Dave Bats is an amazing artist, musician, promoter, dj and a staple of the underground. His club Release the Bats was legendary and now you can find it as a radio show with his wife Jen and many amazing guests. Let’s turn down the lights, grab a bottle of wine and hear what the man behind the legendary RtB has to say.
Clubs like Old World in HB, Cloud 9 at Knotts and Helter Skelter were influential for me, what influenced you to launch Release the Bats?
Hi! Thanks for having me! The actual influence for RtB was Helter Skelter. But Knott’s in the 80’s was definitely my first experience in clubbing. I missed out on Old World but frequented Knott’s a lot during those seminal teen years. DJ Craig was a big influence on me. I was always lingering around the DJ booth waiting to get to talk to him. A little after we stopped going to Knott’s a new club had opened up at the old Grand Central Station in Long Beach called Jets. That was where I got my footing into promoting events and being part in the organizing of club nights. Of course we’re talking about an all-ages summer thing, not what would come later. In 1989 Helter Skelter opened up in Hollywood and that set the course for me – to get to Helter!
How did you keep RTB so relevant for over 20 years?
We had a great team of people working with us and we booked some of the greatest bands in all of Gothdom. RtB occurred only once a month, and I booked only one band per event, unless there were two bands on tour together and shared the same backline. That created a long waiting list of bands that wanted to play there. The venue where it was held, The Que Sera, was famous for heavy pours and cheap drink prices so that added to the continuity as well. Every RtB was a good time, and our patrons were never ripped off; that’s for sure! Plus, the logo I created. It’s everywhere and has become a symbol of the old school Death Rock aesthetic that LA was known for.
What live performances stand out most for you from RTB?
Yanno, there were so many great ones it’s hard to nail that down. I could say my favs were when I played live up there on stage with Element or Kommunity FK or when 45 Grave played, or the many times Gitane Demone performed. More memorable performances from Ex-Voto, Mephisto Walz, Eva O, and other bands that I only heared about when I was a teen dancing at Knott’s. The main thing is really many of my friends played on that stage and getting to see how much they enjoyed performing there was enough for me. I deliberately booked only one band. It gave that band the opportunity to really play! To set up their gear how they wanted to. They could use tape on the floor, park their amps, and leave their guitars on stage till show time. Really, all of the performances there were memorable. But now let’s talk about the really bad ones! Some of those stand out pretty well ah ha ha ha!!
Did you always want to be a dj?
Yes. I blame the television show WKRP in Cincinnati for that influence. But also my love for radio. I grew up listening to radio and from a young age had been working on radio voices and recording pretend radio shows on cassette tapes. No gear, just a boom box with a mic. And no, those cassettes are gone. Too bad too cause that would be funny to listen to. Probably irritating but funny. But it was in the 1980’s and a guy named Richard Blade where I really found my calling. I was already that kid in the neighborhood that wanted his friends to come over and listen to new records but alas, they all wanted to play sports ball. At Jets I had friends that were actual DJ’s. My oldest friend Shane was already years ahead of all the rest with his selecting skills and incredible record collection but the other DJ’s inside that club were great too. All of those guys were influential to me. I became a DJ in the mid 1990’s and never looked back. All of those years of watching and listening paid off.
Besides the obvious “Release the Bats” from The Birthday Party what other songs are a must play?
To achieve that RtB sound and attitude, Release The Bats by the Birthday Party is on top of the playlist. It has to be, it’s the name of the club. But then go to Christian Death – Spiritual Cramp, Alien Sex Fiend – Smell’s Like Sh*t, Big Black – Kerosene, Siouxsie – Monitor, The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary, The Cramps – What’s Inside a Girl, Play Dead – Propaganda. These are just some of the songs that were must plays at RtB.
Bauhaus, The Cure, Christian Death, Sisters of Mercy influenced many people, what was yours?
Yes, those. And Killing Joke, add them to the list too. Less the Sisters of Mercy. I knew a lot of people in the 80’s that were all about them but for some reason they just didn’t jive with me. Bauhaus, who I absolutely love, is a great example because that band is really also many more bands! Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Peter solo, gotta add them into the ingredients of the to be Dave list as well. But it was Siouxsie and the Banshees that sealed my fate. I blame her the most. So does my mother.
How has the scene evolved?
That’s a tricky question. On one hand it’s the year 2026 and there are thousands and thousands of people of all ages all over the globe listening to bands and music from forty years ago. Thousands of those people are listening to contemporary Gothic music and have no clue about the bands from forty years ago. And on the other hand, there are original Gothic types who still exist from forty years ago that have no clue what today’s music sounds like. In my opinion there isn’t any one “scene”. Instead, there are many sub scenes. Gothic and Death Rock music, all of its style’s, the different sounding bands, the burgeoning clubs that were created, all came along way before the Internet and Social Media. It was a small scene in its beginnings but now, like I said, there is no scene, there are many scenes. I don’t want to use the word evolved. I would rather say “goodbye” to most of the people who are exploiting our music and style with their social media creator lifestyles. The music comes first, then everything else. That’s how it was in the beginning and how it should be in my opinion.
