Perfect from now on

After being closed for almost three weeks, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios is just about up and running again, much to the relief of owners Memory and Jason Wortham and Josh Baish. Denton officials had threatened to fine Rubber Gloves if it continued to hold shows without proper parking facilities, forcing the club to cancel several weeks of scheduled gigs. It was yet another headache in the trio's ongoing attempts at giving Rubber Gloves a makeover, which was originally supposed to be completed by the end of March. Baish and The Worthams were prepared to deal with the costs incurred from revamping the club, but they weren't ready to do it without any money coming in at all. However, Rubber Gloves' closing turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise.

"The fact that we had to cancel shows until the parking lot was in was a real blow to Memory and Jason financially," Baish says. "But it actually gave us a chance to get a lot of things done, not having to worry about shows and staying late to get things done."

As of last week, the construction at Rubber Gloves is finally complete, or the majority of it anyway. The parking lot is finished, new bathrooms have been installed, the stage has been expanded, the walls have been painted, and -- thank God -- a new window air-conditioning unit is in place. Of course, it's still too early for the Worthams and Baish to stop worrying yet. They are still waiting on visits from the health inspector and fire marshal to find out what else needs to be done to meet city codes, and the club won't be fully functional (read: still no alcohol) until late October.

Baish says they are shooting for an October 30 completion date -- when the club hosts its second annual chili cook-off -- and believes that is a "realistic time frame" for Rubber Gloves' liquor license to be secured and for any and all remaining improvements to be sorted out. In the meantime, Rubber Gloves will continue to host shows, including a Silver Scooter-Fury III-Vasanic Switch bill on September 2, as well as a series of benefit concerts, which began last week with performances by Centro-matic, Little Grizzly, Lo-Fi Chorus, Dutch Treats, and Corn Mo. Give until it hurts.