Norman’s biggest little venue turns
Opolis owners talk community, DIY attitude and evolution of longtime Okie concert place
Don’t judge a music venue by its size.
Because it doesn’t get much more micro than the Opolis in Norman. During a quiet weeknight concert, my husky frame could shimmy through the venue in five seconds flat. That wouldn’t be the case if 200 people were packed next to the oversized feline photographs hanging on the walls.
Either way, two familiar faces are almost always in attendance. Marian and Andy Nunez are the owners and, more importantly, operators of the longtime concert spot celebrating its fifteenth birthday this month.
Marquee touring acts like Vampire Weekend, The National, Jason Isbell, The Head & The Heart and countless Okie musicians have called Opolis home for at least one evening. It’s the sorta place where you can witness arenasize talent years before ambition meets reality. It’s also within reason for the woman selling tickets at the door to have just gotten off a tour
with Billy Idol. And good luck finding a more intimate concert experience where the distance separating fans from bands is as thin as the person in front of you.
Opolis’foundation is built atop the ongoing hospitality of the Nunezes, who’ve been married roughlyas long as they’ve been booking Opolis shows. Their willingness to host touring acts and to give locals a chanceto play is matched only by a persistence tocater to tastes outside of the norm — and always in their own way.
“We’reso DIY it’s painful,” Andy told The
Oklahoman. “Hats off to anyone who can work full-time hours with a payroll going and balance that with quality entertainment. That’s a really hard thing to do . ... A lot of nights, we run everything ourselves.”
That’s their key to survival. Depending on the evening, Marian’s likely behindthe bar and Andy’s running sound or delivering veggie burgers. Food’s a newer stapleat the everchanging establishment. The 40-somethingshave been slowly refining their venue one concert seasonat a time.
I sat down with the duo in Opolis’ neighboring green room hours before an event. They said what started out as a cheap-torentrehearsal spot for their former band became as good a spot as any to book a show. Back in the day, aconvenient venue wasn’t always on hand, and Andy had access to decent sound gear thanks to his brother’s audio business.
“The first Starlight Mints show was a house party that got shut down afterthree notes,” Marian said.
“It was a really good three notes,” Andy added.
The Mints juggled touringfor roughly 20 years, forming in the 1990s and releasingfour albums during the 2000s. The band built friendships with everyone from The Flaming Lips members to hometown record storeclerks.
“We had met a lot of bands along the way,” Marian said. “Andy had a lot of connections on the road. (Opolis) wasn’t like a dream. It wasn’t like this big vision or anything. It was a total evolution.”
Gigsin New York City also helped conceiveOpolis. The Big Apple is renown for its ginormous venues and for tiny ones, as well. There was a club on Avenue A called Brownies, and the Mints visited before realizingit was low-key famous.
“We definitely modeled (Opolis) a bit off of that,” Andy said. “That could be a big part of why we haven’t expanded because we’re operating on that model.”
I asked if being small is an added comfort.
“I think it’s more that our resistance to grow is our resistance to changing Opolis,” Marian said.“And losing control ofOpolis.”
Being flexible is the name of the game when running avenue. There were times when only lowpintbeer was on the menu and shows were 21 and over. Depending on your latest visit, Opolis could be an entirely different venue.
On the scene
Opolis’musicalroots stretch back decades —to the 1980s —when Andy was a teenager in Norman. Withhis friend and future Chainsaw Kittens guitarist Trent Bell, hefrequentedSubterranea. The now defunct venue hosted early Flaming Lips shows, The Replacements and a laundry list of concertsAndy deemed “too cool for Norman at the time.”
“It became a special place for Andy and me,” Bell told The Oklahoman.
“As kids, we were able to see bands play new and interesting music.It opened our eyes and ears to a whole different world than the classic rock that dominated most other venues in Norman or Oklahoma City.”
Bell recalled seeing his first ever concert outside of an arena rock show at Subterranea, which is now home toBison Witches Bar andDeli. Club co-owner Michele Vlasminsky opened the mixed-use venue and arts space alongside fellow OU students Blain England, Janet Ridgeway and Jennifer Clark-Bohanon in 1985.
Places like Subterranea didn’t have healthy shelf lives and closed shop long ago, leaving a void for the hungry concertgoers.
“The Opolis has now been that special place for 15 years,” Bell said. “What makes itsuch a success story is they’ve had a vision and always stuck with it. They bring in acts that they love and they never compromise to make a quick buck.
“It’s so important to have places like the Opolis in towns like Norman. It welcomes all types of people and always lets creativity be the driving force.”
Power couple
It wasn’t until the Starlight Mints stopped touringin the late aughts that Marian and Andy poured themselves full-time into the venue. By2009, the duo’s former business partner Suzy Thompson already had left behind the coffee shop inside Opolis to pursue Forward Foods. What was once a more flexible endeavor had started to grow in significance.
“We’re nervous when we go out of town and leave somebody here to run it,” Marian said.
If you notice a drought of shows, then the couple likely have paused booking to go on vacation. Funny enough, both Andy and Marian cut their teeth at another Norman business owned and operated by spouses, Joe and Rebecca Sparks. They also don’t like leaving their business alone.
“Any time Joe or Rebecca would go out for a night on the town, they would end up at Legend’s at the end of the night to
check in,” Marian said. “And that was how many years, 20 or 30 years?”
Andy noted hard work has been at the core of keeping Opolis’ doors open. The couple said they’ve pretty much mastered how to put on a small show but outdoor festivals are still a test.
The upcoming anniversary show on Sept. 7-9 tookdiligent planning over the course of months. There’s a reason Opolis only books blowoutsa couple times a year. Marian said the stress won’t dissipate until she’s thrownthe last trash bag in the Dumpster.
Andy said he had a difficult time helping select the lineup for the celebration. A lot of bands wanted to be involved, he said. I wanted to know if thatwas a testament to the number of acts they’ve worked with over the years. He was slow to pat himself on the back.
“I’m sure we help the scene, and I hope we help the scene,” Andy said. “We still participate and play music when we can. There’s so many factors that make the scene better. There’s so many good bands in Oklahoma now. I hope people don’t take that for granted.”
Home away from home
Musicians closeto the Nunez family sure don’t. I didn’t have much trouble finding people who look at Opolis as more than a venue.
Violinist Sarah Reid first attended a concert at
Opolis when she was 16. She borrowed her mom’s purple minivan and drove down from Edmond with her brother to catch songwriter Penny Pitchlynn. It was an influential evening and a way to bond with her sibling. Before long, she was living and playing music Norman.
“The opportunity to perform there and open up for really talented musicians has always been something that inspired me to work harder on my own music endeavors,” Reid told The Oklahoman.
“It’s a wonderful gift to have a venue that you feel like you’re growing with and from. There’s no other place like it.”
Norman-based songwriter Beau Jennings provided a laundry list of reasons why he’s an Opolis fan:
“I’ve played shows, rehearsed with my band, worked the door, made lifelong friends, snuck in flasks, ordered scones for breakfast and hot wings for dinner, nervously talked to girls, discussed lifealtering decisions, cried, said prayers, crashed my bike, told lies, witnessed heroes, escorted a bombing comedian offstage, cheered football games, attended Christmas parties and weddings and wakes, wafted through smoke and fog, watched lightning storms from the patio, and met my wife.
“There is really only one word to describe a place that can house such an array of life experiences, and that would be home.”