House of Rock

For nearly the first 60 years of its 70-something-year existence, the Ventura Theatre not only screened films, but also served as the main make-out pit for generations of teens. The seats, along with all those teen memories, were removed in the early ‘80s, and during the past 15 years, the venerable venue has become the 805 area code’s center of the rock ‘n’ roll universe as a recurring stop for famous rock stars on that endless Glad To Be Working Tour, as well as for lots of local bands.

Rob Antonini, the art deco theater’s fourth owner, has been running the place for the past 15 months after promoting shows in his native Santa Barbara for 15 years. What follows is a conversation with Antonini on the current status of the area’s most famous venue.

So is it like you thought it would be when you took over?

Oh yeah. With a venue like this, we can attract a much higher level of performer than we could in Santa Barbara. I’m actually surprised that this place has as much potential as it does, and it’s nice enough to attract an older crowd. Business is picking up; it’s much stronger than it was last year at this time.

What have you learned your first year?

I’ve learned that cool jazz and modern country are very difficult to attract strong crowds. In this market, there is little interest in that stuff. Even the House of Blues in Hollywood rarely does that stuff. Michael Franks and Earl Klugh may be all over the radio, and people buy their stuff, but live, there’s no excitement. They just don’t rock. And this new country stuff isn’t really country music at all. The real country is Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, but no one plays that stuff anymore. The new country is sort of like Southern Pop or something, maybe Sheryl Crow with a twang.

What’s the difference between Ventura and Santa Barbara?

Ventura is more densely populated, and there’s more variety here. There’s a larger class of people that enjoy music and can afford to live here. In Santa Barbara, there’s a bunch of highbrows that wouldn’t go to a rock show, anyway.

What types of shows work here?

No. 1 for this fan base is classic rock--guitar-driven classic rock from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. But personally, I’d much rather do a Legendary Pink Dots show--a band with a cult following--instead of some washed-up geezer rock band.

Why aren’t there more hip-hop, old school and R & B shows?

There should be, but a lot of these artists are just too expensive. If you’re looking at Earth, Wind & Fire, you’re talking about $50,000, or for Mary J. Blige, $75,000. A lot of the newer acts are being sponsored by radio stations and not by bookers. . . . The radio stations play their music and then get the bands for next to nothing. So for these shows, I just rent the hall. Pay the price and come on in. There is going to be another Q105 show here on Feb. 13 and 14, and probably another one in May.

What’s the secret to booking a successful show?

It’s a lot of work. We deal with the agents, the bookers and the record labels. Plus, we’re in contact with all the bookers in venues this size from San Diego to San Francisco. It all depends on the show. For example, Maceo Parker, James Brown’s horn player, is going to play in Santa Cruz, and he’ll do fine because he’ll get the student crowd. Or, reggae in a college town is a slam dunk, but there’s no university here. So, every show is different.

Do you have problems with L.A. venues?

All the time. For some reason, the people in L.A. think the Ventura crowd is theirs. Some of the venues and bookers insist on a 200-mile advertising blackout. For example, we can’t advertise an act that’s playing at the House of Blues. That place only holds about 900 and there’s only about 100 seats. Here we have seats and lower ticket prices. I don’t understand those people at all. The Universal Amphitheatre, I can understand more. For one, they’re going to pay $100,000 to a band we’re going to pay $10,000, and they need to sell seven or eight thousand tickets when we only need to sell one thousand. We sell a lot of tickets in the Camarillo area, the Conejo Valley, plus we sell a lot of tickets in the 310, 818, 626 and 909 area codes.

What’s the attraction to seeing a band here instead of in L.A.?

Unlike L.A. venues, we have the ability to do all-ages shows. Also, it’s not as uptight here; in fact, it’s way less uptight than it is in L.A. And down south, there’s more pressure on the bands, especially when shows sell out and there’s a lot of industry people hanging out.

Where does local radio fit into all this?

There’s no alternative college station here. KJEE in Montecito hardly even makes it down this far. So the problem is, people listen to L.A. stations that we can’t afford to advertise on. We need a KROQ up here that will attract students.

So none of the local bands want to kill you yet?

No, not yet. Local bands want to play when there’s something really good here. But when there’s something good here, a lot of times agents, management companies or record labels have their own support groups. But punk shows are different. One of the most popular local bands is Chris Jay & the Army of Freshmen. They brought a couple of hundred people one night when they opened for the Untouchables. After they played, everybody left and about 10 people saw the Untouchables.

So are bouncers an alien species sent to earth to torture music fans?

I’ve never had any trouble with bouncers, and I’ve done a variety of shows over the years. We try to get college students with families and no felonies. We don’t hire football players who just want to beat the hell out of people. We get real good guys, and we’ve only had three incidents in 15 months. And let me say at this time, that we love the Ventura [Police Department], and especially Officer Ken Corney, who has been just great. Usually I just identify myself as the janitor, anyway.

What about the rumors that some people want to buy the place and make it into some sort of awful opera venue?

You’ve seen the stories in the papers and heard the rumors. I will say that the people that want to take this place from us are the same people who ask me to rent them this place for next to nothing so they can have a chamber music festival. They see this place as the cornerstone to some sort of cultural district. I don’t know what’s going to happen--they could invoke eminent domain and take this place from us. They could say the place is dilapidated, and they could just take it. Anything we do wrong could be a reason to get rid of us. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

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Upcoming shows at the Ventura Theatre (26 Chestnut St., 653-0721)

Tonight: Fear Factory, Spineshank, Static X. Implant.

Saturday--The Dickies, Ill Repute.

Jan. 15--Henry Rollins.

Jan. 16--Paul Rodgers.

Jan. 17--The Vandals, Ten Foot Pole.

Jan. 19--Chris Isaak.

Jan. 21--Roomful of Blues.

Jan. 22--King’s X, Galactic Cowboys.

Jan. 24--Humble Pie.

Jan. 28--Bill Bruford’s Earthworks.

Jan. 30--Strung Out, No Motiv.

Feb. 1--Reel Big Fish.