Mezzanine: The Best Club in San Francisco You’ve Never Heard Of

Despite its clandestine location in what is pretty much an alleyway (make that a nice alleyway, aka Jessie Street, near 5th and 6th street in San Francisco), Mezzanine has been enjoying immense popularity in the club scene as well as a reputation for being one of the most musically diverse clubs in the Bay Area but also one of the most affordable: lots of alcohol, a $2 coat check and a criminally cheap VIP section. It’s a little hard to find in the sprawling metropolis of ‘Frisco but now that this article’s out, you have no excuse. And after cultivating a close working relationship with Red Bull Music Academy, as well as embracing the latest and most groundbreaking in the ever-evolving world of electronica music, Mezzanine has hosted the RBMA twice already and, with the help of stalwarts Major Lazer, has some huge shows planned.

I met up with Sheela Rahman, Marketing and PR Director for Mezzanine, and Brian Tarney, the venue’s Talent buyer. Instead of a simple club promotion, we ended up talking music, where I got my ass kicked in “evolution of electronic music 101″ and I learned that Mezz has hosted everyone from The Buzzcocks and The English Beat to Nas and The Chemical Brothers. You don’t need to be a club-goer to dig Mezzanine; just by talking to the people who run the place, you learn that it’s all about the music.
Sheela Rahman said, “There’s been a huge wave of 20 year olds who utilize a lot of analog technology and then there’s a hybrid going on with artists like (Nigel) Night Jewel. A lot of artists doing this disco bass thing. People are trying always to just mine new territory. A lot of it is just about writing good songs.”

Any more upcoming events? “We’re planning to do a party in April with a bunch of local artists, maybe a night of Chicago and acid house from late 80s to early 90s – theme nights like this.”

So how do you feel about where San Francisco is on the music scene in general? “San Francsico’s not as on the forefront as it should be,” smiles Brian good-naturedly. “Not to diss SF, but we’re looking to get it out there a little more. I want to get more involved with the Music Academy.”

So what’s the best era for music, the 80s? What about this era of music has made it so enduring?

“Bands from the late 70s to late 80s are still big,” says Brian. “But something from that era has a certain timelessness to it. And a lot of the bands from that era have still managed to maintain that level of popularity.

Sheela feels that “Azarian Third are at the forefront of the electronica scene. Revival of Chicago House and Acid music from the 90s is making a comeback. There’s been a huge wave of 20 year olds who utilize a lot of analog technology and then there’s a hybrid going on with artists like Nite Jewel. We’re looking to get more bands out here that are like that.”

Thursday, March 25 — Mezzanine Roller Disco
Friday, March 26 — Nite Jewel is playing a show with Neon Indian.
Saturday, March 27 — Flying Lotus and Code 9. DJ Gary Richards will be throwing his SF HARD festival,which will be covered by Red Bull, live for their Music Academy show.
Saturday, April 16 — Major Lazer with Rusko.