The Ritz

UGWA at the Ritz for only 10 bucks!!! Can’t beat that with a stick. Fun entertaining the place is huge there a pool table and 2 bars.
Shout out to the man in charge for hooking it up with a free drink token.

Im very sad. The whole reason i came out tonight was to hear Different strokes, a strokes cover band, turns out they changed the line up without updatomg their facebook page. Wasted $ 15 on shitty band that im not sure what they were doing. Still to advertuse one band and have another in its place… shame on you Ritz.

On the one hand, the venue itself is quite large and a good place for a dance night. On the other hand, the way they handle line control is absurd. You are in San Jose, there’s no reason to create a fake sense of exclusivity. Nothing in San Jose is worth waiting in line.

nice club, for small intimate shows i would love to see some of my favorite bands. only negative is the 1 person restroom. drinks not too expensive.

Went for free during the SoFa street fair. Loud music. Really loud music. Got a flashback to early ‘90s in my hometown in Spain, there was a very similar bar where I used to go and listen to same loud music. Nice layout and I like the little room with a view to the street where you can play pool.

Finally got around to checking out this place last weekend for the MangoKingz show (ALOHA!). Before this, I probably haven’t set foot in this space since… Born Jamericans? Latyrx? Nikka Costa? The Pharcyde? How many young[er] Unilocalers did I just lose with those references??? Anyway, it’s been a long time — I think it was still called The Usual back then…
Back to the point: I like the made-​over space! Towards the end of The Usual days, the space was showing its age with haggard upholstery, fading paint, and signs of waning attention to maintenance/​housekeeping. The new Ritz has polish and order in its minimalist décor.
The front bar (hi, Hayley!) is straightforward, simply that — a small bar at the entrance, away from the main room & stage & a little insulated from the sounds therein; it’s my favored spot. I just want to enjoy a drink, sidled up to the bar, chatting with the bartender and maybe another patron or two; I’m uncomfortable in crowds, maybe I’m not a people person? #anxiety
The tri-​level main room, with its large bar and VIP booth section, has ample space for dancers and onlookers alike. The sound is clean and that stage… that stage! I’ve seen some great acts on that stage. From a dozen emcees & two deejays to big nine piece bands with back up dancers, that stage can accommodate large sets — leaps and bounds improvement to the shallow and narrow step that was considered a stage at Blank. I’m looking forward to big acts considering San Jose a tour stop again…
A very analog marquee and screenprinted monochrome posters promote events in a decidedly «throwback”/punk aesthetic. Does it work? So far, sure. The Ritz is a reincarnation of The Blank Club which was the go-​to outlet for punk, rock, new wave bands (sorry, I don’t know music genres!), so it makes sense that the Blank’s success in in that scene continues here. The aforementioned MangoKingz (island/​reggae) show was notably under-​attended, though that may be attributed more to under promotion than the venue, so we’ll see… but I like it nonetheless.
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It’ll be interesting to see if the upcoming Sir Mix-​a-​Lot show (I LIKE BIG BUTTS TOO, MAYN!) brings a hip-​hop/​pop crowd to this venue.

Anybody can stroll into this place and have an amazing time. Whether you’re a fan of grunge, 80’spop, or oldies rock. Either way, they make an amazing dance floor with great music. Give this little gem a chance and I promise you won’t regret it.

When it’s good, it’s GREAT. But, after 6 months they should be much more consistent with the live sound. Too often, it is a fairly decent mix but WAY too LOUD. Last night Louis Wain and the Cats had no PA at all for their entire set, just the backline and stage monitors. What are soundchecks for?!
Then The Ritz fixed the problem, (after 45 minutes delay), and it was way to LOUD. (HUH? WHAT DID YOU JUST YELL IN MY EAR? — while standing by the far end of the bar). I’m still amazed how out of touch so many «sound engineers» at clubs are with their sound levels. Buy a SPL meter and use it, works even if you are deaf! The bands that tour with their own soundmen don’t hit 112 dB© ever, they hit 105 dB© peak at the mix position.
The benefits are many for the patron, the venue and the band: the music is more compelling plus the mix sounds better. People are more likely to return and recommend. I see 100+ nights of live music a year, and it is easy to observe that everyone has a better time when they are not rapidly going deaf — or having to use earplugs. At the correct SPL, patrons don’t hide along the backwall, stand 20 ft back from the stage, go out for a smoke ¹⁄₃ of the way in to the headliners set, or leave after 3 songs by the headliner. I wish The Ritz was the only one in the South Bay with this problem, but they are not.
Thursdays with DJ Basura are always good, and the sound system is usually very enjoyable then.

