Surround Sound

Since opening 3 1/2 years ago, Koo’s Art Cafe has helped change the face of Orange County’s underground culture on both sides of the stage--if Koo’s actually had a stage--serving indie rock to an underage set.

With left-leaning human-rights conventions, film festivals and other links to the art community, in addition to live music, this club-that’s-not-a-club connects bands and fans with their political and cultural counterparts in the rest of the underground subculture: No dumb punks need apply.

For most of those 3 1/2 years, Koo’s also has struggled with city officials, some of whom argue that it is operating without proper permits. But Koo’s has found a friend and vocal defender in Mayor Miguel A. Pulido Jr., who is working with club founder Dennis Lluy to help keep it afloat.

Like Jabberjaw once did for L.A., Koo’s acts as a hub for young rock bands, a facet of the local music scene oft overlooked in the county’s land of ska and punk o’plenty.

It’s also one of the few area clubs that caters to the young and respects their all-ages ethic, which shuns the traditional trappings of the O.C. club scene.

The lack of a raised stage would infuriate anyone demanding clean sight lines. At Koo’s, it’s part of the intimacy, a tack that works at the like-minded, 150-capacity Linda’s Doll Hut in Anaheim, where fans can stand (in Koo’s case, sometimes sit) within a foot or two of their favorite bands.

For these patrons, it’s not enough for a venue simply to open its doors to the under-21 set, which includes not only those making much of the new music in the county, but their fans as well.

For instance, some require younger patrons to buy drink tickets to compensate for the lack of revenue from alcohol sales, effectively raising the admission price for their age group. Not Koo’s.

Lacking an entertainment permit from the city that would allow Koo’s to charge admission, the volunteer-run, nonprofit club instead asks customers for a $5 donation.

The price is right for Koo’s regulars, who turn out in force for groups ranging from the emo-core (emotional hard core) of Gameface, a Huntington Beach-based band that plays here regularly, to the crafty pop of up-and-coming Anaheim band Teen Heroes. Koo’s consistently offers music across the alternative spectrum, attracting talent scouts from local labels along with other scene-makers.

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When Teen Heroes played at December’s Akoostic Christmas, an annual event held at Koo’s as an alternative to the commercialized KROQ version, Reel Big Fish’s Aaron Barrett played sound man--no rock-star posing, just one friend helping out another.

Koo’s may be faulted for not promoting its shows consistently, but customers still manage to find out about them by word of mouth. On Friday and Saturday nights, the place is usually packed: As many as 400 people can squeeze into this onetime residence and its outside patio.

The front of the building looks like any other house--the small sign and the mass of parked cars in the side driveway are clues that there’s more inside than meets the eye.

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In what might have been someone’s living room, a band plays, sans stage. A former fireplace lends its mantel for smaller kids to climb up and get a better view. Adjacent hallways and what might have been a dining room fill with even more onlookers.

For a lot of kids, Koo’s also is a home away from home.

“There aren’t that many all-ages places that have stayed open as long as we have,” booker Mark Casas said. “Even three years isn’t that long, but it’s got to be a record of some kind in Orange County.”

* Koo’s Art Cafe, 1505 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Doors open at 8 p.m. for concerts on Fridays and Saturday. (714) 648-0937.