Wayne Holtz

A slender brown man comes gliding down St. Mary’s in a flowing pink ensemble, a tall drink of water with a commendable bulge, boots hand-painted in a cobweb of red, white and blue and exposed chest hair twinkling in the sun. He is pure confidence. Eyes staring straight ahead, head up, shoulders back. It’s Wayne Holtz, bitches.


The photographer, musician, choreographer, dancer and “creative socialite” is a pop star, even if you don’t know it yet. Holtz understands what a vast majority of local artists and musicians may never grasp: You gotta put on a show, honey! In our conversation on the La Botánica patio, we discussed his love of showmanship and attitude and his schooling in the world of pop music — something that emphatically comes through in his live performances. Holtz is often accompanied by the dance troupe House of Kenzo, whose vogueing meets freestyle meets pep rally is something to behold in and of itself.



Having grown up around the theater and possessing a deep, radiating love for Lady Gaga and Dancing with the Stars, picking up the pop diva torch was no great struggle for Holtz, despite his insistence that he is no songwriter
“I’m not really a musician, per se … But I’ve always wanted to make music and so I decided, ‘Screw it. I’m gonna start,” Holtz said. “People are ready to be mesmerized here in San Antonio … and that’s why I really decided to go the pop star route.”

As a devotee of Gaga and DWTS, Holtz says he looked to the confidence and conviction of the artist and respective dancers. That same spirit to succeed drives his live performances, where he is intent on killing it. “[I’m] not really asking for the audience’s approval,” he explained, “but, really just saying, ‘Hello, bitch, I’m here and you’re enjoying it, I know.’”


This attitude has served Holtz well in the short time he’s been creating his own music with producer and friend Bobby Rivas. Holtz’s fuck-shit-up panache has propelled him to some of the loftiest heights scaled by a local musician in recent memory, especially one who will be performing only their third show Thursday, June 30 at The Korova. His love of personality Ross Mathews, of Chelsea Lately and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno fame, inspired him to compose a tune for Mathews’ podcast Straight Talk, in which you can hear Holtz’s song for the “Black Attack” segment. His latest single “A Minute with Mark” also debuted on the show and Holtz is currently in the process of writing a tune for San Antonio siren and Girl in a Coma guitarist/singer Nina Diaz — no small feat for someone just getting their feet wet.


As a bad bitch with grab-the-bull-by-the-balls conviction, Holtz has also been granted two theme nights at several of San Antonio’s hippest bars. Tuesdays you can catch him hosting #2Play Tuesdays at Phantom Room, wherein $2 gets you into the two bars on location. You can dance in the front room with DJs and trippy visuals (option one), or rock out in the back room with live bands (option two).

Wednesdays you can find Holtz at Bottom Bracket Social Club playing MC for “Wayne-e-Oke,” which is exactly what you think it is — karaoke with Holtz performing some of his lusciously lustful pop songs — something like a campy, queer Cold Cave, akin to Magnetic Fields — between rounds. They also hold a raffle every week with 50 percent of proceeds going to a local charity. It’s a perfect opportunity for making eyes at that dreamy dude across the dance floor, brushing up on your own vogueing skills or just taking in one hell of a show for a good cause.

Like any fledgling artist with grand aspirations, Holtz is fully aware that he’ll need to first capture the imagination of his hometown — something he seems well-suited for, especially as he’s off to such an impressive start. He also understands that as the seventh largest city in the nation, there’s a lot of literal and proverbial ground to cover. “It’s a huge goddamn fucking city,” he remarked. “You know what I’m saying? And so there’s stuff going on north, south, east, west, inside of me, everywhere. People just need to connect more.”


As a face in the scene, and one of the more memorable ones, Holtz is making those connections. His show on June 30 will feature himself and his troupe opening for none other than Dancing with the Stars’ Mark Ballas, the brother-in-dance to Holtz’ idol Derek Hough. With any luck, Ballas, who will be performing as one-half of the duo Alexander Jean, will see what has taken very little time for many San Antonians to see in Holtz … and then get him in touch with his hero, Hough.


