REMEMBERING CHRIS ESPARZA: SAN JOSÉ'S IMPRESARIO EXTRAORDINAIRE
REMEMBERING CHRIS ESPARZA: SAN JOSÉ'S IMPRESARIO EXTRAORDINAIRE
By Brendan Rawson
I first met Chris Esparza in the mid-1980s at 16 or 17 at One Step Beyond, an all-ages live music venue in a warehouse district North of the Caltrain tracks in Santa Clara. Chris was probably 18 or 19 and could fill the doorway with the frame of his build; his reddened cheeks betrayed his age. He would do his best to furrow his brow and play the bouncer part, but the glint in his eye would reveal that he was more interested in cracking jokes and making friends than rigorously checking IDs.
As the doorman, Chris earned a doctoral education on every youth subculture bubbling up at the time, such as ska bands, synth-pop, reggae, glam metal, skate punk, rockabilly, industrial, power pop, new wave, and alt-rock. Whatever it was, it all came through One Step. All the misfits of the Valley who yearned for something more than what was served on commercial radio (…1986’s number one single was Say You, Say Me by Lionel Ritchie) found One Step– where Chris stood at the doorway to it all. As the years progressed, Chris mentioned that at One Step, he got to know every aspiring young creative in the Valley earnestly pushing back against the din of suburbia. Indeed, throwing him out by the back of his collar is how he met his future Ajax Lounge business partner, Chris Elliman.
“He would do his best to furrow his brow and play the bouncer part, but the glint in his eye would reveal that he was more interested in cracking jokes and making friends than rigorously checking IDs. ”
Seeing Chris at the door of One Step was my first experience of what became decades, colored by thousands of occasions of walking up to the entrance of a club, festival, restaurant, wedding, underground party, community fundraiser, ribbon cutting, and so many other types of gatherings where excellent and exciting people meet. Chris’s welcoming presence was always a harbinger of great people and better times.
Over the years, Chris and I would go on to open restaurants together, start music festivals, launch various community projects, and even own a home together. I could not be blessed with a better friend and colleague. The breadth and impact of Chris’s community-building work are challenging to capture in words—his passion for building a welcoming and culturally vibrant San José held no bounds. The gears were constantly cranking with ideas for new events, venues, and experiences that tapped into the ever-changing creative energy of San José.
“The breadth and impact of Chris’s community-building work are challenging to capture in words—his passion for building a welcoming and culturally vibrant San José held no bounds.”