Rocker who sang with the Dartells in the ‘60s leaves ‘Hot Pastrami’ behind and finds a gig he enjoys at a Ventura venue where . . . : Karaoke Works

In the corner of Billy O’s Restaurant & Saloon in Ventura sits veteran local entertainer Dick Burns as he orchestrates the musical mirth five nights a week. You’re on your own Monday and Tuesday, but every other night, Burns is there playing videos and CDs, inciting outbreaks of karaoke and even singing a song or two himself. And he’s in the right place because the customers of this neighborhood bar like music.

Burns likes music, too. He was one of the area’s first rock stars as the guitarist of the Dartells, out of Oxnard, who had a big hit with a song called “Hot Pastrami” back in 1963. There probably haven’t been too many term papers written on the significance of the lyrics, the gist of which are: “Hot pastrami, yeah, yeah, yeah. . . . Baby shake that thing, yeah, yeah, oh yeah. . . . Baby, one more time, yeah, yeah, yeah. . . . “

The Dartells, just a bunch of kids living at home at the time, never had another hit. After re-forming the Dartells for a few gigs, Burns played in Hawaii, toured Vietnam in 1968, played Reno and Lake Tahoe extensively and has performed in various combos, duos or as a solo act in practically every venue in the county.

He has stories to tell.

So what was the local music scene like back in 1963?

The scene was hot in 1963, but actually, we had been playing around the area since 1959. We had a nucleus of four or five guys--I was a sophomore and the other guys were freshmen or still in eighth grade. We had a bunch of little gigs around the area--we were trying to find places that would let us play, not necessarily to get paid. We had a good little band that put on a good show and ended up playing on a regular basis at the bases and at teen dances. We all wore coats and ties and had choreographed dance steps--the front line could do all that stuff.

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And even Wagon Wheel was rockin’?

Yes, it was. We got to be the house band at the Roller Gardens in Wagon Wheel. The guy that owned the place brought in bands like the Four Seasons, the Beach Boys and the Righteous Brothers, and he made money doing it, too. We didn’t need a whole lot of money ourselves because we all lived at home.

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What’s the story on the hit record?

At that time we were the Casuals and we had a song called “The Casual Stomp.” When we’d play it, everyone would just kind of stand there and raise one foot, then the other. Later, we became the Dartells by just putting a bunch of syllables together. It didn’t mean anything.

Anyway, “The Casual Stomp” became “The Dartell Stomp.” The guy that owned a record shop in Oxnard, the Audio Record Bar, put up the money for us to record a song. We changed “Mashed Potatoes” by Joey Dee & the Starliters into our song, “Hot Pastrami.” Then a DJ in Coalinga started playing it, and the kids loved it. “Hot Pastrami” was embarrassingly bad, but I can’t believe the way it sold.

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Then what?

We put out another record called “Dance Everybody Dance,” trying to duplicate the sound of “Hot Pastrami,” but nothing ever worked. For some reason, every song we ever did was big in Fresno, but we never had another hit. We were all just kids and we had the sibling-rivalry thing going, and since we were always together all the time, the little idiosyncrasies started to come out. Then our parents tried to run things, and then one night, the keyboard player and the drummer got into a fight onstage. We broke up in 1964, and I actually still own the name.

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What’s the deal on this gig?

At first, I tried the piano bar thing, but that didn’t work. I acquired a small karaoke setup and now I’m there five nights a week. I’ve found that people who like karaoke don’t like live music and vice versa. At first, instead of drawing both, both stayed away. These days, I tend to do more karaoke.

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Do you play Dartells stuff anymore?

On the last Sunday of the month they have Billy O’s Birthday Barbeque Bash, and some of my friends would show up and we’d jam. But . . . I’ve been having a hard time singing lately. Anyway, there’s not that much call for live singing anymore because the karaoke stuff just works better.

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Describe a typical night at Billy O’s.

Basically what I do is sit back in the corner and run the whole show. That’s what I do--videos and karaoke, plus I have an extensive CD collection these days. And for the karaoke singers--they let me pick their songs. I have an envelope of songs for each regular. Sometimes, no one wants to sing at first, while other times, people are waiting for me when I get there. One night, we started at 8 and didn’t have a repeat singer until 11:30.

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What about when some drunk wants to scream “Free Bird”?

Yes, that happens, but I don’t cater to them. You can’t have any hard-and-fast rules doing this. If you have a bunch of people partying and singing and spending money, you just laugh and let them do their thing. But some of the singers actually don’t drink that much, and some that do, don’t sing like drunks.

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What are the most popular songs these days?

Right now, the two most popular videos are “La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin and “Smooth” by Santana. I really like some of the new country--it reminds me of the old-time rock ‘n’ roll--plus, I have to keep up with all the pop stuff.

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How is the scene different than it used to be?

This business always has its ups and downs. There aren’t any jobs like there used to be in the ‘60s and ‘70s. There aren’t as many people going out as there used to be and there are a lot more musicians than there used to be. Club owners have the choice to hire a live band or have karaoke. The best thing here is that the owner lets me run things--he leaves it up to my judgment. I’ve been here for three years now and I don’t have to ever move my equipment, and that’s great.

DETAILS

Dick Burns at Billy O’s Restaurant & Saloon, 2619 E. Main St., Ventura, Wednesday through Sunday, 8 p.m.; free; 652-0327.

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Guitar overload in the shape of the Roadhouse Traveling Guitar Museum is on tap at Instrumental Music in Ventura on Saturday night. Instrumental rock guitarist Gary Hoey will host a guitar clinic that will include technique, songwriting tips and, generally, the basics of Rock Star 101.

The event will be easy to find--look for the big trailer shaped like twin reverb amps. It opens up to reveal a wall of Fender guitars, basses and amps chronicling the company’s 50-year history of parent-scaring activity.

It’s a hands-on event, and rock-gods-in-training can plug in and wail on the guitar of their dreams. A Fender factory rep will be on hand to answer questions and probably won’t be opposed to making a sale or two.

Surfdog recording artist Hoey is best known for his guitar work in “Endless Summer II,” a new interpretation of “Hocus Pocus” and a rockin’ Christmas album, “Ho Ho Hoey.” After Hoey is done getting the neighbors’ attention, there will be a drawing, with one of the prizes a Fender Stratocaster.

DETAILS

Gary Hoey and the Roadhouse Traveling Guitar Museum at Instrumental Music, 1793 E. Main St., Ventura, Saturday, 7 p.m.; free; 648-3284.

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Bill Locey can be reached by e-mail at blocey@pacbell.net.