Club Rubber Puts Bounce in Monday

While Mondays generally are slow nights for clubs, promoters John Huntington, Damian Saunders and Joey Bag-O-Donuts are optimistic that there are enough off-weekend club-goers in Orange County to support their newest offering--Club Rubber, at the Galaxy Concert Theatre.

Their aim is to present a vibe similar to what existed during the infancy of Disco 2000, a long-running Orange County nightclub (currently at Roxbury South in Santa Ana). Huntington and Saunders met when it was at Club 5902 in Huntington Beach several years ago.

In keeping with the underground spirit, they are promoting Club Rubber exclusively via word-of-mouth and fliers.

“I’ve been in this business a long time, and the crowd that I most look to appeal to are the people who work on weekends. If you’re a bartender, waitress or dancer, Monday night is your weekend,” Huntington said.

“I envisioned a real New York-style club, something that Orange County hasn’t yet seen,” he said. “I [was] never worried about drawing a crowd. Look around. The place is packed.”

In fact, Club Rubber has drawn more than 1,000 patrons all but one of the five Mondays it has been open, according to Galaxy maitre’d Bo Goar.

Not surprisingly, the club’s name has been on a lot of lips.

“A lot of people have asked about the name. Actually, Mickey Roarke had a club called Rubber back when he was doing this stuff. The name is risque, but it sticks with people.”

The 492-seat Galaxy Concert Theater is owned by Coach House owner Gary Folgner and usually is the site of concerts with touring rock and pop acts.

It is a beautiful venue, but its large size presented Club Rubber promoters with a challenge: how to match the intimacy of smaller clubs.

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The potential size problem is mitigated by several distinct spaces, each stylistically different: the main room, smoking lounge, foyer and upstairs balcony.

The foyer remains the same as on concert nights, functioning essentially an entryway rather than a gathering place.

But the usually sparsely peopled smoking lounge is transformed Mondays into a pretty cozy “chill room,” where deejay Danny Love spins an eclectic mix, from Motown to jazz. Upstairs, the balcony seating and bar are crawling with VIPs.

Upon passing the serious clubbers flaunting their club duds in the hallways--hipster clothiers Black Flys, Purrr!, Rubber Soul and LBZ are club sponsors--scenesters enter the main room.

There, deejays Beej and L are set up on stage, flanked by go-go dancers and backed by a movie-theater size screen featuring film and video clips such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and vintage how-to-dance kitsch seamlessly spliced with motocross, skiing and surf footage.

The 150-capacity dance floor is illuminated by an entrancing combination of stage lights, house lighting and a disco ball and is packed by the gyrating masses. It gets sweaty but never seems claustrophobic.

Club Rubber’s crowd is impossible to pigeonhole: Some appear to have wandered in straight from work; others seemingly spent hours on that coquettish club look.

Regardless, all seemed to feel at home (whether that means bouncing to Ministry, enjoying the videos, sipping beverages from one of the club’s five bars or just watching other club-goers).

Club Rubber is big and versatile enough to service any type of crowd, and it looks to increase its draw with a headliner concert on a weekend night this summer.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming charity fund-raiser the club is planning.

* CLUB RUBBER

* At the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana.

* (714) 957-0600.

* Mondays 8 p.m.-2 a.m. $5 cover before 10 p.m., $7 after.

* Visa, Mastercard and American Express.