Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio

To be sure, this place does have a lot going for it. The space is divey, but in a good way. The shows are intimate, the drinks decently-​poured and at a good price. In terms of Dallas venues, it is about the size and relative atmosphere (in Denton terms) of The Double Wide. But there are definite downsides. Parking is dilapidated and sketchy. People pretty much park where they want to in the unmarked space behind the venue. The last time I was there, someone decided to park three deep next to me, and left my car blocked in. Which was a nice surprise to come back to. The entire venue sits directly adjacent to railroad tracks. So much so that the corner of the parking area seems dangerously close to them. So expect your favorite concert to occasionally be interspersed with the sounds of the railroad. Which in practice is not as charming and folksy as it might sound. The space appears in fact to be a rehearsal studio, as there are frequently sounds bleeding through the venue, again impacting the live shows (the opening band one recent night joked that although they were not supposed to play cover tunes — there is a half-​joking sign attesting to this requirement on the wall by the stage — he was forced to listen to a DeafHeaven cover as he tried to play his set). And the door takes nothing but cash for the cover charge. Which is confusing, given the establishment itself takes cards at the bar. The first time I went, the teen from the opening band selling merch in the corner took credit cards. But not the door. Come join us in 2016, folks. And also speaking of the door, the girl working it has a bit of an attitude problem. Last time I was there, a mother who was in from out of town had brought her underage son there to see a show (most shows are all-​ages). Which I thought was pretty cool and supportive of that mom. But when she pleasantly asked some pretty simple questions of the door girl (e.g. what time does she think the show might end so she could head back and pick him up; anyplace nearby she could sit and eat or have some coffee while she waited, et. al.) the response was a contemptuous look, and a less-​than-​believable «I don’t know.» This is not Studio 54. You work in a tiny dive venue in a small town whose only claim to fame is playing host to a second-​tier state college. You are in no position to play holier-​than-​thou to ANYONE, sister. On the whole, you will want to like this place more than you actually will. Which is a shame, because they do occasionally have some pretty good bands come through.

DO NOT PERFORM HERE. The owner treated me very poorly when I came through as a performing artist. The first words out of his mouth were very rude and condescending to my friend. And he continued to act likewise toward me. Every minute of a show is another opportunity for a patron to buy a drink, which puts another dollar in this man’s pocket. Don’t be a part of the problem. Avoid this venue at all costs.

EXCELLENT MUSIC VENUE! I’m a local promoter and this place is the easy pick for any trendy band. With its preinstalled marketing team (Parker and Garret) that gets market attention, it makes me feel very confident taking risks at the space. Its sound system is supurb, over 700watts of power and plenty of channles for anything.
The club is very easy to work with, if your interested in doing an art show or something like that, they are willing to open early for setup.
Its standing room has been a staple for live music in denton for over 10 years. It has a great following by its community and is the perfect place for new and up comming artists nationaly, and locally. Five stars bro!

This place over charged me and the people aren’t very nice and the bathrooms are the worst that I have seen.

I always see stand-​up, when I’m here. I love it! This place is perfect for it. The grungy, punkish atmosphere makes me feel at home. Plus, I have been to their game nights. So much fun, sometimes.

I think this bar fucking sucks, as a bar. The alcohol is expensive (for what you get), 3.75 for a single well drink and 6-​something for a well double, which is a ripoff by Denton standards. They don’t have any IPA’s which is the only beer I drink. The bartender poured me a fucking weak single, so I basically paid $ 3+ for tonic water. And they keep your card which is always annoying. And on top of all this they make you check your drink on a sketchy ledge to smoke a cigarette outside and when I came back in my beer was sketchily way less full than I remember it being. So I asked the bartender «can I get another beer free of charge because I don’t remember my beer being this empty» he responds «we didn’t MAKE you go outside and leave your drink» uh yeah, you did. (Any other bar in Denton would let me drink and smoke at the same time, via patio or inside) Just a shitty place to drink in general. The only reason this place didn’t get one star is because the venue aspect of it isn’t bad at all. But for a bar that’s isolated across the tracks with what always seems to be a cover its really not any id ever go to if I had a choice

Rubber gloves rehearsal studios is a bright unassuming beacon on empty sycamore street behind the train station compound.
It doesn’t care. It was here way before the train station that now runs daily to Dallas.
RGRS continually books better Indy bands than any club in Dallas/​Fort Worth. On this night — electric punk band «Hunters» might have come, via Philly, unannounced. The 10 person crowd on a Thursday may have been trumped by the headliner over
at Dans Silverleaf.
This town is rich in music offerings.
Drinks are sickly cheap, in a prime college band venue. Covers are cash only though and there is no ATM. Yeah? How about that for chutzpah?
Rubber Gloves is doing its own thing.
And you’re lucky.

