SR nightclub to change music, dress code

<p>The owners of Seven Ultralounge agreed to new restrictions, including changing its music and dress code, according to Santa Rosa city officials who are pursuing a complaint against the downtown nightclub.</p><p>The restrictions were announced Wednesday after the city agreed to postpone a hearing on its bid to crack down on the Seventh Street club.</p><p>Gianni Messmer, a co-owner of the club, confirmed that the changes were being implemented.</p><p>"There is a small demographic out of that community that causes problems," Messmer said. "It is the 5 percent that screws it up for everybody."</p><p>Despite the changes, the city said it plans to move forward with its complaint.</p><p>Assistant City Attorney Mike Casey said the city agreed to postpone the hearing before an independent hearing officer so the club's attorneys could have more time to review the complaint.</p><p>He said the hearing is likely to be rescheduled for mid-January.</p><p>Messmer, meanwhile, sent the city a list of changes that includes more security, a tighter dress code, new advertising targeting a different clientele, closer coordination with police and different music.</p><p>In the letter, he wrote that Seven will "be more in keeping with the Billboard top 100 (pop, R&amp;B, soul, dance, with some more mainstream and conscious hip-hop, eliminating any hard-core or violent rap)."</p><p>Starting this weekend, Seven is changing its Friday and Saturday night themes, Messmer said. The club will feature all new DJs on Friday and plans to change out about half of its DJs on Saturday, he said.</p><p>"I don't want anything that can be construed as violent," Messmer said.</p><p>But Messmer acknowledged a large gray area exists. As an example, he said hyphy, a type of hip-hop that originated in the Bay Area, will not be played. But music by Sean Combs or Kanye West, who often have songs on the Top 100, might be played.</p><p>"It is going to take some refining. But I would rather be overly safe than not safe enough," Messmer said. "If that means we lose some customers, that's fine."</p><p>Messmer is handing over management of his two other co-owned bars -- Round Robin in Santa Rosa and Jasper O'Farrell's in Sebastopol -- and resuming full-time management of Seven, he said.</p><p>"I have 15 years experience in the bar and nightclub scene here," he said. "I'm not some fly-by-night bar club owner."</p><p>The hearing that had been set for Wednesday was sought by the city, which wants to require the club to seek a new permit that could include tougher operating standards in light of 520 calls to police generated inside or outside the club since it opened in January 2006.</p><p>The police calls have ranged from disturbances and drunken brawls to assaults and a homicide.</p><p>Explaining the delay, Casey said the city unveiled its three-inch-thick complaint against the club Nov. 20, and it was a "professional courtesy" to give the club's attorneys time to review it.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writers Mike McCoy at 521-5276 or mmcoy@pressdemocrat.com and Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nathan.halverson @pressdemocrat.com.</p>