From Zero to Hero

New club, Sub-Zero promises to be all about you.

by Stanley Tollett

The 21st century is descending on downtown Corvallis in the form of a nightclub, called Sub-Zero. The lead man behind the project is cautious about releasing the details, but not shy about saying that even he, an industry insider for nearly 30 years, is going to be blown away by the finished product. The anticipated throbbing multimedia cavern of delight will suck guests into a vortex of audio-visual ecstasy the moment they slide down the wide staircase into the basement space on 4th street. Corvallis is about to get a whole lot cooler this summer.

George Kokolakis, a DJ and club promoter with New York City ties that go back to the glory days of American club culture, is one of three men behind Sub-Zero, a cutting edge video dance club slated to open its doors to the public this summer.

Kokolakis and his partners Keith Barnes and Barley Wood are a dream team of nightclub development, with decades of experience each. George as a DJ/promoter, Keith as a bartender/bar manager, and Barley as the lighting designer/nightclub builder. Barley in fact, left country music artist Josh Turner’s tour to work on the Sub-Zero nightclub project.

The three hope to create a nightclub that will appeal to every community member, regardless of background, but especially those who may feel alienated by the current nightclub scene in Corvallis and Albany.

“You will not hear dub-step in here,” said Kokolakis. “We don’t want to compete with The Peacock, or do their format. We feel the people who want to hear that format can go to The Peacock… We want those people that don’t go out who feel like there is nowhere to go. People who like Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Cut Copy…those people, I don’t see them out.”

It’s those people, the crowd that eschews places like The Peacock, a local bar and dance club, that Kokolakis hopes will dust off their dancing shoes and feel at home at Sub-Zero.

“We just feel like there should be a place for people to go and dance and have a good time and not have to worry about if someone’s 40 years old feeling uncomfortable because it’s a room filled with frat kids and everybody’s between 21-24 and they’re all getting stupid…they would like to have something to do but often feel awkward,” said Kokolakis.

For Kokolakis, nightclubs are more than just a place to dance. They are a hang-out where anyone from any background imaginable can come, relax and mingle without barriers or restrictions.

One night when he was in his twenties, Kokolakis recalled dancing at the Cat Club in New York City when he looked over and saw Malcolm Forbes, the famous billionaire who was in his 70’s at the time, dancing casually with drink in hand. It struck George, in that moment, that everyone likes to party in a place where they feel comfortable.

“That was the one thing [about nightclubs] in New York City: there was boundaries, or ‘I’m too old.’ There was no such thing as being too old,” Kololakis said. “It didn’t matter how old you were.”

This experience stuck with Kololakis and he said he hopes to bring that same atmosphere into downtown Corvallis. He says he’s received a lot of feedback from local residents who feel there just isn’t anywhere for people to go at night that isn’t completely geared towards college students. “If someone in their 60s wants to come out, they should feel comfortable,” said Kololakis.

So what exactly will Sub-Zero look like?

While Kokolakis is keeping some of the more spectacular details under wraps, he did tell me that the DJ booth control monitors would look like “The Starship Enterprise” and the walls of the club were crafted in a specific way to display high definition images in panorama. The theme of the club is the concept of being able to constantly change the appearance of the entire space.

“We want this to be not just another nightclub, we really want to impress people,” Kokolakis said. “We want people to come in here and say ‘Wow, these guys actually took some time and effort and spent some money and are really taking this seriously.’”

With all the lighting, video, and sound extravagance, one might ask why Kokolakis and his partners chose Corvallis as the site for Sub-Zero instead of Portland. Kololakis is quick to answer, as this question has been posed to him by more than a few of his peers and colleagues.

“We feel like people here deserve somewhere for the older crowd to go,” said Kololakis.

He came out to see the town last summer and fell in love. In Corvallis, he and his partners have found a place to make tangible their creative vision for a nightclub. Kololakis says he wants people to know they are here to stay. That’s why, he explains, that they aren’t playing strict hip-hop and going with trends to bring in the kids and rake in the cash for a quick turn-around.

And the proof of this is his extensive involvement with the local community. Kololakis has partnered with local artist Patricia Smith to create a mural for the club as well as some yet to be disclosed other projects. But the real involvement has come from Kololakis getting out and listening to the community’s needs for a nightclub that caters to them.

“My neighbor, I don’t know how she heard about it, but she started asking us about [Sub-Zero]. She is in her 50s and said, ‘You know, I really wish there was somewhere to go here for people like me. Is this place going to be strictly for kids?’ and I told her, ‘No, we’re planning on doing a shake and bake night where it’s all 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music, where anything goes, from Led Zeppelin to James Brown to Casey and the Sunshine Band, Chuck Berry, and The Beatles.’”

The three nightclub gurus from the East coast have ventured West to create something for themselves and the local community. Kololakis knows it’s going to be good because it’s a place he would be proud to invite his industry friends from all over the world to come and visit. But the most important thing, more important than all of the bells and whistles, is the atmosphere.

“This club is for everyone,” Kokolakis said. “No one’s going to be made to feel like they don’t belong.”

Sub-Zero’s owners are busy bringing in gear and putting the finishing touches on what may become a staple of Corvallis nightlife for years to come. But they can only do so much. It’s the locals, those who constantly lament the fact that there isn’t anything to do at night in Corvallis, who will decide what kind of club Sub-Zero will become.

I heard in a movie once, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Well, Corvallis… come out and support Sub-Zero. Make it your own and enjoy it. Because after this summer, you won’t be able to say there isn’t a place to go and trip the light fantastic.