Club Review : Molly Malone’s Goes Back to Its Roots With Vengeance

For the better part of 23 years, Molly Malone’s Irish Pub marched to the beat of its own Celtic drummer. The tiny room in the heart of the Fairfax District offered a comfortable showcase for many talented singer-songwriters--of both Irish and American persuasion.

Molly’s was consistently one of the more attitude-free clubs in L.A., and even celebrated its clientele with wall-to-wall illustrations of the regular customers. Recently, however, Molly’s began to lose sight of its original intent, booking about four groups a night, apparently without much discretion. With its small stage featuring everything from grunge to hard-rock, the Shamrock-studded venue began to lose its distinctive edge.

But former Molly’s bartender Jeremy Hocter became the nightspot’s new manager three months ago, and with the shift the club is going back to its original Irish roots with a vengeance. Currently, about half the week is filled with traditional Irish bands, the most popular being the Descendants, a delightful quartet featuring two fiddles, an acoustic guitar and a bodhran--a hand-held drum you probably won’t find in the clutches of a Sunset Strip band. Which is how it should be. With a wall portrait of one of the home country’s most soulful sons, Van Morrison, serving as a reminder, Molly’s has a legacy worth living up to.

* Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, 575 S. Fairfax Ave. Over 21, cover varies. (213) 935-1577.