ORANGE COUNTY 1986 YEAR IN REVIEW : SPOTLIGHT ON ARTS--FINE AND POP --IN TURBULENT YEAR : DEMISE OF CLUBS SENDS ’86 OUT ON A SOUR NOTE

Orange County lost four major rock clubs during the year--the Golden Bear, Safari Sam’s, Radio City and Spatz--but gained one outstanding new showcase in the revitalized Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

Local music fans had hundreds of shows from which to choose throughout the year, from the big and bold (Eurythmics, Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode) to the quirky and intimate (Jonathan Richman, 10,000 Maniacs, Smithereens). Also on the positive side, one favorite Orange County group regained its equilibrium (the James Harman Band), another charted a national hit (Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts”) and more county groups than ever released self-financed records.

To review the year past and get a look at 1987, Calendar asked amphitheater officials, club owners, band members, managers and booking agents to address the state of Orange County’s pop music scene.

Were Orange County music fans better or worse off in 1986 than in 1985?

- “Much better off. At the Pacific Amphitheatre, we had our best season ever and brought a large variety of entertainment to Orange County. We lost a couple (of clubs), but the good thing is that when you lose a couple you gain a couple. The Coach House has done a real nice job; so have Bogart’s (in Long Beach) and the Sunset Pub.”--Pacific Amphitheatre general manager Steve Redfearn. - “With the demise of both the Golden Bear and then Safari Sam’s, I’d say Orange County music fans were left with very few rooms other than singles bars and meat markets to see the exhibition of live music, and I use the term loosely.”

--musician James Harman. - “Things were much worse unless you lived in utmost southern Orange County, what with every club in the county being shut down except the Coach House.”

--band manager and consultant Mike Jacobs. - “Fans themselves were better off in ’86 than in ’85. It certainly seems that more and more artists were performing in Orange County. Up until the time (Safari) Sam’s shut down, we had some triumphant shows.”

--Safari Sam’s attorney Gene Dorney. - “I don’t think it got any better. I don’t think local bands took advantage of what is going on. The dance music scene is becoming a factor, but most of the bands that jumped on it were from Miami and back east.”

--Jon St. James, writer, producer and performer with Stacey Q. - “Worse off, the obvious reasons being the lack of clubs smaller than ours and theater-level stuff bigger than us. We are doing all we can to fill the gap, but there are a lot of acts like Timbuk 3 and Guadalcanal Diary that are just not big enough yet to fill 350 seats. It’s a sorry thing for people in this county who want to see that.”

--Coach House booking agent Ken Phebus. - “Definitely worse off. As far as Orange County government is concerned, young people who dress individually and are perceived as having a rebellious manner don’t have a place to live or be entertained in Orange County.”

--Sam Lanni, former owner of Safari Sam’s.

What was the worst trend or event in Orange County music during 1986?

- “The worst single thing was the closing of Safari Sam’s by the City of Huntington Beach, which showed unfortunately that city governments can still think backwards and not represent the wishes and needs of their constituents.”

--Pacific Amphitheatre’s Steve Redfearn. - “There weren’t as many bands on tour as there were in 1985. Hopefully, that will turn around in 1987.”

--Matt Curto, director of operations, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. - “Orange County radio has always been rather conservative, and most of the alternative stuff has to come out of L.A. I still feel there isn’t a lot of alternative music anywhere on the dial.”

--Paul Marshall, music director at Orange County public radio station KSBR-FM (88.5). - “The vibe on the street is, ‘What’s the use anymore?’ Musicians feel that if you don’t have your own 24-track studio and $1 million, you don’t have a chance. They’re wrong, but I can understand why they feel that way.”--musician Jon St. James. - “The development of new music in Orange County has been stifled because so many clubs, for various reasons, have gone out of business.”

--Coach House owner Gary Folgner.

- “The difficulties (in running an original music club) are not financial and they are not in finding a location suitable in every way. The difficulties are dealing with city planning boards and police departments.”--former club owner Jack Richards. - “Aside from the closing of Safari Sam’s, the death of (former James Harman Band guitarist) Hollywood Fats.”--former club owner Jerry Roach.

What was the best trend or event of 1986?

- “The redesigning of the Coach House was a master move. My hat’s off to Gary Folgner. It’s a good room that can easily make up for the loss of the Golden Bear. Also, we’ve got the most and best recordings Hollywood Fats ever made, and people will finally get to hear those next year.”--musician James Harman. - “People have gotten away from slam dancing and the violence and more into appreciating bands for what they are doing musically.”--Gary Folgner. - “A lot of what used to be called underground acts played to really big crowds this year in Orange County, like Depeche Mode, Siouxsie & the Banshees and Echo & the Bunnymen.”--Jim Guerinot, booking agent at Avalon Attractions, which books Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. - “The best thing I’ve seen happen is that radio stations seem to be running around trying to find out what to play to make people happy. Hopefully, they will start playing good original music and not just recycled Top 40. As long as they are looking for something new and refreshing, maybe they’ll eventually find that treasure chest we’ve all been wanting to find.”--Safari Sam’s Sam Lanni. - “The club closings forced more Orange County bands to put out records. Since they don’t have as many places to play live, they are getting their money together and putting out vinyl, which I think will be good.”

--Dan Koenig, lead singer of Blue Trapeze. - “More major acts did their first stops or only shows in Orange County, like Bob Dylan and Eddie Murphy. That’s a good trend for Orange County. And we should be thankful for the Crazy Horse (in Santa Ana) and a lot of great country shows with Emmylou (Harris), John Anderson and others.”--Pacific Amphitheatre’s Steve Redfearn. - “The way everyone rallied around Safari Sam’s when the club was threatened. The benefits, the love they got at the hearings, the demonstrations, support of the press, fans, other club owners like the Coach House and Fender’s. That brought a sense of community to the scene. From the ashes of something terrible, something good happened.”

--Russell Scott, lead singer of Children’s Day.

What would you like to see happen in 1987 to improve the local music scene in the coming year?

- “I’d like Safari Sam’s to come back with another club (or) for a couple other club owners to take a chance or two and try to make something more than what we have right now. We need a good outlet for community poets, artists, musicians; someone to bring it all together like Sam’s did, and bring back some of the energy that was there.”

--singer Russell Scott. - “A place where great bluegrass and country music is played nearer the beach.” --Steve Redfearn.

- “More shows at our facility.”--Irvine Meadows’ Matt Curto.

- “The building of the new 6,000-seat Bren Events Center (at UC Irvine, due to open in January) will add a whole new dimension to what is going to be offered in Orange County. I’m looking forward to getting the building open and marketing it so promoters know it’s a viable facility to put on entertainment.”

--Lance MacLean, programs director for UCI’s associated students. - “I think that if Orange County can support two mega-venues (Irvine Meadows and the Pacific), it can support a venue that books acts like the Palace (in Hollywood), say a 1,000- to 1,500-seater. Orange County has always needed one of those. And at least one original club that will open its doors to the bands without record deals.”

--Jerry Roach. - “More radio shows devoted to roots American music--cool records. Not just blues, but real rock ‘n’ roll, soul, country-western, swing, hillbilly and blues. Reality has to come and jar everybody in the face. And Orange County needs at least two more venues that specialize in something real instead of the double handful of lounges passing as an entertainment scene. And I think that Moped jousting will become the big thing instead of turtle races in lounges. “--James Harman.

- “I’d like to see ’87 be the year of rebounding, when we picked ourselves up from setbacks of ’86 . . . and go right back to work and say, ‘We’re not going to let this stop us.’ We all need to renew our commitment to a thriving Orange County pop music scene.”--Safari Sam’s attorney Gene Dorney.