Rock 'n' Roll in Orange County

by Chris Epting

  The Grateful Dead performed fifteen times at the amphitheater between 1983 and 1989, and another musical legacy was established there by the band Oingo Boingo, which played its annual Halloween concerts there from 1986 through 1991 and one final time in 1993 before moving the shows to the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

  Michael Jackson came through in November 1988 on his Bad tour, and given the open space around the amphitheater, it has been the site of many festivals, including Uproar, Gigantour, Lilith Fair and Lollapalooza.

  Since its opening, the name has been changed to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. As of this writing, the amphitheater’s lease expires in 2017, and according to published reports, the Irvine Company has plans to demolish the amphitheater and build apartment buildings on the site.

  In Costa Mesa California, at the Orange County Fairgrounds where the aforementioned Pop Festival was held in 1968, the Pacific Amphitheater was opened in 1983. With a capacity of 18,500, it also saw its share of big-name shows early on. Most notable perhaps is the fact that Marvin Gaye performed his last ever concert at this venue on August 14, 1983. It was during the ill-fated Sexual Healing tour, which often saw Gaye’s performances affected by his heavy cocaine use. At the end of the show, the Motown legend went to live at his parents’ house in Los Angeles, and almost a year later to the day, on April 1, 1984, Gaye died after being shot by his father.

  An ad for the New Klub on the Block located in Costa Mesa. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  For all of the thousands who flocked to the two sparkling new amphitheaters in Orange County in the early ’80s, arguably just as many were seeking out the many places were hard-core punk music was thriving. All one has to do is thumb through many old flyers and homemade handouts that were slapped up against light posts over the years to get a sense of just how active the scene was.

  A flyer for a show the Vandals did at Meadowlark Country Club in Huntington Beach. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  Looking over the collection of former punk rock promoter and current memorabilia collector Ernie Grimm, one is transported back in time. Many colorful flyers promote shows at the Meadowlark Country Club in Huntington Beach featuring Gypsy Trash, Hellbent, the Vandals, Samson’s Army and others.

  At the Old World faux-German center in Huntington Beach, flyers advertise shows by the Crowd, Simple Tones, Rik L Rik and dozens of others.

  At a club called Radio City, located on the corner of Knott and Ball Roads in Anaheim, Cathedral of Tears, featuring members of T.S.O.L. and Middle Class, was playing with Psycho Bud. There were two other clubs located in the strip mall where Radio City was, the Woodstock and Cartoons & Capers.

  This flyer was for a show held at the Newport Roadhouse in Costa Mesa featuring Dee Dee Ramone. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  There was Spangler’s Café at 3009 Ball Road in Anaheim, plus an untold number of hardscrabble venues that were simply old VFW halls, warehouses and other makeshift, one-step-ahead-of-the-law performance spaces.

  And coming of age within the scene were soon-to-be rock stars. Original Metallica member and founder of Megadeth, Dave Mustaine attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach in the late 1970s.

  Shirley Orlando was owner of Huntington Music at Goldenwest Street and Warner Avenue, where she worked for twenty-six years. She ran the place, and in addition to its being a music store, the space was also a haven for musicians in the area—a place where late-night jam sessions were a common occurrence.

  An ad for a show that took place at Sargenti’s, located in Costa Mesa. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  An ad for a show at Radio City located in Anaheim. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  Heavy metal legend Dave Mustaine attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach. Courtesy of Charles Epting.

  And yes, Orlando is correct when recounting the intense teenage guitarist who used to shred in her shop. It was Dave Mustaine, founder of the metal band Megadeth.

  “We had other big names in that store, too,” she told me. “The famous jazz players George Van Epps, Tony Ricci. There were more, too. It was a happening place!”

  Scott Weiland, who in the late 1980s would found Stone Temple Pilots with Robert Deleo, attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach in the 1980s.

  As vital and formative as the Orange County punk rock movement was, in the mid-to late ’80s, it would begin morphing much in the same way that it was in cities like Los Angeles. Hair metal, heavy metal and various other hybrids, many of which owed their energy to punk rock, would soon start to reshape the music scene in Orange County.

  On a sad note, in 1986, Orange County lost the famed Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. The city was going through a major amount of redevelopment and the costs involved in retrofitting the brick building for seismic compliance were simply too high for the owners. The final performance at the Golden Bear was on January 29, 1986, by guitarist Robin Trower.

  In the last couple of years of its existence, the Golden Bear started booking metal bands. This ad is from 1984. Author’s collection.

  To this day, many Orange County locals lament the fact that this legendary music landmark was not preserved. One of those people is Robert Carvounas, who may just be the biggest Golden Bear fan of all. In fact, the Huntington Beach local wrote a book about the famed musical landmark and has collected a huge amount of artifacts—photos, tickets, posters, matchbooks, bricks and other memorabilia. “I think it’s the most interesting place in Huntington Beach history,” he said.

  He wasn’t of age in the 1960s, so he couldn’t see Janis Joplin or the Byrds perform at the Bear, but he did attend several shows in the ’80s before it was demolished.