What bands are you surprised didn’t make a larger impact?
That list is pretty small. I’m more surprised when a band stays together for a long time and creates great music regularly. This music genre is pretty limited as far as mass appeal goes. I’ll use The Cure as an example of a small band from the UK getting their start in pubs along with punk rock bands in a tiny music scene only to later in life become one of the most famous bands known in pop music. Who saw that coming?!? But that fame and notoriety took decades to achieve. There are bands today that are performing in pubs and clubs all over that sound like they should be the biggest band in the world, and they might be someday. It’s hard work to keep a band together and write great music. I think most of the bands that I like made a great impact in their ways, but continuity is a key factor in making that impact reached on a broader scale.
What’s the biggest difference between performing in Hollywood vs Long Beach?
Performing in LB is great for me because my drive home is quick! But really, i’ve always preferred LB over Hollywood, not only for gigs but for the lifestyle and weather too. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, performing in Hollywood was a huge deal for us. That’s where all the famous venues are and the cool clubs were held. When I was first starting out, getting to play at places like The Roxy and The Whiskey were goals, and that’s probably true to this day for other fledgling bands. After performing in LA and Hollywood for the past thirty years though, my love for local LB gigs has grown. I don’t want to rip on today’s Hollywood, but it’s not the same place it was decades ago. There are still great clubs happening and lots of awesome bands performing there because that’s how it is supposed to be. I’d love to go back in time and perform in Hollywood for the first time again. Even if it’s “pay to play”.
What are your memories of Hollywood?
I had a great day job when I lived there. The party supply shop on Melrose and Wilcox. I made enough money there to pay rent, but that was really about all. They were cool to musicians and would work with schedules when gigs came up. I walked there every morning passing the same guys that would panhandle at the donut shop and along the sidewalk at Melrose and Vine. I smoked cigarettes at the time and after getting to know these people a little bit, they started hitting me up for smokes. I made a deal with them to give me a quarter for every smoke. Some days i’d make enough money off of them to buy lunch! And also, during my time living there, the riots of 1992 broke out and all of Hollywood was shut down. Luckily for us though, we managed to find the last liquor store open before the cops shut it down as the curfew approached. We bought enough beer to last a couple days but had to traverse back down Melrose on foot carrying multiple cases while people sped up and down the street screaming and honking their horns. We were chased for a block, but we ducked behind Raleigh Studios to hide. A week later, everything reopened, and gigs resumed. Today, when I’m in that area, I always have to slow down and enjoy some old neighborhood nostalgia.
Any clubs you’d like to see return?
I’d like to see Helter Skelter return. In 2013 Mike and Bruce brought it back to life at the Dragonfly and invited me to DJ the back patio. I jumped at that chance, and we had a good three year run there. Unfortunately, that venue is gone now too, so we aren’t going back there. And of course, I’d like to see my own club return but to have it proper, we would require a time machine.
If I remember correctly I read that you’re an Italian foodie, where is your go to spots?
There are two spots that we frequent for Italian. In LB the oldest of the old school, Dominico’s on 2nd street. And the other is in Ventura called Cafe Fiore. Both of the places make incredible food. Being vegetarian, Italian food is perfect. And, I’m a pizza junkie and these places make the styles of pizza that are really heavy, kinda thick but not thick crust. It’s different!
You and your wife are now doing the radio show. How has the change from club to radio impacted RTB?
With the radio show every Thursday on Twitch, we’re able to reach hundreds more people with new music than the club was able to do. RtB was only once per month and for about five hours long. and generally featured only one contemporary band per event. Our weekly show, though not a filthy nightclub packed with sweaty people drinking and shouting, is three hours of great music each week and reaches an international audience. We’re able to debut new music to a direct audience, show videos, and have in-studio guests. Most of our past guests are the same musicians that played at RtB in the past. But instead of a forty-minute live performance on the stage, we can all talk about music and share experiences live on the show. Can you imagine if we stopped all the music at the club and started talking about the songs you just heard? That would be crazy. On our radio show, it’s part of the format.
It’s your first show in a new location. What are your top 5 songs to start the night?
I’m probably throwing an old school Goth club here, so I’d start out with some songs like these! The Bolshoi – Giants, Abecedarians – Beneath the City, Bauhaus – Hair of the Dog, The Creatures – Mad Eye Screamer, The Cure – Screw What bands/artists are you listening to now? One of the great things about hosting my radio program is the discovery of incredible artists. Here are just a few contemporary bands that I’d tell you to check out on Bandcamp today. Octavian Winters (San Francisco), Lunar Paths (Chicago), Datura (Seattle), Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos (Costa Rica), Liquid Remains (Los Angeles), Velatine (Melbourne)
What’s next for RTB?
Right now, we’re charting a steady course of more incredible Thursday shows on Twitch and look forward to seeing many of our friends and cohorts in NYC for the Murder of Crows Festival happening on Labor Day weekend!
we learned a lot from every tour we did. How much we could get away with drinking, how fast to drive through a snowstorm, to pick the right strangers to share beds with…. In all seriousness though, those tours helped shape us as the family we are today. Made us grow closer together… and also want to kill each other at times lol 
