by Antonio Sanchez
culture@dailylobo.com
BlackWater Music owner Sami Frosch designed her new local venue not just because she is a lover of music, but because she is a concerned parent.
“We raised two kids here in Albuquerque, and both of our kids loved live music, so we were the parents who would take our daughter down to the Launchpad and let her go in the under-21 side as we sat on the other side, drinking cokes, waiting for the show to end,” Frosch said. “I thought, ‘There must be a fun, safe environment for all ages to listen to great live music and enjoy themselves.’”
BlackWater Music, which opened its doors in November, is an all-ages music venue that serves up virgin piña coladas, mojitos and margaritas at its all-ages bar. Frosch said the venue is open to music of all kinds, from punk and techno to reggae and hip-hop.
Because BlackWater Music is an all-ages venue, Frosch said she was initially forced to make the place a private club. She said after she spoke with city officials, she was able to open the venue to the public through a free membership program. Attendees swipe their driver’s license and provide a phone number before entering, and are given a membership card. Frosch said through this membership system, the venue is able to reach out to its audience.
“Say Joe has come to five reggae shows, so we know there’s a big reggae show coming in February — we can do a text alert to the people that like reggae shows. That way we’re not bugging everybody on a list who is not interested,” she said.
Frosch said that while she had the idea for the venue for a long time, her push to make it real began two years ago, after she was laid off from her job as director of development for S.A.F.E. House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. After several job applications received no reply, Frosch decided to take her idea and create a music venue.
Frosch said she modeled her business on downtown music venues in Houston, a thriving city she said Albuquerque should look to for inspiration.
“Downtown Albuquerque should be bristling and full, not just for young partygoers, but for families and couples; it should be alive, and it’s not,” she said. “Two stores next to me just closed down, Dublin’s (pub) and (Axxio Pizza), and this has only been in the last month we’ve been here. They were both only open six months. We have the population to have a huge thriving Downtown area, and it’s just not happening.”
Although Frosch’s business model was inspired by Houston, BlackWater Music’s decor has a New Orleans feel. Photos of alligators and portraits of blues bands line the walls, and a basket of Mardi Gras beads sits near the venue’s entrance. Frosch said attendees receive beads upon entering.
“No matter where you go Downtown, everything is very New Mexican.
I wanted something different, where when you walk through the door, you don’t feel like you’re in Albuquerque anymore. I wanted it to feel like an old bar, an old bar in Louisiana,” she said.
Employee Emma Lindell works behind the front desk and hands out memberships to attendees. Lindell said she was drawn to the venue’s all-ages approach.
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“There’s been all-ages venues that focus on raves and stuff, so we’re trying to get the image away from that,” Lindell said. “It definitely gives kids that aren’t 21 years old yet something to do. It’s important to have something like this, so kids can have some place to go and have fun and not get in trouble.”
Local musician Mike Gerdes helped set up BlackWater Music’s sound and light system. Gerdes, guitarist of the reggae band “Mondo Vibrations,” said all-age venues like BlackWater Music help younger local bands make a name for themselves in the local music scene.
“My bass player’s little brother is in a high school band, and we’ve played a few shows with them, but it’s always a challenge to invite them into venues that they can’t get into because they are under 21. That’s where the crowd is. It shouldn’t be that you have to be able to drink to hear music,” Gerdes said.
BlackWater Music
109 Fourth St. N.W.
(505) 269-9591
Facebook.com/BlackWaterMusicNM
