A Quick Trip to Jamaica

One small corner of Santa Monica will forever be Jamaica if its patrons have their way. Not far from the Santa Monica Freeway, near Broadway and Lincoln, Kingston 12 keeps reggae alive. As anyone there will tell you, this is the only local club completely dedicated to reggae music.

It’s not an impressive building. The exterior is red brick with a gray wood trim. There’s no splashy neon, just a large wood sign with the club’s name. Inside, except for the Jamaican tourist posters and the occasional photo of Bob Marley on the black walls, the scene is not much different from any clean, well-used bar.

“Not your typical brass and glass nightclub,” says Barry O’Brien, who co-owns the club with his brother, Raymond, and Herbert Hudson of Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles fame.

However, when Jah-Maka, Inc. begins to play, Kingston 12 comes to life. “It’s the band that makes this place,” says bartender Nick Webster. “They give people the experience of being in touch with Jamaica.”

The band has played at the club for five years. When it begins to tune up around 11 p.m., it’s an advertisement for the transforming power of reggae.

“This is the only bar I’ve been to where the bartender dances every spare moment,” says customer David Klass.

“Reggae is a growth of inner self,” says drummer Shaka Man, “If you want to get rejuvenated in mind, body and spirit, come on down.”

On a recent night, Jah-Maka, Inc. was rejuvenating a crowd of about 150 on two dance floors. “A cool and calm crowd,” in the words of doorman Sylvester Allen.

“Reggae reaches people from all the four corners of the Earth,” says customer Prince Ital Joe. “It brings them together. It’s the way it should be.”

Patrons seem happy with the way things are. Almost all mention the band as the main attraction, with the peaceful neighborhood and easygoing atmosphere as strong draws. “This is one of those few clubs where you don’t have to dance with a partner, you can dance by yourself,” says patron Kirsten Johnson. “And you can dress comfortably. You don’t have to create some image that you’re not.”

For now, business looks good for Kingston 12. Recently it began serving Jamaican food, and is attempting to obtain a hard liquor license. However, food and liquor are incidental draws. The key to the club’s success is the customers’ and the owners’ love for reggae.

“It’s an art form I tend to equate with jazz,” says Barry O’Brien. “Hopefully, someday this will become the Cotton Club of reggae.”

Name: Kingston 12, 814 Broadway, Santa Monica; (213) 451-4423. Open Wednesday through Sunday. Live music Friday and Saturday after 10:30 p.m.. A deejay mixes reggae and hip-hop on Wednesday.

Cover: $10; must be over 21.

Drinks: Beer, $3 and $4; wine, $3.

Doormen: Amiable guard gives male patrons a light frisk. The dress policy is to not have a dress policy.