Detroit Bar acts break down Orange Curtain

Elliott Smith, the Melvins, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the

Special Goodness featuring Pat Wilson of Weezer all playing in Costa

Mesa!

I certainly wouldn’t have believed it was possible a year ago, but

Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa has been able to throw off the shackles of

the sterile Orange County stigma and actually bring hip, important

live music to town.

“Costa Mesa and Santa Ana are the two most diverse city’s in the

county, and I don’t think something like Detroit Bar would work in

any other county cities,” club promoter Chris Fahey said. “I just

hope the City Council remembers to embrace the arts throughout this

whole Westside redevelopment thing.”

Last Tuesday night, Smith brought his down-trodden, mopey, yet

addictive melodic sounds to said bar. Being that is was April Fool’s

Day, I had my suspicions about him actually showing up, but when I

entered the parking lot at about 10 p.m. and spent about 10 minutes

circling just to find parking, I knew something was going down.

The tiny bar was jammed to capacity, with everyone from a

representative from KROQ-FM (106.7) to music journalists and fans.

Smith took the stage, and although he was seated for most of the

night, which made it tough to see him, his intricate guitar phrasing,

distinctive voice and stinging lyrics had the crowd mesmerized.

Sure, there were a few kinks in the evening -- the air

conditioning didn’t work, which made the room exceed comfortable

temperatures -- but after a few songs, I felt like was at the Roxy or

the Troubadour, not just a mere mile and a half from my house.

Fahey has worked as a tour manager since 1991 with various acts,

including the Muffs, Jon Spencer, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Money

Mark and several others.

“I’ve met a lot of people over the years through tour managing,

which has given me an advantage as far as booking shows,” he said.

“Because of our size we can’t always afford all the acts we want,

people have to want to play here.”

One the bands that wanted to play Detroit were Olympia, Wash. punk

stalwarts the Melvins.

“They heard from other bands that had played here, and so they

contacted me, and we sold out the place,” Fahey said.

Good Southern California rock shows are not just in L.A. anymore.