f you’re looking for a sneak preview of Beauty Bar’s new-look calendar, look no further than the first back-patio booking by just-hired talent buyer Patrick “Pulsar” Trout: Washington, D.C., death metal outfit Darkest Hour.
“I’m not gonna try to overload it with all metal,” assures Pulsar, who has been booking some of the heaviest stuff in town at Dive Bar over the past year in a half. “Beauty Bar has an established foothold in the indie-rock scene and also in the EDM and hip-hop communities, and that will continue. But I can combine that with my experience with punk and metal so that it has a very diverse calendar.”
Mostly, the 31-year-old says, he plans to try to fill the Fremont East venue with quality acts—touring and Vegas-based. “I’d like to keep the calendar as full as possible, so that no matter what night of the week it is, you can look at the Beauty Bar calendar and say, ‘Oh, that looks cool.’ But obviously, it’s quality first. I don’t want to just have filler.”
Pulsar succeeds outgoing talent buyer TJ McNeely, who had booked Beauty Bar since its 2014 purchase by co-owners Darin Feinstein and Corey Harrison. In a statement on the new hiring, Harrison said, “Pulsar is going to bring in the talent and lineup everyone has been patiently waiting for.”
In its heyday, Beauty Bar helped anchor the Downtown music scene, staging memorable sets by the likes of The Hold Steady, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Walkmen and Washed Out on its outdoor stage. Pulsar, who has brought everything from hip black-metal act Deafheaven to garage-rock madmen Monotonix to town during his decade-plus in the business, says he and his new bosses hope to carry that torch-bearing tradition forward. “I think a certain level of smart risk-taking is encouraged, like bringing in a band that might not be as well known here as in LA or Austin. Code Orange is a perfect example—the first time I booked them, the attendance wasn’t so great, but the next time I had three times as many people, and now they’ll be a main-stage act at Psycho [festival].”
