Club to Offer ‘Unplugged’-Type Live Music

Jerry Roach made his mark on Orange County music history as the owner of the Cuckoo’s Nest, the fabled club in Costa Mesa that gave rise to the local punk rock scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Now, after several years working in real estate, Roach is promoting music again--but in a far less raucous vein.

Roach, who also ran the Radio City rock club in Anaheim during the ‘80s, now is the owner of the Capo Beach Old Town Mexican Cafe y Cantina in Dana Point and is about to add live music to the menu.

The Missiles of October, the roots-rock band from Laguna Beach that is one of Orange County’s finest, will inaugurate the restaurant’s 150-capacity listening room with shows Friday and Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. There is no cover. The Missiles will be back Feb. 25; the Girls, a harmony trio, play Feb. 26.

Roach says he is “trying to do music in a different way” than he did in the wild, punk past. “I’m trying to develop a kind of unplugged thing, with quality musicians in a comfortable place where you can hear good music and not have to pay $25. It’s the little joint on the corner.” He wants to hear from acts that fit the bill and are interested in a South County gig. The Old Town is at 34235 Doheny Park Road. (714) 496-2560

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GOOD VIBE: What once was just a hangout for Vinnie James and other artistically inclined denizens of cafe society now is becoming a serious weekly showcase for music, poetry and art.

James, a veteran singer-songwriter, has organized Vibe for the Tribe, an every-Tuesday arts soiree at Midnite Expresso, 201-D Main St. in downtown Huntington Beach.

He recalled how Vibe began: “I was just hanging out, and we’d get the guitars out and sit on the couch and play. It just kind of evolved, and I went to the owner and said, ‘Let’s do something.’ ” The weekly series began Feb. 8. James is a regular performer.

He says the coffeehouse gigs have been healthy for his own creative mood. James’ recording career has been stalled since 1991, when he debuted with a strong album for RCA, “All American Boy.”

“Dealing with that whole (major label) scene, I got away from who I am,” said James, who since losing his recording contract has toured occasionally as an opening act for such headliners as Sade, Tina Turner and Carole King. “I had to get back down to the street again, hang out with the people and forget the whole money thing and the commercial art thing and dealing with managers. It just stifles art. Lately, I’ve been pumping out the music. It’s been a good thing for me, really medicinal.”

Admission is free to Vibe for the Tribe, which starts at 8:30 p.m. Information: (714) 960-5858. Musicians, poets and artists interested in being booked can call (714) 576-7325.