An Old-Fashioned Mix of Brew, Bands

The Lochness Monster met its match in Art Jong. The Lochness, a beer-soaked dive in Pasadena now known as the Old Towne Pub, had been through four owners in two decades. Jong, a streetwise tough who grew up in South-Central L.A., was eager to find a way out of his family’s business.

He placed his bet on the bar.

The son of Chinese immigrants, Jong gained his entire work experience at his parents’ grocery store in one of L.A.’s rougher neighborhoods. He packed a pistol before he was old enough to drive, graduated from Cal State L.A. and socked away money. In 1990, he sank his life savings into this watering hole off an alley in Pasadena.

Jong proved to be the right guy for this good-time hole in the wall. He’s built a scene that’s become a favorite hangout for Pasadena locals and musicians from the San Gabriel Valley. Although he knew nothing about the bar biz, he says he knew a lot about hard work.

“It was the biggest gamble of my life,” he says. “But I looked at it like a business opportunity. I just prayed I wouldn’t lose everything.”

The early days were so tight Jong couldn’t afford to pay $3 to park each night. In between checking IDs and serving beers, he moved his car three or four times a night to avoid parking tickets. There was plenty of street parking back then in Old Town Pasadena, which was just starting its metamorphosis from low-rent district to upscale destination.

Now, the pub--tucked out of sight in an alley off Fair Oaks Avenue--is smack in the middle of a trendy pedestrian district. But inside, nothing feels trendy about it. The 100-year-old building, made of red brick from floor to ceiling, used to be a horse stable for the Pasadena Fire Department. (Talk about back in the day.)

If you go to the pub today, you might mistake Jong for the bouncer. He’s a burly guy, usually found at the door collecting the cover fees to pay the band. Although he matches the pub’s roughhewn style, he’s got an easy attitude and everyone seems to know him.

The Old Towne Pub serves only beer, but it’s got about 40 varieties behind the bar. A wide variety of local rock acts keeps the joint jumping. Among the bands that put the pub on the map are Snotty Scotty and the Hankies, the first band to play the pub back in 1990.

When the band Cid is on the calendar, arrive early. The all-star dream team, featuring John Vatos and John Avila from Oingo Boingo, attracts a sell-out crowd. Even Diamond Dave wanted in on the action, showing up unannounced one night to play for an entire hour.

On Wednesdays, the rockabilly band Ramblin’ James and the Billy Boppers, featuring players from Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys, keeps toes tapping. Although the venue is small, with an indoor capacity of fewer than 100, guests can also hang out on the patio and still hear the band.

In a neighborhood that increasingly overflows with retail and restaurant chains, the Old Towne Pub retains the independent, art-damaged flavor of pre-gentrification Pasadena.

And Jong still runs it like a one-man show. He mans the door most nights. He’s the guy stocking the beer, answering the phones and booking the bands. But while he’s doing that, he’s also formulating his next big bet on a bar.

Next time, he says, it’s going to be on a tropical resort island.

Old Towne Pub, 66 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. 21 and older, cover varies (usually $3-$5). (626) 577-6583.