The Gasworks ignited this July, and has continued glowing with a burning passion for the local music scene.
Owner and musician Jason Lang started the music venue, and named it after a music venue featured in the movie “Wayne’s World.”
Since it began, Lang said he has booked shows with local pop-punk and hardcore punk bands. The Gasworks is supported by Albuquerque bands and relies on volunteers for everything from security to management. As the number of booked shows increased, so did attendance, Lang said.
“It exceeded my expectations within the first month,” Lang said.
“My only real goal, honestly, was to be able to pay rent, and see the bands people want to see. We accomplished that goal almost immediately, which was really cool to see, so now it’s just working to make it be the coolest place to hang out.”
Lang, 22, said he is no stranger to Albuquerque’s music scene, and he was surrounded by art growing up. His father loved music and his mother suggested Lang play the drums in his middle school band. Lang started his own band with a few middle school friends, and soon he was booking shows at the age of 13.
“I knew of some other friends that I grew up with that started a band and wanted to play, so I set up a show in my back yard. That was the beginning of it,” Lang said. “After that, I started meeting a bunch of people and started booking a ton of shows. Can’t get away from it now.”
The termination of his last project, a small house that local musicians dubbed “Gold Manor,” sparked the idea for The Gasworks.
“I started looking around, humoring the idea of starting a venue even though I had no idea how to do what I was doing,” Lang said.
“One day I just found a spot on Craigslist that wasn’t that expensive and I just kind of went for it.”
Adam Abeyta, Lang’s “right-hand man,” has helped run shows at The Gasworks. As the lead singer for local pop-punk band Zagadka, Abeyta said he relies on his past experience to help run shows.
“It’s run by guys who know how things should be done, not how they want things to be done,” Abeyta said. “I think a lot of venues go into it thinking they know what bands want, what the fans want, but they don’t have any idea. We’ve been a part of the Albuquerque music scene for a while now.”
Abeyta has been a part of The Gasworks since its opening, and said the venue is open to entertainment of all kinds. He is interested in booking a variety of groups, like indie bands, hip-hop groups, and even stand-up comedy acts.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Abeyta said The Gasworks is open to anything as long as the shows remain geared towards all age groups.
“It’s one of the only spots that’s all ages and where kids can go and hang out and have fun and not have to worry about sketchy people or bad security,” Abeyta said. “We opened it for the kids.
Having all-age shows is probably one of the most important things you can do.”
