The Catalyst

Came here for the sold-​out Jon Pardi concert for a few weeks ago — the concert was great, the venue, not so much.
Although the acoustics sounded amazing, it was a bit run down and in desperate need of a facelift. Also, only 2 stalls in the girls restroom for the entire venue? That was a bit ridiculous. With the amount of people packed into that venue (
says it holds 800 people), there’s definitely a need for an additional restroom in that facility. Especially during a sold-​out show like that
Thankfully there was a 21-​and-​over section so we didn’t have to battle with teenagers for a spot all night! But, why was it so far in the back? We could either stay in the 21+ section and see the concert from the very back of the venue, or fight the crowd of out-​of-​control 16 year olds and try to compete for a spot in the front.
The security did a great job for the amount of people, but the facility could use some major updating! Loved the music, loved the show, just wish I saw it somewhere else.

Their staff is a joke, especially their ignorant city College drop-​out security. Because we left early they thought it would be hilarious to mock our ethnicity and our language. Sorry the only languages you speak are syntax-​lacking English and douche. Maybe that’s why your 30+ year-​old bald head still works at a rundown concert venue.

My all time favorite place to see a show, period. Some unforgettable Catalyst moments: Immortal Technique, Rob Zombie, Pepper, Michael Franti, The Expendables, Tech N9ne, Andre Nickatina, Wacka Flaka and countless others.

Seriously will never go back here again all bcus of the security here. The security there are literally the worst people you could imagine. Ruined my entire night

Budos Band 6÷4÷16
It was a nice change of pace to head out to Santa Cruz for some nighttime entertainment. I seriously don’t think I had been to The Catalyst since possibly 1997 for an Eek-​A-​Mouse show. I had zero recollection of what the place was like, so it was a brand new experience for me.
What struck me right away was how high the stage is from the dance floor. No matter where you are in this place, you’re definitely going to get a decent view of the band. There’s plenty of elbow room here, as even when the place filled in after the opening band finished, I never felt claustrophobic. Budos band lays dome some serious funky instrumentals with lots of sax and trumpet, and I thought the sound in the place was pretty clean. Definitely bring ear plugs as with any smaller venue though.
They have a couple of decent bars in this venue and I was very surprised by the great beer options. I sipped a Racer 5 IPA and a Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA during the show — absolutely two of my favorite beers!
They also have pizza slices available if you need a snack. I didn’t try the pizza, but the smell was pretty awesome and I kept catching the occasional whiff from various parts of the club throughout the night.
One downside, I didn’t like being corralled into the weird drinking zone that they have set up next to the main floor, separated by a flimsy looking barrier. It’s nice when you can get your drink and then find your spot next to the stage for the entirety of the show.
I’ll definitely be back for more shows in the near future. Santa Cruz is a nice change of pace from San Francisco/​Oakland/​San Jose and I like the vibe for sure.

These guys are HIGH! I’ve been here twice and 1 hr between shows for sound check. Jokes! Get your shit together. 4 hrs of sound check hahahaha clowns!

Ooooh Catalyst. I’ve never been to another venue where I can make eye contact with the performer while they’re on stage performing. Tech N9ne rapped right to me bro, he LOOKED IN MY EYES lol! I heart Catalyst. I came face to face with one of my favorite bassists and I froze up haha!!! It’s rather small so it’s close and personal.
I kept one star because. I wish there was some kind of ventilation system in the roof, or something. There are balconies on either side of the venue, but it gets way too hot up there when people start going nuts and blowing clouds. It’s the best seat in the house, so people stay up there all night getting cooked. I have seen 2 dif people get heat exhaustion from staying up there, drinking and going too wild. The left balcony is reserved for 21 and up but the right balcony is open to all, unless it’s reserved for VIP. It’s 16 and up on the main floor. No in out outs if you’re over 21. Maybe that’s why they «allow» smoking inside.
Expect CLOOOOUDS especially if it’s a band who is openly 420 friendly. I saw Bone Thugs for their 20 year anniversary reunion and basically everyone was smoking, even Bone. Every concert I have been to there has people smoking kinda freely, most people keep it down.
This place is embedded in Santa Cruz history, it was just a hole in the wall venue before the 1989 earthquake. My Mom tells stories :)
We come with our tickets ready and we get in the door no problem. The bouncers are cool they don’t GAF unless you’re being dumb. They were actually concerned about one of my (guy) friends who got heat exhaustion. One bouncer was AWESOME, we got there super early and wanted to drink so he let us go upstairs to the bar, then let us jump in line since we were there so early! That’s good service and looking out for the establishment.
Also, note that wearing red may make you a target in this town. One show, we saw a guy wearing a red bandana go in the mosh pit and the local gangsters floored him while he was in there. We were watching from the balcony, he was targeted.

