Struggling Bebop Records Gets a Little Help From Friends

Business has been so bad at Bebop Records and Fine Art in Reseda that the only person to come in one recent day was the burglar who broke down the door after closing time.

But Bebop, known far more for its nighttime concerts and poetry readings than for its merchandise, isn’t about to disappear quietly like just any used record store. Lovers of undiscovered and unusual entertainment raised $500 at a save-Bebop benefit this week and have planned a second fund-raiser Sunday at the store.

“There is an aching need for what this place does,” said Wendy Forward, a deputy district attorney who lives in Benedict Canyon. “L.A. has little pockets of progressive stuff, like in downtown and Hollywood, but nothing in the Valley. I’ve seen some of the most exciting musicians and exciting performance art and exciting visual art there.”

The money raised at last Monday night’s benefit, held at the Heliotrope Theater in Hollywood, will take care of back rent and repairs on the door, said Bebop owner Richard Bruland. The burglar, who was caught, will have to pay for his own defense.

When Bebop opened six years ago, its first act was Los Lobos. Bruland said that groups tend either to outgrow the 41-seat venue, as did Los Lobos, or remain too obscure to draw much of an audience.

“I have concerts where four or six people show up,” he said. “Those kill me.”

Still, friends of Bebop say, there is something marvelous about a club that books new or eccentric acts. Saturday night’s program, for example, features traditional Hawaiian music.

“It’s a place for alternative acts, but alternative doesn’t have to mean inaccessible,” said Peter Galvin, lead singer of the Bed Shredders, who played Monday along with Victor Banana. The benefit drew more than 100 people.

Bruland, 42, said the only all-encompassing word for entertainment at Bebop is “personal.”

“The thing I look for in a performer or a group,” he said, “is that when they finish a set, I feel like I’ve learned more about them, as opposed to those that I learned more about their hair stylist or who they’ve been watching on MTV.”

Poet jam beastrom of Canoga Park said Bebop offers one of the few open reading nights for poetry in the Valley. “We need it,” she said.

Sunday’s benefit, scheduled from 4 to 10 p.m., will feature musicians Zoogz Rift, Dos and poets Laurel Ann Bogen, La Loca along with other musicians and poets. Donations, which will go toward October’s rent, will be accepted at the door. Bebop is at 18433 Sherman Way.