Rockabilly Revives a Hangout

The Blue Saloon is one of those corner bars that might have wallowed in dinginess for eternity. Wedged on a North Hollywood street corner beside an auto body shop, with no windows and only a small neon-script sign to announce its presence, the joint’s dank facade nearly guarantees cracked vinyl and the stench of alcohol-soaked carpet inside.

But beyond the front door is the twanging sound of electric guitar and slap-string bass, the merciful rollicking of rockabilly. People are gathered around a small stage, some of them dancing in wildly swinging motions. In back, games of pool are played at a pair of tables. The room is cramped but clean. The crowd is mostly young and hip, in cowboy boots or Converse high-tops, with more than a few slicked-back ‘dos and sideburns.

“I’m from Austin and this reminds me of a local bar there,” said Tom Lewis, the drummer for the Dave and Deke Combo, who play at the Blue Saloon on Wednesdays. “Everybody is just hanging out and enjoying the music.”

There’s a blonde in a black velvet dress by the tables. In the corner is a guy looking like an artist with long hair and a Van Dyke. Meantime, Dave (or is it Deke?) croons about being “a real stiff daddy in a long black Caddy.”

The pool players don’t let the nearby commotion of dancing bother them, although they pause every once in a while to rap their cues in time with the music or listen to the yelping, hiccuping vocals. Denny, sporting a bowler at the bar, which is dotted with long-neck Budweisers, says everybody gets along just fine.

“This is the happiest bar in North Hollywood. This is like friendly,” she said. “The club scene isn’t supposed to be like that in L. A.”

Three years ago, the bar was called the Redwood Room and it was a dump, locals say. No furniture and a concrete floor. A single red bulb hung from the center of the room. A gay bathhouse operated out of the back of the building.

“If you walked in here on a Friday night, you’d see a drunk at the bar and a biker playing pinball,” says Blue Shaw, the present owner. A longtime resident of the neighborhood recalled that sometimes prostitutes would hang out there.

Shaw bought the building in 1988, “mainly because it was the only place I could afford,” and set out to resurrect it. He put in carpeting and lights and banished the regulars. He hired new bartenders two months before the saloon reopened--these employees were sent to other clubs around town to spread the word of their new joint in North Hollywood.

Shaw intended that the saloon be only a part-time music club, with bands on Friday and Saturday nights. But one weekend Lloyd Martin showed up with a rockabilly band and packed the house. Shaw not only invited the band back, he also hired Martin to bring other rockabilly groups to the stage.

Now the saloon has live music Wednesday through Saturday nights, with some blues and country thrown in with the standard fare.

“There aren’t a whole lot of places that book all roots music,” said Martin, who plays stand-up bass for the Dave and Deke Combo.

“The Blue Saloon is fun because everyone knows it’s a rockabilly bar,” he said. “It’s nice to have people come to see good bands, rather than just coming in to drink.”

Old-timers such as Sleepy LaBeef and Rose Maddox have played there alongside new bands. The stage may be small but the acoustics of the room are good.

“Best music in town,” said Sean Larimore, who regularly drives down from Simi Valley. “It’s just real swingin’, that’s all.”

The Blue Saloon is at 4657 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. The cover charge is $4 Wednesdays and Thursdays, slightly more Fridays and Saturdays. Call (818) 766-4644.