“[Hough] is just … beyond inspirational when it comes to confidence, determination and really just innovation when performing … and he’s hot. He is hot.” - San Antonio Current

I don’t think any of us were ready for the ceiling to open up and witness a celestial being descend up on the crowd in a shower of neon rainbow lights and pulsing bass drum kicks. I’m at Wayne Holtz show at local music venue Paper Tiger (formerly White Rabbit) and a single thought has established itself the leader of all other thoughts firing through my consciousness. “This motherfucker is jump roping on stage”. I’ve met Wayne Holtz the photographer, shooting all the indie bands at Limelight and Hi-tones. I’ve also met Wayne Holtz the androgynous fashionista kicking it with local vogue and art collective House of Kenzo. I have yet to meet Wayne Holtz the pop star; captivating an audience with baritone vocal crooning, backup dancers, costume changes, choreography, and of course, jump-ropes. We were not ready. But we got ready and we wanted more. I recently sat down with Mr. Holtz at TBA to get some backstory on his recent transition from behind the camera lens, to in front it.

So, basic shit. Where are you from? where’d you grow up? What school did you go to?

I’m from San Antonio Texas, I’ve lived here my entire life actually.

Born and raised?

Born and raised. I went to Patton F. Middle school and Communication Arts high school which is at Taft (High School).

Is that where you got into photography?

Yea, I was Historian for my class. But I mean, there were obviously photo triggers because it was an artsy school... I was Historian the last three years of high school.

What did that entail?

I just had to take pictures of everybody... I was taking pictures of everybody my freshman year... Because Patton F. was a little more conservative and I wore a uniform I just wasn’t really expressing myself much...Com-Arts was just an extremely liberal school and I was having a ball with all the fantastic looking people and all the crazy stuff we were doing and so I just started taking pictures constantly just to hold on to those memories. I was taking so many pictures that someone suggested I run for Historian...so I ran, and basically just took pictures of everyone hanging out. I categorized it well and my job was just to be at all of the events, document it and at the end of the year put together a slide show for everyone to view. It was kind of an obsession and really just a way to connect with people, cuz who doesn’t like having their picture taken?

I remember when we first met I was playing a set with my band at the time for the This is Where Two Oceans Meet EP release show. You were hanging out shooting pictures of everyone... but you were with Roxy (Roxy Eguia from House of Kenzo), cuz she was actually on the bill as an artist doing Rainbow Starchild… How did you connect with House of Kenzo initially? Was that the first event that you had done with them?

No, it was the second event I had done with Roxy...But, I initially met Roxy Eguia years before at a house party and she had pink hair and we were in line for the bathroom and I was like “Bitch, i’m triggered”

(laughs)

I was just like, “who are you?” I thought she was so sexy that I had to get to know what she was doing and I found out she was a designer and we just started hanging out all the time. So, I was working at crazy antique store called Cesar Vega Decor

Where is that?

Off fredericksburg and woodlawn, but it’s not there anymore. The owner retired. But it was a wild antique store and it was the kind of place that when you walked in you were literally like -

Triggered?

(laughs)

Triggered by a ghost, girl cuz you literally felt like you were possessed. You know where Woodward Lumber is now?

Yea.

It was that.

What? That place! Okay. How long did you work there?

I worked there for a year and a half ,and there was a beautiful man, Cesar Vega. Jaime. So I drove by it one time and i was just mesmerized by a bird cage that was sitting out front and so I went in and it was one of those places where you walk in and you can’t even move from the front of the door for a good thirty seconds.

That’s when you know it’s good.

Jaime was the only person working there. So after a while we got to know each other and I got fired from iHop the first time, the second time I quit.

(Wayne currently runs a few social media accounts for local businesses and lives off his photography and live shows) And I asked him “do you need help” and he was like “do you want to work in the shop” so I ended up being there sixty hours a week for a year and a half.

Sixty hours a week?

Yes girl, I was the only person working. He literally wanted someone to take over the store so he could do other things outside and really bring things into the store, have time to shop around, etc. cuz it was just him (working in the store).

Was working at this antique store was that a place where you started to explore more of fashion?

Well, that was place was wild and I gotta say I was in a huge rut after high school I went to college for half a semester.. But I was just like school is so goddamned boring and I hate math… so I was like “bye” - and I just stopped going, and I got depressed. But I mean, listen bitch, the whole time I was working - from the second I turned 18 I was out of the house I had my own apartment but I was feeling un-cute cuz I wasn’t doing anything and I felt like everybody was just passing me by and it was really lame.

