Drawing New Believers to the Fold

Silver Lake on a wet Wednesday night--who knows what treasures lie hidden along its deserted streets and nondescript alleyways? The locals know. And quite a few of them head to the best dive in Silver Lake for the Fold, an eclectic musical experience at the Silverlake Lounge.

This ugly jewel generates strange visions. Clumps of shimmery balloons hang from the ceiling. Pastel streamers twist out from the shadowy walls. One side of the room is a black-painted bar with mirrors behind it. The other side is one long bench made of wood, where most people sit. And, at the back, a sparkling black and silver curtain frames a shallow and wide stage.

In the bar area, encased in a clear tabletop, are pictures of Madonna and Marilyn Monroe. On second look, they are drag queens, maybe even the very ones who sing karaoke here on weekends, when the Fold isn’t in effect. But Mondays through Thursdays, Scott Sterling and his monstrous Cerwin-Vega speakers turn this well-worn lounge into a cutting-edge music club, the Fold.

Sterling began the Fold in April 1997 at the Silverlake Lounge to bring what he calls “a diverse set of music” to the L.A. club scene. “I wanted to feature bands that did not fall into one specific genre,” he says. After a brief and unsuccessful stint at the Silverlake Lounge, he moved the Fold to the Chorus Club, a larger all-ages venue just north of Koreatown. The location was a deterrent to its success, so a year later the Fold moved back to the Silverlake Lounge.

The crowd at the Fold is as varied as the music. Some are locals out to meet new people. Others come solely for the music. The club has established a regular crowd, which takes some of the pressure off bands, who often have to guarantee a turnout.

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The musical selection on a recent Wednesday featured a prominent band on the L.A. scene, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, better known as BRMC. The natives of San Francisco had residency at the Fold on Wednesday nights during September. Their bass line-driven songs are reminiscent of the Stone Roses circa 1991. And with powerful songs like “Rifle,” BRMC has no trouble getting the audience to move to the beat. Frontmen Rob Turner and Peter Hayes make little eye contact with the audience, but they don’t have to. The audience is awed--and rightfully so.

Supporting the headliners are their buddies Silent Gray and Western. And even though all of these bands share a British pop influence (Silent Gray is inspired by the Smiths, and Western has a singer who’s a dead ringer for Pete Townshend), on another night they might share a different theme.

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Sterling likes to book everything from psychedelic pop-rock bands to acoustic singer-songwriters. Bands like And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead make a Joy Division-esque depression seem enjoyable. Mia Doi Todd’s voice, out of another era, convinces you that there is “no room for maidens.” Handsome Family creates musical chaos that can split brain cells in any ordinary human. And the Devics conjure up musical interludes disturbing enough for David Lynch and a “Twin Peaks” entourage. No matter what kind of taste you have, the Fold is there to entice you to take a bigger bite.

Somehow it’s the diversity that draws a consistent crowd. Don’t like the music? Come back tomorrow.

Maybe the Silverlake Lounge isn’t anything fancy, but maybe that’s why so many feel at home there. Sterling hangs a sign made of white lights that reads “Salvation” above the stage each night the Fold is in business. And considering the remarkable music selection available in such a down-to-earth place, maybe he’s telling the truth.

BE THERE

The Fold at the Silverlake Lounge, 2906 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake. Mondays to Thursdays, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $5 to $8 cover. (323) 666-2407.