The sign that leans out just from the edge of Agua Fria reads:
VUELVE A ALEGRIA. SABADO, SONORA DINAMITE
It's nothing we haven't seen before, but many folks drive right past, not really caring. The sign stands in front of Club Alegria (2797 Agua Fria St., 471-2343), a spot primarily Latino in theme and clientele: mariachi nights and, recently, reggaeton, plus a little salsa and a smattering of touring Mexican pop groups. Outside the club/liquor store, things pretty much seem the same-most folks drive past, barely registering who the next act will be.
Inside, however, things are changing.
The club and package store were purchased nine months ago by Zia Cross and Danielle Miranda (the building is still owned by the venerable George Rivera).
"It sort of fell into our laps," Cross says of how she and Miranda decided to take the reins. "I came in here one night-there was a High Mayhem event across the street-and asked the owner why he wasn't doing anything with the space…In my memories, it was the best space in town. The Paramount was getting ready to close and I just thought, 'You know, it would be foolish not to open this back up.'"
This week marks the new incarnation of the nightspot, now simply called, "Alegria." I visited Cross just a few days before the club was to open. Physically, she and Miranda have done little to change the look of the large room that makes up Alegria's interior. The stage has been expanded and squared off; the new light fixtures, purchased in Juarez, Mexico, will still maintain an old-world feel; and Cross-a self-described "audiophile"-currently is searching for a new
sound system. The walls have been painted a dark salmon, obscuring the painted-on faux-vaulting that once covered them. But basically, the new Alegria looks like the old Alegria; that is, much like the abandoned palace of an old governor of a Mexican state, circa 1836.
That's the way it should be-it's part of the place's charm. What's changing, however, is the philosophy behind Alegria, manifested mainly in the planned music lineup. Where once the building housed a single genre, now it will span the spectrum of entertainment: hip-hop, rock, experimental and more.
But Cross hopes the changeover steers clear of gentrification and, rather, becomes a meeting place for all of Santa Fe's worlds.
The most symbolic representation of Alegria's stature is its physical location. Nestled smack in the middle of Agua Fria Road, right on the country line, Alegria straddles the south side and the northeast side of Santa Fe. As this paper posited during the last city election, in some ways, Santa Fe is a tale of two cities: the whiter, more "upscale" north and east sides, with their own set of habits and imported demographic, and the more traditional south side, the side more prone to fill the old Club Alegria on any given night. There have always been tensions between the two camps, no doubt. With the musical plans Cross has, this nexus will no longer be just physical. She hopes to maintain the tradition of Alegria while expanding it, hopefully creating a joint where cultures, demographics and music meet. "The idea is that we'll be here to support those who are willing to support us," Cross says. "We feel really strongly that there should be a night here for the Mexican dance crowd, because they've been here since 1953," for instance.
The rest of the lineup is a varied list of bands, to be sure, though the first of it centers on hip-hop. The opening week kicks off Friday, July 7 with Chicanobuilt (9 pm, $7). No Paramount refugee has suffered more than Chicanobuilt's hip-hop nights. When the party took off at the P-mount, hundreds and hundreds of young, mainly local, hip-hop aficionados finally found a home large enough to house them, and DJs good enough to keep them coming back. Since the Paramount's demise, the collective has wandered about, trying to find a proper fit. Alegria is large enough (previous Chicanobuilt attempts have been thwarted by the smaller size of some venues), and willing enough (according to Chicanobult founder Joe Ray Sandoval, other attempts have been thwarted by venue owners' reluctance) to make the collective's new home. For a hip-hop double-dip don't forget to catch the Storm Tour, featuring underground hip-hop stars Aceyalone and Ugly Duckling (7 pm doors. Price TBA).
And that's just part of the first week. The entire summer is full of new bands, old bands, DJs, blues, rock, weird stuff and everything in between, with the staple of Saturday night salsa remaining.
With Alegria's dimensions, eclectic lineup, female ownership and return of Chicanobuilt to a proper venue, comparisons to the Paramount are inevitable. There are similarities, sure, but Alegria's interior is more oversized border cantina than upscale nightclub, and the capacity (300) is twice the Paramount's official capacity.
But more than that, Alegria represents a new hope for Santa Fe nightlife. "We're trying to offer something to Santa Fe as opposed to trying to take away something that's already there," Cross says of her business philosophy. Sounds good to me. PS: Since the club technically is located in the county, you can smoke on the patio. Sounds even better.
