Live Music Makes for Full House

Well-established as an underground bar (the kind that doesn’t need a sign), Three Clubs has upped the ante on Thursday nights with the addition of DJs and live local bands.

The scenesters who mob the newest ‘60s- and ‘70s-themed night are mostly of a type. Like card players, patrons seem to have four suits to choose from. For the highbrow girls, it’s thick-belted thrift-store dresses accompanied by go-go boots. For the boys (with requisite chin-length hair), there are flared corduroys or dark-denim jeans with long-collar polyester shirts, or vintage cowboy button-up tops with polyester pants. And then there’s old reliable: the thin-tie mod suit with matching parka.

(Those who dare to dress outside the norm beware. Odds are that those who do practice the resident styles will abandon their poker faces to give a telling, critical look.)

The crowds are turning out for what bartender Tami Reingewirtz calls, simply, “good music.” She and resident DJ Jimi Hey started organizing Thursdays at the club in January, and he spins mostly power pop from the mid-’60s and ‘70s. Favorites run the gamut from Primal Scream, the Zombies and the Boys to Graham Parsons, Neil Young and My Bloody Valentine (a little ‘80s thrown in there). But the club is also a hot spot for bands with sounds in some way derived from those unforgettable decades in rock ‘n’ roll.

Reingewirtz, under pressure from musician friends, decided to add a set from a live band each week--an interesting proposition considering there’s really no stage among the dark and cozy wood-paneled rooms. The bands perform on a split-level floor in the back bar area--but no one seems to mind.

Since Reingewirtz started booking bands, she’s been bombarded by unsolicited demos. And while she’s happy to provide an outlet for her favorite groups, she never intended to become a Hollywood club booker.

That said, Beachwood Sparks, Small Stone, Whiskey Biscuit and the Tyde--all of whom have some country-flavored ‘60s and ‘70s twang to their songs--are current favorites. On a recent night, a young man with a shaved head, an attitude and a rebellious cigarette sat staring at the accordion player and singer for Whiskey Biscuit--Jason Mason. But most eyes in the area were fixed on the guy strumming spoons on a metal washboard hanging around his neck. This is rock ‘n’ roll with down-home flavor.

Gamblers take note: The live music is said to begin around 10 p.m., but don’t bet on it. Quite often the band of the night doesn’t take the stage until 11:30 or later.

By then, the two rooms are completely packed with people socializing, drinking or just concentrating on looking cool as they cling to the walls and each other. It takes a certain amount of attitude to feel at home in the place, but it’s not impossible to blend in. A similar taste in music brings the people all together.

Maybe the promoters at Three Clubs should dub Thursdays their Full House night. Considering all the good cards you’re dealt upon entering--the stylish people, the cool atmosphere, the free admission and the intimate musical experience--it’s generally a winning hand to play.

BE THERE

Three Clubs, 1123 N. Vine St., Hollywood. Open 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. No cover. 21 and older. (323) 462-6441.