For 14 years, the city of El Paso had a top-notch dive bar and grill that lived up to its name as hundreds of national bands and musicians crossed the threshold. A place where local artists could start and live their dreams. Over the years if you were considered a rock band you could perform on their stage. All this was a dream and plan of Matteo Martinez. He already was a name in the rock community, and he wanted to have a place where all rock bands could show off their talent.  

The Rock House Bar and Grill has been forced to close its doors officially ending a legacy of nationally touring bands settling in the legendary dive bar with an incredible stage. The reason is sad, but Matteo Martinez has been struggling with his health, but it has taken a toll on him, and he has decided to close the bar. His staff Bunny and Marlene have dedicated their lives to keep the bar going but sadly it was time to shut it down. The bar was more than I bar; it was a place for the rock and heavy metal community to gather, celebrate, support and live. They put fundraisers, festivals, and gave the city a place that attracted major national bands who wanted a place to stop between Dallas and Phoenix. But also, it importantly gave the local artists a place to show off their talent. 

The Rock House had a full professional in-house sound engineer with a JBI audio sound equipment, and the large stage and full professional lighting was a great selling point for every national band that came to town. A full stock bar and a recently renovated open patio with a second full bar.  

This is a great loss to the El Paso music community. There are not many venues that can handle the amount of people with as good a stage and sound system. Let alone the atmosphere of community and friendly staff that will all be missed with the Rock House closing. Many national and international bands that graced the stage were CombiChrist, Lords of Acid, Zach Sabbath, Wednesday13, Butcher Babies, Krisiun, Rolling Quartz, and Kings of Thrash just to name a few. Plus, the hundreds of local metal bands that will now be searching for places to perform. A bar is just a building; what makes it special is the sense of community, love and friendships that grow from the building. People like Matteo Martinez are not born every day, his love for heavy metal music, sharing that music and gathering people together so we all can enjoy it. It takes a special person, and it will take a long time for El Paso to see a place like the Rock House again.  

Here are a few pictures I have taken over the years.