I’ve only been here twice and I don’t get out to events much but I love how spacious it is here. The sound is great and the security is noninvasive. 21+ can go upstairs which was nice because I wasn’t crammed up next to sweaty hardcore scene kids punching each other.

When Unwritten Law was a no show the venue refunded us. That’s pretty rad. With an awesome summer lineup of bands we definitely plan to come back.

These guys booked Unwritten Law, a group that is well known for not showing up for shows. When the band decided not to return any of The Catalyst’s calls and bail on last night’s show, the venue had a choice to make, let the patrons know at 8:30 when they were walking in so that they could choose wether or not to stay and watch the other bands, or pretend that there was going to be a show so that they could sell everyone some drinks before they ruin their evening. The chose the later, taking the choice of how to spend their evening away from their customers so that they could make come cash at the bar. It was low class and shady.
In the future, consider doing some research on the bands you book and consider being upfront and honest with your customers.

Love the venue. Everytime I find out an artist I like is performing there I get excited. Love the size of the venue and how intimate the shows are. Easy to get front row, easy to chill in the back.
Why I’m taking 2 stars off is because of the staff and security. Male security are pervy jerks, there were 2 that were actually nice and do their job correctly. General staff has always been rude too, any basic questions you have they always, and I mean always, give you an attitude and short response. Basically the staff is just overall rude and seems like they never want to be there and hate who is performing every single time.

This place is the worst. I would give it 0 stars if I could. Bought tix to see Cory Henry tonight. According to their website, and my tickets, doors open at 8:30, show starts at 9:00. Doors actually opened at 9:10 and at 10:10 the show had not started yet. We left. No one at the venue had the authority to give us a refund. No one knew what time the show might start. Beyond lame. And the worst part, the staff didn’t even care.

They need to upgrade this venue. AND THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO UPGRADE THEIR SECURITY. I’ve been to San Jose civic, San Jose state, Bill graham, and the regency, and the catalyst club takes the trophy for having the most rude security. I had a meet and greet with the performer but they didn’t even know about the meet and greet! It’s a small ass venue, shouldn’t you know? Compared to SJ’s and SF’s. Workers there as well we’re not even aware about the m&g… They are rude and not knowledgeable!!! Never gonna to this venue again…
Oh and on top of that, there was no number to call the venue. I called 2 numbers and they were not available. HORRRRIBLE

Worst fucking place. I come here all the time. Love the venue. Purchased three tickets three months ago. Come here and they can’t even find my name on the will call list. Takes me thirty minutes to find the email after driving 3 hours. Finally find the email and the guy tells me I bought last night’s show. He refuses to let me in even though he knows I didn’t come last night. He tells me it’s sold out. I told him there’s no way I can’t stand in the corners of the place after the money and time I spent. He didn’t give two shits. I see Rebelution every time they come. This ruined my entire night and I owe it to the douchebag at the window.
FORGOT TO ADD SOME B*$## CUT IN FRONT OF ME AND TOLD THE DOUCHEBAG AT THE WINDOW THAT SOME GUY THAT WORKS THERE LEFT HER TICKETS BECAUSE SHE LEFT HER TICKETS AT HOME. HOW IS THAT OKAY AND I’M PUSHED AWAY. BS

Came to see the growlers last night and I’m on the fence about this place! It’s a cool decent sized venue with a balcony option on either side of the stage. Great air conditioning so it didn’t get stuffy! Bar was cool and quick! The merchant set up was nice.
Now the down side is if you’re drinking u get cut off half way to the stage by a plastic fence (like for a quick construction job) while u see all these young kids up close! Security inside is border line power trip meat heads that are quick to shine a light on you for smokin some weed like its the most dangerous thing you could do in this place! The sound guy doesn’t realize that it’d be nice to turn up the bands mics to actually hear the singing.
Overall I had a great time here! The growlers kicked ass! The venue was cool. Just the small things like meat heads and fences sucked ass!

This place is horrible! They lost my credit card and gave it to someone else! They proceeded to argue that I never had given them a card yet $ 10 was charged to my card and the signature wasn’t mine… The bathrooms were disgusting also!

Xavier: says this the catalyst a lot scratch that I love the catalyst a lot in the 831 area area code of California the catalyst is really saving the music hot topics is not really saving music Santa Cruz County is saving the music in this area music still alive and pumping that is a good thing I don’t care what anyone says I like the catalyst they have great concert there and I do the job good and well the staff members I don’t care what anyone says the catalyst is a great place to go to a music concert in the 831 area simple as that

I’m on a quest to write one review a week, so this one should bring me up to date for 2016. The Catalyst is an iconic classic in Santa Cruz. How many of us who grew up in the Bay Area can say they haven’t been here? The answer should be close to none. Every type of music imaginable has been played here, and several oldies-​but-​goodies are coming back around. Agent Orange, anyone? How about the Dead Kennedys coming in March? No, I’m not a punk rock child, but I know a couple people who are; thus, I ended up at the edge of the mosh pit last week and had to fend for myself while they (I won’t say who) went slipping and sliding and dancing and diving till the band closed down. I’ll say the acoustic is pretty good, but the place needs some renovating. Let the music play!

