Solidly sold on the South BayBumped into...

Solidly sold on the South Bay

Bumped into longtime pal Paul McGuigan, talent buyer for the House of Blues on the

Sunset Strip, who told me the club is celebrating 15 sold-out nights in a row. It felt like a

celebration Monday with Pennywise headlining a night filled with punk rock royalty. The South Bay quartet tore it up -- at one point the onstage party included Greg Hetson, who’d just rocked out with the Circle Jerks; members of the bands Ignite, the Bronx and H2O; and Duane Peters, who grabbed the mike and crooned Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown” midway through Pennywise’s set. Black Flag/Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris again proved that he not only founded the South Bay punk scene, he’s still at the helm. (His powerful performance would have exhausted somebody half his age.) He also showed class by giving a first-name shout-out to every single person in the club selling band merch. That’s respect.... McGuigan, by the way, says he’s really excited about the fresh sounds of Dubstep, which he was spinning at Tokio on Sundays till a recent flooding closed the place temporarily. Now he’s taking his vinyl over to Holly’s on Ivar.

Decked out with fur and mirrors

Mood’s David Judaken says he’s nearing the end of construction on his upcoming nightclub at the former Vynyl in Hollywood. The rock ‘n’ roll lounge is set to open in April and features a ceiling that looks like snakeskin, walls of fur and a mirrored room with images of tattoos embedded in them. You’ll also find 16-foot arches throughout the club, which is a smart way to break up the warehouse-style space. Judaken is collaborating with Tagfront Design to remodel the club, which is still unnamed.... It was a dream come true for the cute mod squad who hang out each Friday at Club Underground at Tempest in West Hollywood when Morrissey walked in last week. Of all the clubs, Moz walked into the one where the kids worship the Smiths most.... With DJ AM flitting off to Miami for a Super Bowl-related gig, DJ A Trak will spin at LAX on Sunday.... Former House of Blues GM Arich Berghammer now works for nightclub mogul Sam Nazarian’s growing SBE empire as the chief operating officer of the restaurant and nightclub group.... Sean Healy is hosting a cool ‘90s night called ClubTubthump at Plush at the Key Club once a month. Next up: Feb. 9, and we’re told Vanilla Ice may make a cameo.

He was one

of the good guys

The staff at Vanguard is mourning the death of 29-year-old bouncer Ron Emerick, who was shot and killed early Saturday after a dispute outside the Hollywood Boulevard nightclub. “Ron was one of the warmest, most beloved members of our staff. He worked the front door, and he was there for a reason, because of that warmth,”

Vanguard owner Jordan Birnbaum said. “This is the most horrible tragedy any of us could have imagined; we’re all in a great deal of emotional pain right now.” Two men, Milton Do, 19, of West Covina, and Tim Lee, 26, of Downey, were arrested in connection with the shooting. The club, which has a reputation for being politely well-policed, had been hosting a Friday

night promotion called Visionshock.

-- Heidi Siegmund Cuda, with Kevin Bronson