Five stars would be an insult to Gloves and the aesthetic it represents. It’s anything but a five star kind of place. If in fact the average score for Gloves reached five stars, I expect they’d invite their closest friends to drink all night, puke on the floor, piss in front of the stage, then burn it all down with bottles of Makers Mark and cigarettes for fuses.
(Secretly it is far more tolerable without smoke and with a fully functioning air conditioner, and yes it is a bad ass music venue, so I give four stars because I can’t give a more Glove-​ish 3.5).

This place is a Denton institution and really exists beyond reviews. It’s dirty, small, and the bathrooms are gross. And it shouldn’t be any other way.
They routinely book good bands, including stand-​out local acts from Denton’s internationally renowned music community. The drinks are always cheap, and they recently went non-​smoking which is the best decision they’ve made in a long time.
Like I said, it’s beyond reviewing, it simply «IS». If you’re interested in getting a taste of the world-​renowned Denton music scene, Rubber Gloves has to be on your list to visit. Nuff said.

Gloves defines Denton dive bar in the most lovable ways. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s home to me. They’re the best venue we’ve got in little D, attracting even big names like Boris, Torche, Red Fang, etc. that still rock that small-​town show feel. The drinks are cheap and specials are great… if you spend more than $ 50 here you’re DEFINITELY going to need to call a cab! Bartenders are always friendly and pour some healthy drinks. Ask Batey for an AMF if you’re feeling dangerous.
My words of warning (I don’t even consider them complaints anymore because it’s just what you expect here): AC rarely works in the summer; you’ll smell like an ashtray for days; bathrooms are a bit rough; it’s a little frightening during the day; you’ll have an awesome time… from what you can still remember the next day. :)
RGRS is the perfect harmony of hipster-​rocker-​punker-​metalhead-​rockabilly-​homeless, which may vary significantly based on the night you visit. Keeps the riff raff out and you can meet some of the city’s musical talent and legitimately good people. If you pop your collar you’ll get punched. What’s not to love?!

Rubber Gloves is the kind of music venue all kinds of people can enjoy. It may not seem that way upon first impression, but trust me. Nestled in Denton alongside train tracks, it seems a bit secluded and dismal from the outside. But it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right? Yes.
Rubber Gloves is warm and buzzing on the inside. Not warm like «I’m sweating to death,» but warm like friendly and intimate. And by buzzing I mean there’s a lot going on, plus the place literally buzzes with the loud vibrations of live music!
This venue is split into two main areas; a modest sized room where the band plays on a well-​loved stage, and the bar which faces a room of tables and booths. The layout is pretty nifty because you can stand (or sit on some seriously used cushions) in front of the stage and let the music beat through you, or you can actually hear yourself talk in the bar area while still enjoying the sounds of the live set. If you’re like me, you can go back and forth and savor the best of both worlds.
RG’s is seriously smokey, indeed, but it’s a fun spot with reasonably priced drinks and a pretty laid back crowd. This is a venue that’s dedicated to booking bands and showcasing live music consistently, and that’s what they do best.

Not the sort of place I would have discovered on my own, but thanks to Unilocal’s back stage pass event, I made the trek to Denton to see what’s going on.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks highly of the place. It actually gave me pause when thinking about a rating. On the night of my visit, it was a loud (the bands were Bad Design & Old Warhorse) and smokey evening. While the smoke was a negative, there were several things I did like about RGRS.
First off, I like the split design. The stage is on one room, the bar another. This means you can walk to the bar and get to a place where you can have a conversation. Another thing I liked is the band stickers plastered all over the place. If my camera had a flash, you’d see several photos uploaded (sadly no flash, so no pictures). Another intriguing aspect of RGRS is the building itself. It is quite literally on the other side of the tracks and it looks like it was built for security. There are bars on the windows, but more interesting is the giant safe door. It made me curious as to what this building once was. I never did find out, so another trip is warranted. Which brings me to my final thoughts.
I think RGRS is a real find. I will definitely keep it in mind next time friends are in from out of town and I want to do something different. RGRS has a full schedule, and some good special nights. I thought the goings on for Christmas Day was pretty damn amusing (see URL for details).
Although Denton is a bit far for me hit on a regular basis there is much to explore. Denton has changed a lot since my first visits in the early 90s so I think it’s time for some new explorations.