It’s pretty cool but the securities completely kill the fucking vibe. We asked ONE question and we didn’t catch what he said so when we asked if he could repeat it he said no that he already gave us an answer. Security at the Catalyst club sucks, they’re assholes.

The Catalyst Club is the première live music venue in Santa Cruz and features not one but two rooms that generally have awesome local, national and international acts playing 7 nights a week!
Staff are lovely and the pizza they serve there is pretty incredible also!

This place is disgusting. I’ve been to 5 or 6 shows here and last night was the final one. The place is dirty and run down. The floors are sticky even before an event starts. so nasty. There was also broken glass on the ground from a beer bottle. The staff is so incredibly unprofessional. The female security guard was literally chewing tobacco and spitting into a water bottle between inspections… gross. I also saw a guard sitting on the chair checking 21/​over stamps take a shot with some random guy.
I will drive to San Francisco or pass on shows rather than come back here.

I’ve been to many shows here. The speakers get loud. Sometimes the speakers are so loud. But they don’t get too loud always though. The dancing is good. Most nights.
They have good shows and expensive drinks. The location is perfect and it smells bad inside. Free parking is not included with purchase of pizza.
They also sell pizza.

Oh, the Catalyst… Living in Santa Cruz, I’ve been to countless shows here as it’s pretty much the only big venue in SC.
Pros:
–They book great music acts
–Nice upstairs area to play pool
–Good Pizza
–Solid Bar Tending Staff
Cons:
–Ventilation– it’s so bad… I just about always come out of there drenched in sweat.
–Atmosphere– they put no effort into the details of the venue. pretty much just a big slab of cracked concrete
–Security– they are terrible people. I’ve witnessed them harass plenty of people for no reason, especially teenage girls
Other than that, the sound system and lighting are pretty good, minor issues but nothing to speak of.
Overall, the Catalyst is probably a below average venue but not the worst. I just wish we had another venue in Santa Cruz. Yan tell that because they’re the only one, they put no effort into creating an enjoyable experience for you.
If a manager reads this, please replace your security staff…

1. This venue is very poorly ventilated. It was ridiculously hot in there last night, and the security wouldn’t open the doors to let air in.
2. The security sucked. They treated band members as if they were anyone else (though they need them to get paid), and were using their authority to the extent it reached.
3. Three fights broke out and security did nothing to solve them.
4. There are a bunch of hippies/​homeless people outside this venue begging for money, food, alcohol and/​or drugs.
The only good things about this place? The pizza, and the fact I got to see my good friend play in his band. Unfortunately, this venue is so lame that I will not EVER come here again to see any band that is also booked anywhere else nearby.

I usually have an OK time at this venue but tonight really sucked. It took an hour after the show «started» for an act to come on stage. Then the main act — Riff Raff — took forever to come on! They had a dj playing music the whole time and when he would leave they would have an empty stage. They neglected to communicate why everything was lagging. Then if that wasn’t enough people in the audience were throwing water onto everyone in the crowd and I got wait I will definitely not be coming back here for a while.

I came here to watch Tritonal and Cash Cash and wow I had so much fun! The venue is honestly quite small despite having a 2^nd floor balcony on both sides. Once inside, security was pretty chill and the staff was nice. They actually fenced off the bar area for the 21+ guests which was nice because it gave me and my friends a lot of room to dance. Tritonal’s DJ set was on point! The production was great with lazers, confetti, fog machines, and it all sounded amazing! The only issue I had was this place has little to no ventilation. I know this place isn’t always THIS PACKED, but wow we were near the bar with LOTS OF SPACE and I was instantly sweating bullets while wearing a tank and shorts. I could only imagine how bad it was for the 16+ yr old kids who were all cramped like sardines outside of our area. Other than that, the venue is quite nice. I wouldn’t mind going back for another less cramped event.

Went upstairs during a show, tonight and I asked the bartender how strong a particular double-​ipa was… He told me 4%, so I ordered another (even though most double-ipa’s are stronger). I checked after he served me, but DID NOT drink a drop of what he poured. When he returned to his position at the bar, I asked him the price difference on the two, which were the same; $ 6. I asked him if I could have the original ipa that I wanted, and he said, «Well, I already poured that one…» In a demeaning tone, and now I am unhappy about spending money here, so we won’t spend anymore. The venue portion is great, though! The only reason that this review is not 1-​star. If you are an owner and reading this, it was 11pm on Tuesday, September 29^th. He sucked from the initial order, ’til now. Just saying, and I represent the customer service industry.

