by Laura Garber
Saint Rocke, the live music venue at 142 Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, will close Saturday, December 6 with a performance by The Spazmatics, co-owner Larry Little wrote in a press release issued Monday.
“The venue has faced mounting challenges in an increasingly difficult financial climate for independent music venues, with attendance declining and alcohol sales dropping more than 40% – trends that have affected live music venues nationwide,” the press release said.
“The decision to close wasn’t made lightly,” Little wrote. “We’ve been honored to be part of the South Bay music community, but the economic realities facing independent venues have made it impossible to sustain operations. People were initially so happy it reopened and then we saw a significant decline in attendance and bar sales while costs have skyrocketed.”
Within the last year, a number of other venues in the region have also closed for the same reasons, including The Hotel Cafe, The Mayan Theatre, Resident DTLA, The End, Brouwerij West and The Bourbon Room.
Little said he’s found a local group to take over Saint Rocke’s lease during an interview.
“We wanted to sell it because we really want it to live on for the community,” he said. But he added, “I’m not at liberty to say who is taking over the lease. But they are local, they are people everyone knows.”
The remaining shows include Beach Goth Night on November 13, Boz on November 20, and Red Hot Tribute on November 28.
“It’s better to burn out, than to fade away…,” the venue posted to its Facebook account along with the other remaining 13 shows on the calendar.
Little said music festivals like BeachLife, Coachella, and No Values made it difficult to get people in the door.
“People have seen 20 bands and spent a lot of money, so they’re probably going to skip their local [shows,]” Little said.
In addition, bands who play festivals typically have a “60 day radius” clause, making booking high-profile acts a challenge.
The beach itself was both what made the venue unique and its biggest competition, he said.
“There is a beach life culture. When the weather’s nice and people have been drinking all afternoon, they may not make it in.”
“We tried,” Little said.
The club experimented with introducing new genres and events like psychedelic cumbia and trivia nights, but the losses continued.
“It’s happening all over,” Little said. “I hope someone cracks the code.”
Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Michelle Crispin hosted a monthly songwriter showcase at the club.
“I’m super sad because my showcase will need to find a new home,” she said.
In February, the venue hosted South by South Bay, a two-day event celebrating punk music and art history.
“It was a real attempt to remind everybody that you can love a place, but if you don’t support it, it goes away,” Little said. “It was a reminder that music is such a part of the fabric of Hermosa Beach, Redondo and the whole South Bay.”
Little referred to new bands out of Venice and Hermosa Beach that could “be the next Pennywise and the next Descendants. There’s some great new bands, we need to support them.”
After a three-year pandemic hiatus, Saint Rocke reopened in May 2023 with new owners Dani Grant, owner of the Mishakwa Amphitheatre in Colorado, and Little who owned the former venue, Resident DTLA in Los Angeles.
Partners included Kevin Lyman of The Vans Warped Tour, Jim Lindberg of Pennywise and Allen Sanford, previous owner of Saint Rocke and current owner of BeachLife Festival.
The venue reopened with two sold-out shows, headlined by punk band Descendants.
The historic 1920s building was originally a bank. It became a prominent club for live entertainment when Sanford opened it in 2008 “with a vision to create a unique space that honors its historical roots while embracing the modern demands of live performances,” according to the venue’s website.
The location had previously been the Pitcher House for 57 years, owned first by Hermosa Councilmember Mike Bigo, and subsequently by Gary “Tootie” Cullen.
Brothers Allen and Jed Sanford launched Saint Rocke in 2008 with the goal of creating a live music venue that brought a state of the art sound system to the South Bay. Their aim was to recreate the feel of their childhood, like the Lighthouse, which presented legendary artists like Miles Davis.
New York City rock band, The Bravery, performed for Saint Rocke’s inaugural 2008 show.
“I think there was more of a focus on enjoying the art of music at that time,” Allen Sanford said. “People loved it.”
In 2013 Sanford and Pennywise’s Lindberg organized a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation. Pennywise played to a 300-person crowd, which Sanford noted was “not a normal size for Pennywise to play.” Pennywise normally performs in large stadiums.
Though generally a fan of mosh pits, as a business owner, Sanford found that night’s mosh pit to be nerve-wracking, but memorable.
“It got a little crazy in there, but that was Saint Rocke,” he said. “It was always right in the line between controlled chaos.” ER
