Rocking the gallery walls

The front room of Koo’s Art Center looks like most any contemporary large art gallery, with multiple exhibitions hanging on the walls, a folding table full of information on the artists, and some undistinctive sofas near the back for patrons to rest on. The one difference between Koo’s and other gallery spaces is the large groups of teenagers amassed under the paintings, hanging out in the downtown Long Beach space.

What’s the attraction? What brings kids from Long Beach, Orange County and the South Bay to the modest space?

Walk through a back room and a set of double doors. There’s the draw. There, on any given night, local bands, touring acts and groups from as far away as Europe perform music that ranges from hard-core to indie rock.

“Music and art go hand in hand,” says Dennis Lluy, 31, founder and co-director of Koo’s. “I’ve learned a lot about urban development and in my research you can’t really have a destination without music, art, theater, all the components.”

The hub of the Santa Ana arts district for nine years, Koo’s moved in the summer of 2003 to Long Beach, where it is hoping to duplicate its success as a vortex for youth and arts.

“There’s like an underworld here that’s not exposed because there are very few venues for it,” Lluy says.

With co-director Shelley Rugg Thorp, who handles the art exhibitions, Lluy has been able to already branch much further into visual arts than Koo’s ever was in Santa Ana. Lluy also has plans to stage theater and film festivals, among other events.

A year into its new home, Koo’s has already made a difference in the neighborhood.

“They brought a whole different group of people, younger and hip, to the area. It changed the demographic,” says Kamran Assadi, co-owner of Utopia Restaurant.

The effect of Koo’s, a nonprofit organization, is measured less in numbers, though, and more in the vibe of the venue on any given night. Lluy, whose original idea for Koo’s germinated in his own teenage frustration with the lack of venues in his native O.C., is hoping to create a community center.

“It’s a place for kids who want to find themselves, who want to feel like they’re part of something and that they belong,” he says, adding that the center’s appeal is not limited to kids. “What I’m learning from Koo’s Long Beach is adults need that too. I’m finding people in their 30s and 40s that need the exact same thing so now we’ve got this whole multigenerational thing going on.”

Lluy realizes what brings them in is the music.

“I come about twice a month,” says Andrew Dershimer, 20, of the South Bay. “Usually the type of [acts] I want to see play this venue.”

Koo’s has also become a sort of meeting ground for the regulars. “I see the same people when I come here all the time. And that’s kind of cool,” Dershimer says. “You come here and you know it’s going to be small shows but usually a lot nicer kids than you find at random shows. The kids here tend to be more open to conversation with people they don’t know. So it’s kind of like a small family, a loose family, but a family.”

That attitude extends to the performers as well. Ikey Owens of Mars Volta got his start playing at the original Koo’s and hopes to play the new one soon with his side project, Free Moral Agents. “It’s great to see another all-ages place where people can see shows. Kids seem really happy to be there. You can tell when people appreciate a venue,” he says.

Koo’s has also established a reputation as being a venue that attracts open-minded fans. “I know that even if I’m not familiar with the band, Koo’s tends to get better shows than you would get somewhere else,” Dershimer says.

Lluy has found that willingness to embrace the unknown extends beyond the music to the art.

“It’s just awesome to see kids come to a show and not realize that they’re going to walk into this,” he says, touring the gallery exhibit. “It’s pretty fulfilling just to see them open their eyes up to things they’re not exposed to.”

Steve Baltin can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.