Granted, I remember when I moved to Santa Cruz and hung out at the Catalyst. The Atrium was beautiful, airy, light and relaxing. Over the years, we’ve gone to many shows in the back, but tonight was my first in the «Atrium.» Just not the same place at all. Pathetic — well, overall the Catalyst is pathetic. When was the last time the place was painted? So many site improvements on my list.. .but I digress. Whoever owns the place now (and bought the reputation) has run it into the ground. While tonight’s show was very good, the sound system sucked, as well as the air conditioning. Also, I’m handicapped. No seating available. I even contacted the venue ahead of time per their FAQs. The security dude would not inquire with management to assist me. I has a serous sad.
1 = p.a.t.h.e.t.i.c.
Wish I had the money to renovate the place and re-​store a once stellar music venue. P. S. Please wipe down the bar #kthnxbai

This place is a little small but that is also a good thing because no matter where you are standing you are always close to the performer. The sound system is awesome and the bass, you can feel it in your chest.

200TH REVIEW!
I came here to watch Kehlani’s concert and I had a blast! At first, I was wondering if this venue was able to fit everyone because there was a long line when we arrived. Parking was easy to find since there’s paid parking right next to the building. They were also renovating the parking lot directly behind it.
The security were pretty rude to everyone so you have to watch your encounters with them.
The place itself kind of looked sketchy at first because it looked run-​down and it didn’t look like it wasn’t maintained. I feel like there was also no ventilation inside because it got really hot.

This place is cool. never notice. Anything bad probably. Because i always get smashed (drunk) when i go lol. if u dont like it here ur a dork and need to stay home.

Assholy? Assholish? Assious? Not sure the correct word here, but that’s how the doorman was acting.
edit: Was recently informed that the appropriate verbiage is: «performing random acts of assholery». I cannot disagree.

One of the ‘old guard’ of Santa Cruz music clubs… Over the years Club Culture, Palookaville, the Rio, and countless others have come and gone… The Catalyst remains. I’ve been going to concerts here since the 1980’s and have always had a blast! Great sound, good pours at the bar, coat check, pizza, what’s not to love?
As a fan of hardcore music I also have to say that it’s pretty cool that Cliff, singer of the band BL’AST, works here as a bartender!
Will I be back? Next month!

Venue itself is outdated and janky looking (ie. Disco ball hanging in the center of the room) /​place looks like it could fall apart and it is located in not the greatest area but the sound system is freaking amazing!
Great place for shows. Very intimate feel.
I do like there is a 21 and up section upstairs. I like sitting down at the tables.
I also love that they have Angry Orchard. My fave!
My only complaint is that the bouncers and security staff are rude. :/​and the ventilation in there also sucks. Lol it gets pretty hot in there, especially upstairs.

Just to note, I’ve only been here once to see one of my favorite bands Amon Amarth perform back at the end of September. So this review is purely based on that experience. And to help better paint the picture of what this experience looked like, Amon Amarth is a Swedish death metal band. just so you know the type of crowd that brought out.
So given that Catalyst is a concert venue Santa Cruz, you already know that more than half this place is going to be filled with characters. With that said, I wasn’t shocked to see the range of the folks that was here. A lot of crazy passionate people on stimulants and just want to rage all night. But amongst them, there are normal folks too who just want to enjoy good music.
The place is one large open room with a small roped off area towards the back for the bar and people w/​alky beverages. Plus side to that is that you won’t get alcohol spilled all over you if you’re on the floor. You will however probably get splashed by people throwing water. However when the room is packed, the temperature rises up to like 90 degrees so that water is a blessing!
For those of you who are 21+, not 6″ tall and big and burly, and don’t want to get crushed on the floor mosh pit, there is a small second floor balcony that has a separate bar. Here’s a view of the stage from the balcony.
If you get there early enough, you can snag one of the rare seats at the balcony level. If you do get those rare seats, a server will come and take any drink orders here and there. She comes left often (and may forget your drink) during the concert though. Drinks are cheap and there’s a $ 10 minimum to use your credit card.
The sound system is RIDICULOUS. I was one of those lucky people to be seated at the balcony level. This also meant I was close to the speakers above me. I did remember a point during the concert where suddenly my left ear’s hearing just went duller… and though it’s been a month since this concert, my hearing has just not been the same (although my doc says there’s no permanent damage somehow.) Screw it, next time I’m sucking it up and bringing ear plugs.
Moral of this review:
**Bring ear plugs if you want to hear normally afterwards. Especially if you’re getting older to where your hearing just doesn’t bounce back right away like it did in your early 20s. The joys of getting older.
**Wear steel toed boots if you’re going to be on the floor and don’t want blackened toes at the end of the night.
**Wear clothes you are ok sweating through and having everyone else’s sweat all over.