funds were thin. Well, times have changed of course, but that doesn’t mean concert goers have to pay the price of a full tank of gas to see live music.
“We’re doing this as low cost as possible while still paying the bands well,” states Crowder.
The first several shows will be free in order to draw people in. After that Crowder says there will be a $10 cap on shows leaving attendees with some money for a cold beverage at the bar. The Catalyst even launched a new website, AtriumAtTheCatalyst.com for people to check out all the upcoming acts.
This isn’t Crowder’s first rodeo.
As the proprietor of Santa Cruz Entertainment News and Events (SCENE), Crowder has booked an astounding 11,000 shows over the last five years. Some of the venues in his constant rotation include the Four Points by Sheraton which covers 11 properties across the Bay, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Henflings Tavern, the River Run at Brookdale Lodge (“By the way, we’re working on the Mermaid Pool and the venue, right now. So that’s coming,” he says) and the Chaminade. As if that’s not enough, he also started recently booking the Parish in Aptos.
But the Catalyst Atrium is where it all began locally for him 22years ago.
“I thought it was important to start where I left off,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do the Sunday showcase because that’s how I started my career in Santa Cruz.”
According to Catalyst Production Manager, Earl Salindo, the Atrium local showcases will continue through the summer until October when the Catalyst’s booking agency, Gate 52, starts their new season. However, he says the shows might have a chance to continue if they “make sense,” so the more people show up to these summer gigs, the more of a chance they’ll have to flourish throughout the year.
For Crowder’s first event on the 12th, he decided to truly go full circle and booked the two artists to play his Sunday showcase oh-so-many years ago: his mom, Alabama Annie and local legend, Vince Tuzzi.
“We didn’t know what to do when I first started playing the Atrium so they would put speakers by the door and people would come in to see what was going on,” Tuzzi remembers.
The 77 year old musician is a local celebrity, known as the owner and operator of the Paradise Dogs hot dog stand that was on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf from 2006 to 2017. However, the bushy bearded Tuzzi might even be more famous as Santa Clause. For 46 years (this will be his 47th) he has portrayed the jolly fellow in his famous red and white attire–or in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts with sunnies as “Tropical Santa”– in the past for The City of Santa Cruz and Roaring Camp Railroad for their Holiday Lights Train along with an annual appearance at Mountain Feed and Farm Supply in Ben Lomond.
He’s also a member of the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz and can be found regularly playing at one of the ragtag group’s weekly or monthly events. Even after playing music for 62 years, he believes it’s still an honor to play the Catalyst stage where so many greats have graced the halls. However, with the future of the music venue in question, Tuzzi says it’s important to remember the Catalyst isn’t a building, but an idea.
“When I moved here the Catalyst was in the St. George Hotel,” he states. “To me, the Catalyst is just what it is: a catalyst. Think of all the wonderful musicians who have played our small little town from way back when:Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Leon Redbone. You can go to a concert and be home in 10 minutes.”
Now with the Atrium re-open to local talent, Santa Cruzans have a chance to once more experience what made the Catalyst so great in the first place: community.
Find out more about what’s happening in the Atrium along with showtimes at AtriumAtTheCatalyst.com
