O.C. Punk Bands Take to the Road

Orange County and punk rock. Strange bedfellows, indeed.

On one hand, local bands such as Agent Orange, the Adolescents, T.S.O.L., the Descendents, the Crowd, D.I., Social Distortion and the Vandals helped usher in the rebellious, do-it-yourself spirit of punk rock. Musically speaking, they put Orange County on the map in the late 1970s.

At the same time, however, a minority of destructive fans created a scary atmosphere at many concerts. Now-defunct venues such as Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa and Safari Sam’s in Huntington Beach were frequent battlegrounds for fighting youths.

Even in the ‘90s, while the Offspring and Green Day supposedly have made punk safe for the mainstream, the local scene still finds itself embroiled in controversy surrounding episodes of violent behavior.

So it’s no surprise that a handful of punk and ska bands with Orange County ties--the Vandals, Guttermouth, Ignite, Reel Big Fish and the (now Berkeley-based) Dance Hall Crashers--are holding court this New Year’s Eve in San Diego.

“We’re not complaining about it,” said Joe Escalante, bassist of the veteran group Vandals, which records for Huntington Beach’s Nitro Records.

“It’s not like a huge conspiracy that’s killing off children or anything,” he added. “If Orange County wants its community safe from punk rock, that’s fine. It’s OK with us. . . . We’ll just play next door.”

“What does bother me, though, is that the press and [UC Irvine officials] focused on two fights that broke out at one show in ‘96,” Escalante said. “To me, the real story is, how does a grass-roots band like us draw 1,800 people with no airplay and no MTV exposure?”

UC Irvine has had its share of problems with punk concerts.

The university agreed to a $40,000 settlement when a teenager needed stitches after a public address loudspeaker was toppled by a fan at a Public Image Ltd. concert in 1991. Four years later, a “Board in Orange County” punk-and-skateboarding festival was moved at the last minute from UCI to Cal State Dominguez Hills when officials suddenly grew anxious about housing a crowd of 10,000 punk fans.

As it turned out, Face to Face’s Trever Keith was charged onstage from behind by an unidentified man, and two other men were stabbed in separate fights at that concert.

Two years ago, minor injuries suffered by two moshing fans during a Christmas concert by the Vandals at UCI’s Crawford Hall led to the cancellation of a performance featuring Social Distortion.

With few exceptions--such as the all-ages Koo’s Art Cafe in Santa Ana--local promoters, venues and politicians have shut their doors on home-grown, punk-based rock. Instead, Orange County acts regularly receive warmer receptions and far more opportunities in outlying communities, including Pomona (the Glass House), Corona (the Showcase Theatre), Riverside (the Barn) and at Los Angeles venues.

Ken Phebus, booking agent for both the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana, is more concerned about the minority who are troublemakers. Punk bands--and their fans--generally pose too much of a legal and financial risk, he said.

“The liability inherent in these operations is just too great for the return on your investment,” said Phebus, who booked punk bands in the early 1980s at Fender’s Ballroom in Long Beach.

“Inevitably there are problems. . . . Security costs are exorbitantly high, and the musicians encourage fans to put themselves in physical jeopardy out there in the mosh pits,” he said. “And when they do get hurt, they sue us.”

It is worth noting, however, that a recent show at the Galaxy headlined by the Dickies went off without incident.

Sometimes, performers get the blame. Lead singer Mark Adkins of Guttermouth--another Nitro Records act--was arrested and jailed overnight in 1995 on suspicion of inciting a riot during a performance at the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore. Charges, though, were never filed.

“At the Blockbuster show, a kid told his parents that I jumped into the crowd and hurt him,” Adkins recalled. “They were going to sue . . . but he actually injured himself jumping off the stage. Luckily for us, the whole set was captured on videotape. Man, that was the best insurance policy we ever had.”

Riding to Guttermouth’s defense after another alleged incident was the Vandals’ Escalante, who moonlights as an attorney.

“When someone gets hurt, parents or an insurance company typically go, ‘Hmmm. . . . who’s gonna pay for this? . . . Not us,’ ” Escalante said. “They’ll go after the venue, security and every band on the bill. I defended Guttermouth in a case just like that. They weren’t even onstage when a fight broke out at the Roxy, but it cost them $5,000 just to answer the complaint.”

Escalante believes bands must try to minimize the chances of violence and injury during gigs.

“More bands need to realize it’s an increasingly litigious society and sharpen their awareness. It’s time to stop pretending you’re cool and all the bouncers aren’t. Stage-diving is stupid, and there’s nothing worse than seeing a crowd-surfer bonk someone in the head, especially from behind,” he said.

“That’s got to stop. We definitely discourage crowd-surfing. . . . It’s the lamest thing in the world.”

Should Orange County showcase more punk concerts, particularly featuring local acts? Few feel any pressing need.

“I think Orange County is a great place to live, and if you mess with it too much, maybe it won’t be that great anymore,” said Escalante, who now lives with his wife in Los Angeles.

Added Adkins, “Kids know what they’re getting into at punk shows, and in Corona and Riverside, they’re very appreciative of us and respectful toward venues like the Showcase Theatre. They want to keep them from closing down.

“But here, sometimes I feel like they’re a bunch of mindless conformists . . . or spoiled brats who don’t really care,” he said of Orange County audiences.

Phebus, saying he’s “getting too old for this kind of thing,” plans to book a punk band or two on occasion. Or something completely off-the-wall.

“I do try to keep an edge--especially at the Galaxy, where we have an open dance floor--so it’s not all Dave Mason and Rita Coolidge. You know what I mean?”

“I am doing one thing, though, to show you that I’m not a total curmudgeon,” Phebus said. “For two nights in February, I’ve booked what’s being billed as ‘Punk Rock Karaoke.’ It’s going to feature (ex-Minutemen, ex-Firehose) Mike Watt along with members of Social Distortion, Bad Religion and NoFx. While they play, people from the audience will come up and sing lyrics scrolled across a big-screen TV.

“Now how risky can that be?”

* ‘Soma Live,’ featuring Reel Big Fish, Dance Hall Crashers, Face to Face, the Vandals, Guttermouth, Queers, Strung Out, Good Riddance, No Use for a Name and Assorted Jellybeans play Thursday at the San Diego Sports Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. 6:30 p.m. $20. (619) 224-4176.

Coming Thursday

Alt.Rock.OC, a special report on 20 years of rockin’ that put Orange County’s punk and alterna-rock movement on the international map.