In a word? Brilliant. They’ve been banging out killer live shows here for eons (and some notable ones: Mates of State, Jonathan Richman and others have signed posters on the walls), and it’s a pretty simple by way of divey arrangement… a cozy bar nook, scattered sets of tables, and a boutique live stage for shows. There are, of course, additional rehearsal studios here where the bands master their craft, all in all a solid spot to catch an act that you’ve been waiting to see, or find one you didn’t know you’d love.
A couple of things worth noting: like most Denton bars, this one’s smoking friendly, so what with the low ceilings and all it can occasionally get a little foggy. Also, it’s another one of these private clubs thanks to the old school Denton laws in effect, so know you’ll have to become a ‘member of the club’ to down a few. But once you’re past that, it’s pretty straight shooting around here. As of last night there’s not a ton to dampen the sound in the stage room (they had to take down the back curtain for awhile), so it can get a little loud. But hey, you’re seeing a live show. Isn’t that where loud lives?

I love the Gloves! RGRS has a medium sized seating area, a decent sized bar, and terrible bathrooms. BUT the MUSIC as what you go there for. It is always phenomenal, be it a one-​man acoustic set or a full-​band with the room jam packed, Gloves delivers great local and national artists who rock the studio.

I’ve only been to Rubber Gloves a hand full of times, not really my crowd. The place is dark, grungy and dirty, it seems to attract one general «type» of crowd and that’s about it. All of the customers are very, very young, probably 18 – 23.
The bar is a pretty neat little spot, secluded off on one side. Probably would be a neat place to go for live shows.

I think you really have to take this place for what it is… a dump that cranks out live music on the reg. That’s why it’s kind of tucked away to the side of dentons down town.
The A/​C wasn’t kicking that night of the rock show, which made it like an oven, but with the hard rock/​punk sound it almost seem to go together. The bartenders seem like cool people and had cheap drink specials just like a dirty bar should. Mixed matched chairs and clutter ever where made a true feel of what denton is about.
FYI: From what i understand there is practice rooms for rent

For me, reviewing Rubber Gloves is like reviewing my spinal cord. Great limousine accommodations and green room — for us jet-​setters of course. But if you don’t jet-​set, you will still like Rubber Gloves. If RG were here in Brooklyn (oops, I mean Tribeca), it would still be a favorite. If you’re within Denton city limits, this is one of your few options at night. It just happens to be a very good one.
–M. Sweetz

I’ve seen a lot of great shows here, and the drinks are always cheap. The cheap drinks: good show ratio is the most important factor. It smells like cigarettes and ass, but you get over it. The arcade games by the bathroom are cool but it doesn’t distract me from the fact that I have to piss and there’s a huge line. They should look into expanding it for how crowded the place gets, which is testament to its cool atmosphere.
I’ve also been in bands that have played there, and I can say that they are very accommodating to bands. Dollar beers? Hell yes. Great spacious area to load in and out, direct access to the stage. It would suck in the rain, but weather permitting it’s a breeze to get in and out of there. (You’ll probably be drunk on the way out though.)
The practice rooms on the other hand are horrendous and way overpriced. Sound bleeds between rooms like crazy, and walking back there looks like a crack house. I didn’t spend much time there at all.
Overall it’s a great venue for the early 20s-​early 30s crowd. I would never bring my parents here. Bar staff is cool and the sound guys (Troy especially) are pretty solid.

Gloves is pretty alright to catch an interesting show. Cover is cheap, so are the drinks, and usually you’ll know most of the people there on any given night and not have to pretend you don’t see them. I love the staff there and enjoy seeing them every Friday.
Now — rent for practice spaces is cheap enough if you have a slew of people sharing a room BUT don’t expect heat or A/​C (if you have an exterior space) and if you’re scared of water bugs, you’re screwed.
Playing shows there is pretty ok as well if you can get booked for a good night with decent bands.

Great live music venue. Friendly bartenders. Cheap beer. My favorite vomit of recent years occurred here, outside by the railroad tracks. It reminded me a lot of the pukes I had when I drank too much in college. It made me feel 20 again. Fucking brilliant.