ROCK NOTES : Night Moves Edges Toward Bigger, Better-Known Acts
Night Moves, a 300-capacity rock club in Huntington Beach, will try to take a step toward the big leagues in coming months, according to owner Ezra Joseph.
“We’ll upgrade to more national (acts) and more (bands on) major recording labels,” said Joseph, who recently hired veteran booking agent Ed Christiansen. “I think it’s about time we stepped it up.”
Night Moves has had shows by touring bands occasionally but usually features a steady diet of local groups (it is currently the only club in Orange County booking locals who play original rock that isn’t heavy metal). Locals would continue to form a significant part of the Night Moves schedule, and the higher-profile bookings would help the locals expand their audiences by appearing as opening acts, Joseph said.
Upcoming shows featuring nationally known acts include a Sept. 8 concert by Broken Homes, a Los Angeles band that records for MCA; Country Joe McDonald on Sept. 16, and heavy metal act Keel on Sept. 23, Joseph said. Asked what sort of acts Night Moves aims to pursue, he named Stan Ridgway, Dramarama, and Pop Will Eat Itself.
Christiansen has promoted shows at Fender’s in Long Beach and was co-promoter at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano for a short time in 1985-86, when the club first started to book national acts.
Joseph does not think his bid to showcase bigger names at Night Moves will bring him into competition with the Coach House, which is more than 30 miles away, but he will find himself competing with Bogart’s. Just over the Orange County line in Long Beach, less than 10 miles from Night Moves, Bogart’s has offered the most convenient opportunity for North Orange County rock fans to see major-name club attractions.
“It would be nice if (Bogart’s and Night Moves) were an additional 10 miles apart, but that’s the way it is,” Joseph said. “I think there’s plenty of room here for two clubs.”
Meanwhile, Joseph also has acquired an interest in Manhattan’s, a 300-capacity dance club in Stanton that he and his partners aim to turn into a showcase for hard rock and heavy metal bands. On Wednesday, the Stanton Planning Commission unanimously approved a live entertainment permit for the club at 7910 Katella Ave., which currently features only prerecorded dance music. Stanton’s planning manager, Michael Bouvier, said that the permit will not take effect until after a 10-day appeal period.
The last time a song featuring Corona del Mar resident Bill Medley went to the movies, it turned out to be a huge, Grammy- and Oscar-winning hit. To follow up “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” his big “Dirty Dancing” duet with Jennifer Warnes, Medley has recorded “Rude Awakening,” the title theme to a new film about two ‘60s hippies encountering the yuppified ‘80s for the first time. Eric Roberts and Cheech Marin play the leads. The soundtrack album is on Elektra Records.
LIVE ACTION: Irvine Meadows has added a third show by Metallica and Faith No More on Sept. 23; tickets go on sale Sunday morning at 9. Tickets are on sale now for Oingo Boingo’s annual Halloween bash at Irvine Meadows, set for Oct. 27. Tickets go on sale Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for Pacific Amphitheatre shows by the Jefferson Airplane on Sept. 16 and by Rick Astley and Martika on Sept. 22. Don Henley and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians play the Pacific Oct. 1, with tickets on sale Monday at 10 a.m. New dates at the Coach House include a solo show by Robyn Hitchcock on Sept. 28 and the Average White Band Oct. 6.
