New Barrel Proof comedy club to open in downtown Santa Rosa

A longtime local comedy show promoter plans to bring laughter to downtown Santa Rosa with a new stand-up comic club. Casey Williams plans to open the Barrel Proof Lounge by late January or early February at 501 Mendocino Ave., the former site of the 3 Disciples taproom.

“I want to bring people downtown,” said Williams, a Santa Rosa native. “This is my town. I want people to be able to come here and see comedy acts, hear live music and enjoy trivia nights, karaoke and dance parties. We will open our doors to nonprofits for fundraisers.”

The new venue, which includes a performance space that will seat 150 people, has an overall capacity of 299. The club will serve local wine and beer, and the comedy room features a new sound booth to be manned by longtime local DJ Rob Cervantes.

This is not Williams’ first foray into the entertainment business. He is the founder and owner of Barrel Proof Comedy, which has produced comedy shows all over Sonoma County for the past decade. For the past 10 years, Barrel Proof also has brought nationally known comedy headliners monthly to Sally Tomatoes in Rohnert Park and continues to do so.

“I get some big national headliners,” he said.

The name of the Barrel Proof Comedy company has its own back story.

“It’s not from wine making or brewing. In fact, it’s a whiskey-making term,” Williams said.

Barrel proof means bourbon in the bottle has the same alcohol content it had when it was put into the barrel for aging.

“To me, it means being true to your authentic self,” he explained.

The renovation of the new downtown Santa Rosa club is a multigenerational family project, with Williams, 46, getting help from his son, Bailey Williams, 21, and his father, Tim Williams, 73.

The new venue stands between two other spots that have brought momentum to a rebirth of live entertainment in downtown Santa Rosa: the Lost Church music club on Ross Street and The California, a new theater, comedy and music space on Seventh Street that opened in September.

“Having another venue in this part of downtown is a great addition to Santa Rosa’s entertainment district,” said Argo Thompson, CEO at The California.

Bryce Dow-Williamson, general manager of the Lost Church in Santa Rosa, echoed the sentiment.

“I often hear from locals about how strange it is that Santa Rosa is the largest city in the county but often seems to have the least going on,” he said. “I’m glad to see other creatives and organizers working on addressing the lack of venues in an area with so much talent and creativity.”

For more information on Williams’ comedy production company, visit barrelproofcomedy.com.

Meanwhile, 3 Disciples has moved out of the Mendocino Avenue taproom and into the former Two Tread space in Santa Rosa Plaza. The new space is expected to open in the spring.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.