CLUB REVIEW : ‘60s-’70s Rock Flies at Birds

Franklin Strip, a popular stretch of Franklin Avenue between Beachwood and Bronson canyons in Hollywood, didn’t even know what it was missing until Birds--named after the kitchen’s all-chicken menu--came along six weeks ago and filled the void. With its addition, the trendy area--which already includes a theater, cafes, restaurants and a resident psychic--now has a neighborhood bar.

If Dockers ads haven’t spoiled your appetite for all things boomer, you’ll find the proprietors’ music taste a good match with Birds’ comfortable atmosphere.

In between serving patrons and making introductions, owners Henry Olek and Mary Preston scurry to the stereo system behind the bar to keep the ‘60s and early-’70s rock rolling, favoring such tunes as Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” and the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.” Not a night goes by without the 17-minute version of Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”

Come last call, customers grooving to the familiar songs aren’t eager to leave. Preston, however, has come up with an innovative tactic to oust the stragglers.

While flipping the light switch vigorously, she blasts either Marie Osmond’s “Paper Roses” or the theme from “Love Boat” and they leave. It seems to work every time.