Full of urban young adults with 70s and 80’s attire mixed with today’s styles such as leggings, flats, and converse, the dance floor at Old Ironsides portrays today’s scene of the independent crowd beyond the hip hop clubs such as the Empire. The dance floor doesn’t start rumbling until around 11p.m. and after this time the bar will remain crowded the rest of the night.

The sounds of conversation and laughter, along with music, come from inside Old Ironsides, a bar on 10th and S street where locals gather to listen to music they can’t hear at other bars in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday nights.

Sacramento’s Old Ironsides hosts Lipstick every Tuesday night, where founders and DJs Shaun Slaughter and Roger Carpio play Indie rock music.

The music you will find there ranges from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to old school punk, like The Clash. Known as the British rock night, Lipstick, have DJs whom experiment with urban new wave music.

Three dollars is the cost to enter the bar, but if you are willing to come before 10 p.m. then you are able to get in free. The security guards are pretty strict about the time, if you are there at 10:01 p.m. you are out of luck.

Drinks can be rated fairly cheap, ranging from $4 and up, depending on what type of alcohol you order. Whiskey and sour is one of Amelia Parks’, 25, favorite drinks at the cost of $4 plus a 1$ tip she said she always leaves. Parks is a local well-known face at Lipstick and tries to attend every Tuesday.

Slaughter, 28, has been playing records for Lipstick for seven years.

Lipstick was first tried at another local bar, The Press Club, for one year in 2000. Slaughter said he first envisioned a club that played bands like The Smiths and 80s songs, but it revolutionized into a place that plays Indie labels, rock, pop and electronics.

“Me and Shaun are super passionate about what we do,” Carpio said.

Slaughter said he will be leaving Sacramento to Chicago some time between May and June. Carpio is sad to see his partner leave town to pursue other opportunities.

The two DJs listen to new music at home and play the catchiest songs at Lipstick, songs that they feel other people would like as well. The majority of the crowd that goes to Lipstick are “music-minded people,” Slaughter said.

Derek Mattles, an alumnus of Sacramento State, goes to Lipstick on a regular basis.

“It’s a good place for townies to go to,” he said.

Art Rodriguez has been a bartender at Old Ironsides for 24 years. Rodriguez said that Lipstick is the busiest and liveliest night of the week.

“The people are younger and they seem to spend more money than the older people,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said his time goes by faster and his tips are very good on Tuesday nights. He is used to customers ordering mostly Budweiser and Paps Beer on other nights of the week. Rodriguez said the most popular drinks at Old Ironsides have been Red Bull and Vodka, and Captain Morgan and Coke.

“The drinks that they drink are really different, like Kamikazes, Cosmopolitans, Whiskey Sours and Surfer on Acids,” Rodriguez said.

Carpio is expanding his ideas and will host an annual tribute night to The Smiths for the second time on March 23 at the Blue Lamp, located on Alhambra Boulevard. Carpio said last year the tribute was a success, and people were lined outside the door waiting to get in. The tribute will have local bands covering Smith songs.

Carpio is also working on another project that will attract a similar crowd to Lipstick. This month was the start of an Indie pop showcase that will happen every third Sunday at The Press Club and will include bands from the Bay Area.

Cover is free before 10 p.m. and $3 after.

Lipstick has its own local photographer who takes pictures and posts them at www.ClubLipstick.com. The site is updated about five times a month.

Camilla Aceves can be reached at features@statehornet