The Ritz is cool, but hot. Meaning… There is no air in there, and to go to the dance floor means «Sauna Central», so I typically stay at the back of the room where it’s a bit cooler. One of the gal bartenders made me a martini and it only went half way up the glass. Stingy. Then, I went to the bar at the entrance and they make WAY better drinks there. The employees aren’t very friendly, and I only go to The Ritz when I absolutely love the band that’s playing there. Nice dance area, dimly lit, and it’s okay. Turn up the A/​C, tell your employees to smile, and make a real drink, and you are good.

Nice place to dance and have a good time. Love coming for Satori nights. Drinks are inexpensive, which is an added bonus

Came here for the first time last night to see Fu Manchu. Always a great show! It was barely at half capacity, but I am not complaining! The place is super clean and the staff are friendly. Drinks were reasonable and there are two bars. A small one up front and the main one in back near the stage. The layout is pretty cool and the bathrooms were clean. Had a great time and I will for sure be back for some more good shows. It is nice to have a nice clean music venue to see some good bands.

Awful awful sound. Pubs in my neighborhood have better sound than this venue that is dedicated to live music !!! WTF
I couldn’t distinguish anything from the music that the bands played.
Also, I was annoyed that the first band only started at 10:30pm because we were ‘treated’ to a harp artist which did nothing but make me want to go to sleep.
I consider myself robbed of $ 15, that’s how bad it was.

Wow. Adults Night Out was a success celebrating my sister-in-law’s birthday this past Saturday. It was a dinner and dancing event. We went to the Ritz after dinner to catch English Beat. I haven’t been here in years. Once when it was FX and another when it was something else, probably Angels or something about 15 years or so ago. Moderately intimate club. I met Mike one of the owners. Nice guy. I love how the club location is still around.
Bar up front, bar on the inside, quiet area upfront to the side with bathroom (use the one in the back), two to three VIP sections in the back, and a pit in front of the stage.
Love the acoustics (if that is the term for it). The music was great and it wasn’t overtly LOUD. To me it was perfect and I am not a old timer. Great venue, like the layout, clientele was great (no douches or a-​holes) and the acoustics were perfect. You heard and felt the music like it should sound in a live environment. I love what they have done to the place. We heard the Odd Numbers (whom I love now — the drummer rocks! The music moved me. What an experience) and the English Beat (they sound absolutely great). Had a rocking great time. Check out this place if you happen to see one of your favorite bands playing there.

Checked this out on their weekly Atomic Thursday and had a lot of fun. The atmosphere was friendly and the music was a breath of fresh air. The DJ was to the side of the dance floor so people hopped on stage if they wanted. Oh and drinks were very reasonable.
Really looking forward to coming back for some shows as well. Really glad this opened up in SoFA

Came here on a Thursday «Atomic Dance Party» night. Yikes. Looks /​feels like the kind of place Buffalo Bill would enjoy.
Bartenders were very friendly and attentive. Bouncers were squared away and handled a little fight between some Indian guys and a hipster. I’ve been told their theme changes every night so I’m interested in coming and checking it out.

C’mon San Jose, you got a new rock club, now get out and go. Please don’t let this place open and then 4 months later die. It’s a pretty cool place, no frills, no attitude, drinks are reasonably priced and they are starting to book some decent bands. Check the schedule and go!

Like a cooling salve on a gaping open wound, this much needed mid-​size music venue in the resurgent SoFa district from the owner of the now-​shuttered Blank Club couldn’t have arrived a moment too soon!
Opening w’end saw the likes of Cash’d Out and the Rev Horton Heat breaking in the brand new sound system – and they’re still finalizing their liquor license any day now – but the point is downtown SJ has a purposeful live music venue with credible promoters once again!
They’ll be doing some of the weekly dance parties like Atomic, 80’s vs 90’s, etc from BC.
All shows are 21+
Lots of great rawk shows coming up so more to come soon…