  Portions of the structure were preserved and incorporated into the façade of a new Golden Bear that opened several years later. Unfortunately, that incarnation failed quickly, and the club quickly disappeared in the blur and rebuilding of downtown. As Carvounas and I walked over to the site recently, he pointed out where the entrance would have been—where a hot dog place is today. Around the corner, the ticket booth from the second Golden Bear remains, the last trace of a legend—or is it?

  As Carvounas explains, collecting pieces of the Golden Bear is a hobby for more than a few people, as a way of holding on to the memories. A planter outside a downtown home is made of Golden Bear bricks, as is another fan’s fireplace. A small piece of the structure rests in a local flower garden, and Carvounas himself has one of the exterior signs. “Lots of people grabbed pieces of the place,” he said. “Because of the memories. There’s never been another place like it here.”

  But as fate had it, the very year that the Golden Bear was demolished, another intimate club opened that would help pick up the slack where the Bear left off. Even though it’s located in a strip mall as opposed to next to the ocean, the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano was opened in 1986 by Gary Folgner, and right away, it became known for its warm and intimate setting that allowed concertgoers the chance to sit within arm’s length of some of the biggest names in music. It took a little while to get started, but within a couple years, the pictures that adorn the walls told the story of what was happening at a little club in south Orange County. Artists as notable as Ray Charles, Mick Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and Miles Davis all played inside the Coach House. So, too, did Johnny Thunders from the New York Dolls, along with an early version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Todd Rundgren, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

  To this day, the Coach House remains one of the most comfortable and classic places to watch music. But back when it was getting started in the mid-1980s, there were a host of other clubs and musical styles with which to contend.

  Chapter 4

  THE MID-1980s–EARLY 1990s

  The next wave of new clubs and bands in Orange County was about to emerge.

  Were it not for a riot at a 1984 Social Distortion show in Irvine, the Offspring might never have happened. The Huntington Beach punk band, including guitarist/singer Bryan “Dexter” Holland and
bassist Greg Kriesel, was inspired after that concert. The original members had already begun tinkering in a garage in Cyprus, but it was the Social Distortion show that led them to form a band called Manic Subsidal. Soon, they added vocalist Doug Thompson and drummer Jim Benton. Thompson would eventually leave, Holland would take over vocals and Benton would be replaced by James Lilja on the drums. In 1985, Kein Wasserman came aboard as a second guitarist, and a year later, the group became officially known as the Offspring. It wouldn’t sign a record deal for another couple years, and though it took several albums and tours to truly establish itself, by the early 1990s, the Offspring had truly arrived. Its 1994 album, entitled Smash, featured a number of hit singles, including “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away.” At that time, the release set an all-time record for most albums sold by an indie-label band, clocking in at sixteen million units.

  There have been some lineup adjustments over the years, but the Offspring has remained one of the biggest musical success stories to come out of Orange County, and it is a band that was generated by some of Orange County’s original punk roots. The band’s music has appeared in many films and video games. The group has truly found a way to blend commercial viability with an original punk rock sound.

  A promotional shot of the Offspring. Author’s collection.

  In 1986, the year the Offspring adopted its name, another band influenced by Orange County’s punky and eclectic roots was also formed. It started when Eric Stefani and John Spence met at a local Dairy Queen and started kicking the idea around of forming a band.

  In an unassuming Anaheim garage, Eric, his sister Gwen, Spence, Jerry McMahon, Gabe Gonzalas, Chris Leal and Alan and Tony Meade began practicing.

  Going by the name No Doubt, the fledgling band was all but derailed in December 1987, when Spence, the lead vocalist, killed himself shortly before the band was to play a showcase gig at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles for a host of record label executives. The band initially decided to quit but, after several weeks, reconsidered its decision. Soon, Eric’s sister Gwen was singing lead vocals for the band.

  Over the course of the next few years, No Doubt built a loyal and rabid following throughout Southern California. The band’s ska-infused music, which also incorporated elements of pop punk, reggae and alternative rock, struck a huge chord with many fans. Wildly enthusiastic, stage-diving fans made many No Doubt shows something of an event, as did Gwen’s compelling onstage presence. In 1990, No Doubt signed a record deal with the newly formed label called Interscope Records. Its self-titled debut album came out in 1992 but was lost in the sea of grunge music that by then had started flowing out of Seattle. There were a series of other releases over the course of the next several years, but it wasn’t until the 1995 album Tragic Kingdom that No Doubt finally scored mainstream commercial success. The singles “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs” and “Don’t Speak” established No Doubt as a major commercial force, and the group was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Rock Album, in 1997. Tragic Kingdom went on to become one of the bestselling albums in history, and Gwen Stefani became nothing short of a pop-culture icon.

  And it all started in a small garage on Beacon Street in Anaheim.

