A student enters what appears to be the fire exit of an old movie theater, and while entering sees a column of TV monitors playing a Santana music video. The person walks down a narrow hall and enters a large room. Against one wall is a large movie screen, and a television hangs from the wall over a bar lined with mirrors in the far corner.
That student has learned what it means to enter a club with a focus of combining sound and visual experience.
Bar 11 is one of the latest entries in the Sono club strip on Washington Street. It opened the day before Thanksgiving last fall, and has been working hard to assemble something different for clubbers tired of the same old song and dance.
“It’s a different scene from a lot of other clubs,” said Jamie Manning, 23 years old, from Stamford. “The TVs and videos are great. It really gives the club a contemporary feel.”
The club is the brain child of Ron Gastelu, who also was the first person to start a club in the now-popular area in Hoboken, NJ. Gastelu created the club by renovating an old movie theater. “Fifteen dump trucks of concrete were removed from the floor,” said Gastelu. However, the club kept the screen up and added monitors to create a visual effect to go along with the ever-present club music.
Part of the uniqueness of the club has to do with how they present the music. Along with the constant mixing of records, the club also mixes in music videos played on DVD to aid the visual experience. “When I play Jay-Z, Jay-Z is actually up on screen singing. It’s like MTV,” Gastelu said.
Along with the main club area, there’s a smaller room in the back which allows people to enjoy a quieter setting, where the music doesn’t play so loud. That room was the former lobby and concession area of the theater. The coatroom is currently being converted into another bar area to make things even more accessible to visitors.
Being such a new club, it has had a lot of success thus far. A recent promotion tied with Opie and Anthony, a popular radio duo, drew over 600 people to the event.
Patrons of the club seemed positive overall. “I like it here because there’s more space,” said Mary Beth, 23, a Sacred Heart University student. “It’s too crowded at other places.”
Kaitlin Kissel, 23, of Fairfield agreed. “We have a lot of fun. It’s a lot roomier. It’s our place.”
A few had minor suggestions. Nadedge Roche, 24, of Stamford, said “We need some more rap and reggae.”
Bart Gerardi, 24, of Norwalk, said “I wish that more music went with the [videos].”
However, he also noted, “It’s my fourth time here. It’s different from other places.”
Gastelu said that his goal musically is to not overplay any particular style, especially hip-hop, which many DJs have a tendency to emphasize. The club aims to cover a wide range of musical genres.
The club is 21 and over and allows people in for free up until 10 p.m.. After that, ladies are still free, but guys have to pay a $5 cover charge. Saturday night is also Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University night.
Gastelu’s philosophy seems to differ from many other club owners. He hires people who are happy and will have a great time. “My bouncers want to come here on their day off,” he said while pointing to one of his bouncers, who was visiting even while off duty.
Ultimately, he says he has one main goal for Bar 11: that “everyone has a great time here.”
Leave a Reply