On November 18th, Cafe Colonial celebrated its birthday with a bang. The all-music, all-ages venue commemorated its three-year anniversary with Second to Last, Fourth and Long, Cresca, Death Rogen, XTOMHANX, Cross Class, Dead Weight, and Rat Damage taking the stages at Cafe Colonial and neighboring venue, The Colony.
Though not necessarily known for its charming good looks, Cafe Colonial is the most welcoming hole in the wall along Stockton Blvd. Upon entering the restaurant, fries, drinks, and chicken strips are being served all around to people sitting at tables under the local art hung on the walls. Then, you walk to the back and discover a room just big enough for a stage, cool lights, loud speakers, and tables for band merchandise to fit. A steady flow of people drift in to hear the bands; it could be indie rock, hip hop, jazz, or anything in between. If you step in on a given night, you might not know what to expect.
Before owning and operating Cafe Colonial, Matt Marrujo had a venue called The Where House?, which he explained to be a warehouse that almost unintentionally became a stage. Two years after opening the Where House?, he adopted The Colony, a venue formerly called The Cave, with his business partner Ed. A few months after the opening and the final show at The Where House?, Cafe Colonial, the space right next to The Colony, became available and Marrujo decided to take it on.
Seeing as the venues are linked, Marrujo started hosting two shows at once, creating a bigger space for more people and more bands. Punks, indie lovers, hip hop artists, and many others in the music scene are welcomed and attracted to Cafe Colonial. There is full appreciation of all genres on this stage.
“I don’t have any discriminations towards music. I think all of it should be heard and I want to provide the space so it can happen,” Marrujo said. He added that the Colony is mostly known for punk and metal, while Cafe Colonial puts on a wide spectrum of shows.
“We do pretty much everything here.”
This openness and unity of music scenes allows for “mingling where [people] normally wouldn’t,” he added. Between the two venues, he said, a cross culture of the mixed crowds emerges. The diverse audiences unintentionally band together and compose a unique social melody that makes Cafe Colonial such a success.
Fantastic fries aside, Cafe Colonial has grown into one of the most open stages in Sacramento. Throughout the three years the venue has been in operation, Cafe Colonial has become a ground for artists of every genre to perform and patrons to celebrate a wealth of art and music. It doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Happy birthday Cafe Colonial; we look forward to what’s to come!
Words: Alexia Roditis.
Photos: Vi Mayugba.