  In a former doctor’s office in Huntington Beach, a punk club called Safari Sam’s opened in 1984. While it would only be in business for two years, a lot of punk rock history was crammed into the small 1920s building just off Main Street. Opened by Sam Lanni and Gil Fuhrer, Safari Sam’s booked a diverse and intense lineup of bands. Squeezing them into a small space resulted in some of the most intimate and memorable punk rock shows in Orange County history. Several years ago, Lanni posted a message online as he was attempting to open a new Safari Sam’s in Hollywood. It read in part:

  Twenty years ago I opened a club in Huntington Beach, CA called Safari Sam’s with my partner, Gil Fuhrer. We believed that there was a desire by audiences to have a place where punk rock music could intertwine with theater and poetry readings, and would enjoy challenging juxtapositions of art, music, literature, and culture. And we were right. For 20 months in 1985 and 1986, Safari Sam’s was a cultural center that drew people from all parts of Southern California, until the City of HB closed us down for redevelopment. During that time, we had such now famous acts as Sonic Youth and Social Distortion play to the same packed audiences that came out to see Henry Rollins read poetry or a performance of Beckett’s Endgame. It was magical.

  And magical it was. On October 13, 1985, an ad in the paper for the club read: “Gazebo T-shirt, As Is and the Statics will play today. Pop Art, Nick Pyzow and Jimmy Townes will appear Saturday. Love ‘N’ Terror and James Addiction will perform Sunday.”

  There is a typo in the ad of course, as the band they were referring to was actually Jane’s Addiction, the soon-to-be wildly popular Los Angeles rock band fronted by Perry Farrell and featuring guitarist Dave Navarro. And it was the very first time the band had ever played as Jane’s Addiction.

  The house in Anaheim on Beacon Street where the band No Doubt first was formed. Author’s collection.

  A flyer advertising a show at Safari Sam’s in Huntington Beach. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  An ad for a show at the popular punk club Safari Sam’s in Huntington Beach. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  Jane’s Addiction would also go on to play at a variety of other Orange County clubs, including Joshua’s Parlour in Westminster, that regularly hosted many up-and-coming alternative rock bands. Originally opened by Troy Tabak and Randy Noteboom, Joshua’s Parlour would eventually be renamed the Marquee. Today, the original structure still stands at 7000 Garden Grove Boulevard, but it is now a strip club.

  At the same time, club owner Jerry Roach of famed punk establishment the Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa was also still busy on the scene. Since opening his very first club, the Bacchus House in Newport Beach in 1970, Roach had seen a lot of things but nothing like the arson fire in 1985 that destroyed his club Radio City in Anaheim. Primarily an outlet for original heavy metal and hard rock, Radio City had been riding the popularity wave of the hair metal movement streaming down from Los Angeles. Roach always had a knack for keeping up with the times as was evidenced by how he transformed the Cuckoo’s Nest from a punk club into a rockabilly hall in the early 1980s when that trend was kicked off. Roach was also instrumental in how local shows were marketed. He was one of the first people to encourage local bands to design and print their own tickets, which would entitle fans to a discount while also giving a club owner a distinct way of gauging how popular a group was. In the mid-1980s, he also purchased a Top 40 club called the French Quarter, which was also located in Anaheim. But it failed to take hold, and he quickly sold it at a loss.

  This advertisement is from when Jane’s Addiction played at Joshua’s Parlour. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  Today, the metal club Joshua’s Parlour is a gentleman’s club. Author’s collection.

  In Huntington Beach, a club called Night Moves opened at 5902 Warner Avenue, which catered primarily to punk and alternative bands. Huntington Beach also featured a small club called Spatz located in the Huntington Harbour Mall, where bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction played.

  Sprinkled throughout the county were other thriving and throbbing venues like the Galaxy Rolling Rink, Ichabods and the Pub.

  But arguably the most important punk venue of the era was a tiny Anaheim house called the Doll Hut. It literally had a forty-nine-person capacity, yet it showcased Orange County’s most monumental acts, including the Offspring, Social Distortion, the Vandals and many others. The funky little building located in the warehouse district was originally constructed in the early 1900s as a private home. In the mid-’30s it became a truck stop café, and there are also rumors that it was even used as a brothel in the 1950s. It was christened the Doll Hut in 1957 and then became a live music venue. But it wasn’t until promoter Linda Jemison purchased it in the late 1980s that it became fa
mous in the same way that CBGB did a New York City or the Whisky a Go Go did in Los Angeles.

  Today, it is called the House of Brews, but back in the mid-1980s, this was Spatz in Huntington Beach. Author’s collection.

  Metal legends Motorhead played in Anaheim and Billy Party’s Roller Fantasy in Fullerton. Courtesy of Ernie Grimm.

  The Doll Hut in Anaheim, as it looks today. Author’s collection.

  Jemison rightfully earned her role as a local hero for developing the club into one of the most uniquely intimate and intense venues that has ever existed in the area. Though it closed its doors in the summer of 2001, it has changed ownership a number of times and, to this day, remains open and thriving. It is perhaps the ultimate punk rock landmark in Orange County.

  In the mid-to late 1980s, there were still the occasional shows at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Madonna brought her Who’s That Girl tour to the ballpark on July 18, 1987. The next week, on July 26, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead rolled in for a show. And David Bowie would perform there in 1983, bringing his Glass Spider tour in on August 8, 1987.