A Feel-Good, Multiethinic Vibe

Music has so many cutting edges, it’s enough to make your ears bleed. Hip-hop, techno, electronica, alt-folk, old school . . . what isn’t on the cutting edge?

So when Louie and Annette Ryan use that term to describe the bands at the new Temple Bar on Wilshire Boulevard in pleasant, sunny Santa Monica, the tendency is to stifle a ho-hum yawn. Yeah, yeah, that’s what all the club owners say.

But enter Temple Bar on a Sunday night and you’re not just walking into a club with live music. You’re sucked into a Woodstockian universe of happy people moving in unison to the throbbing sounds of a multiethnic 30-piece orchestra. The instruments: mostly percussion. The vocals: jamming rap. There is no room to dance. There is no room to breathe. The sardines are all fixated on the bright stage, their arms high and pointing. “Don’t eat the yellow acid!”

This is the feel-good vibe that the Ryans have carefully developed in partnership with Charlie Magleid, who owned St. Stephen’s on the Green in the same location. In November it became Temple Bar.

Make no mistake, this not a spontaneous happening. The Ryans are a pair skilled at trend-spotting. They owned the Greenwich Village head-banger hangout Scrap Bar, which coincided with the MTV explosion and the rise of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and U2.

“The magic at Scrap Bar happened because we found a niche by providing a venue for the cutting-edge musicians of that time,” says Louie Ryan. “And from there the magic grew.

“Ten years later, here we are in California witnessing the same thing happen. However this time it was intentional to open a club that catered to a multiethnic, diverse clientele.”

Specifically, they have their ears tuned to world beats. Instead of being shocked by the new, music fans are being transfixed by the ways bands combine traditional world sounds. Artists such as Govinda mix Cajun, Celtic and Middle Eastern elements. Norway’s Annbjorg Lien experiments with Nordic and Indian combos. It is this world that Temple Bar celebrates by booking groups like the Rhythm Room All Stars and Speakeasy, featuring Joachim Cooder.

World Outlook on Music--and Munchies

Booker Megan Jacobs also throws a healthy mix of R&B;, soul and funk into the club and yes, there are plenty of deejays between the acts for those who fear the unpredictability of live performances. Short films are shown before the music starts on Monday nights. Actually, there’s something at Temple Bar for everyone. One planet, one show, as it were.

Part of Temple Bar’s allure is the decor. Hoping to recapture some of the vibe of At My Place (also at the same location before St. Stephen’s on the Green), Ryan warmed up the rooms by painting them bright red and lining the bar area with hammered tin. Artist John Robertson’s bright acrylic portraits of many of the featured performers give the club a feel that is more salon than bordello. Humorous retro light shades dot the walls like cartoons.

If world eclecticism is good enough for the music, then it’s good enough for the food. Specialty munchies from different countries are slowly being added to the burger-and-fries bar menu. There are tables and banquettes, but finding a place to set down a plate of food could be a challenge on crowded nights.

St. Stephen’s amiable bartenders are sorely missed, however. Admittedly, it’s difficult to be chummy when the place is so crowded, but Temple Bar’s staff rarely even smiles. This could have been circumstantial and is sure to change when this review is published. We’re here for you, oh loyal reader.

Temple Bar scene makers dress casually. Old hippie, nouveau hippie, dreadlocks, grunge, denim and anything retro seems to be OK. Why stress on your outfit when there’s sweating to do? And sweat you will. It’s as if all the week’s anxieties and hassles are bundled into one steady pulse that evaporates your troubles into a good clean steam. If you don’t have rhythm when you get to Temple Bar, you’ll have it when you leave. And if you arrive lonely and alienated and feeling low, just remember: No one went home from Woodstock without new friends.

BE THERE

Temple Bar, 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. $3-$10 cover. (310) 393-6611.