How old are you now?

I’m Twenty Six... So when I went to work at Cesar Vega it really just ignited a passion in me. Nobody knew about this place at all. Like, only rich people and random antiquers knew this place existed, but it was like mondo crazy house. So I started taking pictures again and started this Instragram. That’s when people started noticing who I was in this city, because of the Cesar Vega Instagram. So while I was there, Roxy (Roxy Eguia from House of Kenzo and Rainbowstarchild) was around she was always like “this is crazy this is crazy”. When I first started working there I threw an event with the Pastie Pops...Roxy was throwing fashion shows so we were like “let’s just do a show here it’s THE place for a show”. And that’s when some of the House of Kenzo members were first like, present in front of me. There was Karma, who’s now in New York. He’s in Sia music videos. He’s performed with Lil Mama, He’s living right now. So we just put together this wild show and it was so gorgeous. We had twenty five models. We put it together in two weeks and it was lit. Everyone had a fantastic time. It was pouring that night and we probably had 60 people there in that space. But really just being there and getting the chance to decorate - I was constantly decorating, moving things around everyday. So that place just reawakened Wayne. Wayne was dormant, and it reawakened Him...but I went back to iHop... I just wasn’t making enough money. I was homeless for a little bit and was living in the store for six months. It was crazy... So Roxy was always doing her own thing, right around the fall of 2014 she had brought the dancers in, that’s when I first met Breezy (from House of Kenzo). I met Tony (from House of Kenzo) and when Ted from This is Where Two Oceans Meet approached me about doing a show, I enlisted Lauren Trevino cuz she was just such a good coordinater, and we had you, Chris Conde, This is Where Two Oceans Meet and House of Kenzo. It was a cloud inspired evening and it was just lit.

Yea, That shit was so dope. So, at what point were you like “I’m gonna get on this mother fucking stage and do this shit? Cuz I mean, like, to be honest I still think that show at Paper Tiger was probably the best local show that I’ve ever seen in San Antonio.

Oh my god I appreciate it.

From the choreography, to the costume changes, the music, it’s not like one (element) was better than the other. The fashion was on point, the dancing, all that shit, I was just like “fuck, what am I doing wrong?”.

(laughs)

You know? … It was like ok Wayne the photographer...seeing you in random places, seeing you in all different kinds of venues at all different kind of shows, so at what point were you like, I want to transition (to performing)?

When I really wanted to get on stage was when I saw West Bound Departure which is a local group, they’re awesome.

Are they still playing shows?

They’re not, they’re definitely on a hiatus...but really they’re commitment to a show and the music and to being so honest in their songwriting...West Bound Departure really showed me how to start a song - fiinish a song, bring it back together...and keep everything moving and monumental the entire time and really to love that you’re playing every time...just the dedication..That’s what really wanted me to start doing stuff in general. But girl i’ve been trying to do a band for like four years, bitches are lazy or busy.

So this has been a long time coming?

Yea, i was ready, I only started writing songs in the last year, I only wrote most of my songs two months ago.

How did you meet Bobby Rivas? (Wayne’s Bandmate and Producer)

I met (Bobby) when He was playing with Michael J. and The Foxes and I went to go see them and shoot the show at Sam’s Burger Joint one day and he was playing lead guitar. And I saw him again when I was covering Fuzzland productions…and so I just knew him from around... Bobby was hot so I was just keeping an eye on him, you know what I mean?

(laughs)

As we do

Mhmm.. So he saw that post (on Facebook about wanting to start a band) and I needed someone who was ready...so I really liked that Bobby came to me and was ready to just produce some fucking pop music for me...I really started writing music avidly...and the two songs people liked the most were inspired by the show “Straight Talk with Ross” which is a podcast you can download on Itunes and it’s Ross Matthews from Chelsea Handler’s Late Night with Chelsea...He just had such a fun, uplifting podcast and so it triggered me, it triggered me hard... so I wrote two songs for them they premiered both of them on their show...I just sent it to them and they were like “this is cute” and they just put it on...and so from there I was just like let’s go… People are bored and they’re fucking hungry for some good stuff and I don’t write trivial music. Anytime that you hear a song from me or see me perform it’s going to be something that has a meaning, a clear meaning, no interpretations bitch, you’re gonna know what I’m talking about... - Out In Sa