New Music Venue Opens In Carrboro

De La Luz, Carrboro's newest live music venue, immerses listeners in sights and sounds in a way few other clubs can.

This "performance space," as owner Rick Ramirez prefers to call it, opened Jan. 11 and already has become a viable alternative to establishments such as Go! Rehearsal Studios and Cat's Cradle.

"I see it as more of a fidelic listening environment than a loud rock club," Ramirez said.

The new venue is part of a three-pronged business venture unified under the name Temple Ball and Ramirez' ownership. All housed in the same Carrboro location (307 E. Main St.), the other parts of the operation include an art gallery/retail store and a recording studio for reproducing live performances.

The gallery, which specializes in international folk art, includes pieces from Kenya, Ecuador, Nepal and Indonesia.

De La Luz, located in the back of the building, is an area designed for active listening. Couches, art on the walls, and ambient lighting provide added effect.

"I want it to be like a living room, but everyone's living room," Ramirez said.

He renovated the building, a plumber's shop for 40 years, with help from several friends who also assist Ramirez as part-time employees.

A work in progress, the venture continues to expand each day. Ramirez still is completing renovation of two back rooms that will hold studio equipment and a patio for acoustic performances.

Perpetual Groove, a jam band from Savannah, Ga., performed at De La Luz on Thursday evening. Mixing stellar guitar solos, modern synthesizer sounds and a purely hallucinogenic light show, the group demonstrated both the club's impressive sound and Ramirez's ability to draw national touring acts to Carrboro.

Ramirez said he does not prefer any particular genre of music. "Diversity and quality are what we want first and foremost," he said.

He also hopes to use De La Luz as a performance outlet for independent filmmakers, puppeteers and other artists.

Ramirez used to work at the Carrboro ArtsCenter, and he envisions his brainchild as a cross between that venue and Cat's Cradle. He has been an avid music enthusiast all of his life and said he's pleased to have created an alternative space for live performance.

He said it has been difficult and time-consuming to juggle the different aspects of Temple Ball but that he has developed strategies to get all the work done, such as buying all his art on Mondays.

Small, friendly and intimate, De La Luz is a colorful, refreshing departure from the standard rock club experience.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.