Extinct music clubs in L.A. What are they now? (Los Angeles: lease, theater)

[majoun]

Anyone want to buy the Cathay de Grande?

Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. - 1600 N. Argyle, Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bungle

The Key Club used to be called Billboard Live.

A real native Angeleno - particularly an "og" westsider like myself - would've remembered it as Gazzari's prior to it being the Key Club.

They used to have great radio commercials featuring the owner, Bill Gazzari, who'd talk in a very heavy NYC accent with the theme music from "The Godfather" in the background. He'd say stuff like "we only have foxy guys on our stage". They had a Miss Gazzari Dancer contest going back to the 1960s, some of the contestants later went on to be actresses.

He was a throwback to an earlier, more pleasant time in L.A., the same era that the oldtimers reminisce about on these boards as L.A.'s golden age.

[drunk on kool aid]

Thanks majoun. This is *exactly* the sort of information I was looking for.

Originally Posted by majoun

The Shamrock [A nice, divey bar somewhere in L.A.—it was on a corner]

On Hollywood Blvd. east of Vermont. Now a strip club.

Thanks, I couldn't remember where The Shamrock was and a web search turned up nothing. Strip club? This place was tiny. The mike stands were literally within arm's reach and there was no raised stage.

Originally Posted by majoun

Al's Bar [on Traction or Hewitt, just east of Little Tokyo. Really painful to see this one go. What's become of the space? Victim of gentrification?]

It went away before the gentrification started.

I remember a trendy coffee shop popping up around the corner and a more visible hipster presence. Certainly nothing like now but the neighborhood was definitely changing while Al's Bar was still going.

Originally Posted by majoun

The Gaslight [cool bar somewhere in Hollywood]

Now used as storage space for the Ivar Theatre next door, which has been converted into a dance club.

Great info. Saw some great shows at the Gaslight.

Originally Posted by majoun

A real native Angeleno - particularly an "og" westsider like myself - would've remembered it as Gazzari's prior to it being the Key Club.

They used to have great radio commercials featuring the owner, Bill Gazzari, who'd talk in a very heavy NYC accent with the theme music from "The Godfather" in the background. He'd say stuff like "we only have foxy guys on our stage". They had a Miss Gazzari Dancer contest going back to the 1960s, some of the contestants later went on to be actresses.

I went to it while it was still Gazzari's. I didn't realize that the original building was torn down. I mistakenly believed that Billboard Live and Key Club were just name/management changes. One of my friends would often mimic Bill Gazzari's "foxy guys" spiel for yuks. I think they used to run the ads on KNAC.

Originally Posted by majoun

He was a throwback to an earlier, more pleasant time in L.A., the same era that the oldtimers reminisce about on these boards as L.A.'s golden age.

It wasn't *that* long ago but it is striking how fast the non-major venues can evaporate from the collective consciousness. Rodney King riots, crack wars, freeway shooters, no subway/light rail, smoking in bars, etc. Even as I miss the old clubs and even though I was perfectly satisfied then (except for the smoking), I think L.A. is a much better place now.

Regarding the Cathay de Grande property, I'm surprised it's storied history is not mentioned in the description.

majoun, were (are) you heavily into the L.A. music scene? I'm kinda surprised that anyone on this board remembers the Shamrock.

I'm guessing The Troubadour, Whisky, Roxy and McCabe's are the longest lived L.A. rock clubs? As far as big places, maybe the Palladium?

Although their Old Town Pasadena location didn't last, the Baked Potato has been around a long time. I have the Don Randi & Quest LP somewhere. Catalina Bar and Grill is also a semi-oldie.

I went a few times to a jazz club called Le Cafe. I can't seem to find it anymore so I assume it's shuffled off into the great nightclub in the sky?

If anyone else can fill in the holes in my list, I'd be much obliged.

If CBGB's can go, no club is safe.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by drunk on kool aid

I went to it while it was still Gazzari's. I didn't realize that the original building was torn down. I mistakenly believed that Billboard Live and Key Club were just name/management changes. One of my friends would often mimic Bill Gazzari's "foxy guys" spiel for yuks. I think they used to run the ads on KNAC.

Me too, I never heard of the other two names, I just remember Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip.

Also around that time, in that area, Pat Collins the "Hip" Hypnotist. I saw her show around 1979.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by majoun

A real native Angeleno - particularly an "og" westsider like myself - would've remembered it as Gazzari's prior to it being the Key Club.

They used to have great radio commercials featuring the owner, Bill Gazzari, who'd talk in a very heavy NYC accent with the theme music from "The Godfather" in the background. He'd say stuff like "we only have foxy guys on our stage". They had a Miss Gazzari Dancer contest going back to the 1960s, some of the contestants later went on to be actresses.

He was a throwback to an earlier, more pleasant time in L.A., the same era that the oldtimers reminisce about on these boards as L.A.'s golden age.

Yes, I remember riding the bus to middle school and hearing Bill Garzzari's commercials on KMET and KLOS circa 1979/1980...he'd say come to Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip the place where the DOORS and VAN HALEN got their start.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

While not a "music" venue, the Beyond Barouge Literary Arts Center in Venice is a classic LA spoken word and poetry space in operation since 1968. This is the place where Exene Cervenka and John Doe (of X) supposedly met and began their collaboration.

