Anaheim Club Prestigio to Play Hard Rock

A new Anaheim nightclub called Prestigio will begin offering hard-rock concerts booked by local promoter Joe Schultz.

The club’s first show will be a Nov. 18 concert by alternative bands Bad Brains, Prong and Dig. The Organization, formerly known as Death Angel, will headline on Nov. 19.

Schultz said he is planning concerts every Friday at the 650-capacity Prestigio, with occasional shows on other nights by major headliners--including My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, scheduled to play Dec. 1. The other confirmed booking is a Bang Tango show on Nov. 26.

Schultz, an active hard-rock promoter, said that Prestigio will admit concert-goers 18 and over, and feature food service as well as a bar. Owner Ken Hong said that the venue features recorded dance music on nights when there is no concert. Tickets are $12 for Bad Brains, $10 for the Organization and Bang Tango, and $13.50 for Thrill Kill Kult. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Prestigio is at 1490 S. Anaheim Blvd. Information: (714) 758-7734.

*

FIRE BENEFIT: The Laguna Fire Aid Festival, a rock concert to benefit fire victims, starts at noon on Sunday at Club Mesa, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. The lineup includes the Iron Ons, Skeleton Joint, Talon, Grey Spikes, Harm’s Way, Age of Reason, Strange Ways, the Screwz, Driven Steel, Possum Death, Note From the Underground, Massive Mood Swing and Tribute. The benefit, sponsored by the club and by Rio’s Pawn Shop in Costa Mesa, will also feature prize drawings, food and giveaways. Admission: $5 or five canned food items. (714) 642-8448.

*

A NEW SOUL: Naked Soul has gone through a complete revamping behind Mike Conley, the band’s singer-songwriter.

Bassist Jeff Sewell and drummer Larry Pearson backed Conley on Naked Soul’s 1992 debut EP, “Seed,” and on the recently issued album, “Visiting Your Planet.” Neither remains as Naked Soul, which records for the Scotti Bros. label, prepares to promote the album with local dates and cross-country touring. The new record is a strong collection of melodic college-rock songs.

Conley, who lives in Costa Mesa, said that Sewell decided before the album was recorded last summer to leave the music business altogether, but he agreed to stay until the project was completed.

“Jeff and I were best friends for 10 years, and we’re probably going to be for a long time,” Conley said.

The split with Pearson wasn’t so friendly. Conley said that record producer Jeff Eyrich wanted to bring in a hired drummer for several of the tracks on “Visiting Your Planet,” and Conley agreed after first resisting the idea.

“Larry got pretty upset after that, which I can understand,” Conley said. The rift widened, and the session player, Shawn Poores, became Pearson’s permanent replacement. Poores, who moved from Kansas City to Los Angeles two years ago, suggested a fellow ex-Missourian and former band mate, Bill Latas, as lead guitarist. Alec Porter, a young bassist from Costa Mesa, rounds out the new lineup.

“I’m really excited about the new band,” Conley said. “Not putting (Sewell and Pearson) down, because Jeff was getting really good, and Larry could hold his own in a lot of situations. But the band I’ve got now is capable of playing as well as anybody. That’s a nice asset for me to have as a songwriter.”

Naked Soul will play at the Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on Nov. 28.

*

A CAPITOL CRIME: Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, the sharp, ultra-traditionalist Orange Country rockabilly band, lost most of its instruments and equipment when the band’s touring van was burglarized recently in Sacramento. Now a lineup of Southern California roots-rockers and rockabillies is coming to their aid with a benefit concert to help Big Sandy pay for new gear.

The Blasters and the Paladins will top the bill on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Palomino, 6907 Lankershim Blvd., in North Hollywood. Also appearing are the Dave and Deke Combo, Russell Scott and the Blazers. $12.50. (818) 764-4010.

*

BENEFIT, TAKE 3: Pussy Tourette, a San Francisco-based drag queen and blues-rock bandleader, will headline a benefit concert to help seven Laguna Beach AIDS patients whose homes were destroyed in the recent fire. Also appearing is local jazz and blues singer Karen Gallinger. The show takes place Nov. 19 at midnight at the Boom Boom Room, 1401 Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Admission: $5. Information: (714) 494-7588. The beneficiaries are clients of the Laguna Shanti AIDS relief organization.