I heard it was having difficulty staying in business and was trying to get landmark status to help it stay in business.

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mr.Bungle]

Originally Posted by majoun

A real native Angeleno - particularly an "og" westsider like myself - would've remembered it as Gazzari's prior to it being the Key Club.

They used to have great radio commercials featuring the owner, Bill Gazzari, who'd talk in a very heavy NYC accent with the theme music from "The Godfather" in the background. He'd say stuff like "we only have foxy guys on our stage". They had a Miss Gazzari Dancer contest going back to the 1960s, some of the contestants later went on to be actresses.

He was a throwback to an earlier, more pleasant time in L.A., the same era that the oldtimers reminisce about on these boards as L.A.'s golden age.

I was too young. I recall something about it in the decline of western civilization movie with all the hair bands.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bungle

I was too young. I recall something about it in the decline of western civilization movie with all the hair bands.

The Decline of Western Civilization was a documentary on the LA Punk scene, I watched it a few weeks ago, having not seen it in like 25 years.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by Charles

The Decline of Western Civilization was a documentary on the LA Punk scene, I watched it a few weeks ago, having not seen it in like 25 years.

I think there was a Decline Part II which documented the metal/hair band scene.

The original Decline, documenting the LA punk scene, is a CLASSIC....

[majoun]

Originally Posted by drunk on kool aid

Thanks majoun. This is *exactly* the sort of information I was looking for.



Thanks, I couldn't remember where The Shamrock was and a web search turned up nothing. Strip club? This place was tiny. The mike stands were literally within arm's reach and there was no raised stage.

The Shamrock was one of the oldest bars in Hollywood/Los Feliz as it opened the day Prohibition ended. It was just a neighborhood bar before they started having live music there in the late '80s. I had friends who lived around there in the '80s.

I remember a trendy coffee shop popping up around the corner and a more visible hipster presence.

Those were REAL artists and creative people, not hipsters (that term was not used in Los Angeles at the time, and may not have even been in use in NYC at the time) They were in the neighborhood because it was cheap.

Certainly nothing like now but the neighborhood was definitely changing while Al's Bar was still going.

There was a sort of embryonic gentrification in downtown that failed due to the riots. This suggests that areas in which gentrification is attempted but doesn't succeed in are ripe for a successful gentrification in the future.

I didn't realize that the original building was torn down. I mistakenly believed that Billboard Live and Key Club were just name/management changes. One of my friends would often mimic Bill Gazzari's "foxy guys" spiel for yuks. I think they used to run the ads on KNAC,

And KMET, KROQ, KLOS, KWST...and on the short lived Pirate Radio when it was around (the same guy who later did Indie 103.1 was behind that)

majoun, were (are) you heavily into the L.A. music scene? I'm kinda surprised that anyone on this board remembers the Shamrock.

Somewhat, not heavily. I knew people who were (you couldn't have gone to Uni High when I did and not known people who were....) Charles was more into it than I am of the people on this board, maybe even BayAreaHillbilly

However there aren't too many people on this board who either lived in Los Feliz or knew people who did during that time period. Of the natives, the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valley people outnumber even the westside people.

Considering I'm in the Bay Area now it would be difficult to be into L.A.'s music scene now. When I come down south again I do sometimes check out shows. (The Redwood in downtown L.A. reminds me a lot of the old venues except for the lack of smoking)

I'm guessing The Troubadour, Whisky, Roxy and McCabe's are the longest lived L.A. rock clubs?

The Troubadour is the oldest as it goes back to 1959. McCabes and the Whisky started in the early 1960s. The Roxy began in the '70s, it was called the Largo before that. It had been an old school Strip nightclub and then a strip club before Lou Adler bought it. Jerry Lewis had owned it at one time, and mobster Mickey Cohen had owned it even earlier.

As far as big places, maybe the Palladium?

The Wiltern and El Rey were built earlier but those were movie theatres, while the Palladium has been in continuous use as a venue of some sort since it opened with the Harry James Orchestra featuring a young singer named Frank Sinatra, 70 years ago.

Although their Old Town Pasadena location didn't last, the Baked Potato has been around a long time. I have the Don Randi & Quest LP somewhere.

Don Randi also did music to some b-movies in the 1970s.

Catalina Bar and Grill[/b] is also a semi-oldie.

Not in the current location. The old location felt like a real jazz club being on Cahuenga & Hollywood before gentrification, it felt like some place in NYC. The new location feels like Disneyland.

I went a few times to a jazz club called Le Cafe. I can't seem to find it anymore so I assume it's shuffled off into the great nightclub in the sky?

Many of those Valley jazz bars are gone, which is a shame - that was one of the great cultural attractions of the Valley.

CBGB's can go, no club is safe.

Bloomberg's Californication/homogenization of NYC is a topic for a different board.

But California cities have done a horrible job of preserving clubs, and not just Los Angeles, which is particularly notorious for its hostility to nightlife and to its own history, but, yes, San Francisco as well also has a view of the past being disposable, as much as San Franciscans would like to believe otherwise!