A cure for the blues

The neon sign behind the nurse reads “Prescriptions,” and she’s doing a brisk business serving over-the-counter medication. She’s wearing a cleavage-boosting black zip-up dress -- the kind that leads to prepubescent “naughty nurse” fantasies -- and those cozying up to the counter are far from the geriatrics who line up at pharmacies across L.A. The dozen or so people around the bar appear to be in their 20s or early 30s, and the one picking up his order is sporting a retro-chic handlebar mustache.

It’s a Thursday night, and although business isn’t exactly bumping at Club Good Hurt (where up to 300 patrons pack the place on Fridays and Saturdays), the red-haired “nurse” is keeping her customers happy. She’s Sarah Fritz, 31, a bartender at the club, and though she (and the other similarly attired bartenders who work through the week) is often the first thing people mention when they talk about the 2-year-old venue, the room is beginning to garner a reputation as one of the better places for fledgling L.A. bands to get a start.

Rayon is one of those bands, a Silver Lake indie-rock trio that is making its first appearance at Good Hurt tonight. “I heard about it through friends. [They told] me about the waitresses dressed in these really nifty nurse outfits,” says Walter Ensign, the band’s singer-guitarist.

Once he played the club, though, he realized it wasn’t just about eye candy. “This place [has] a really cool vibe,” he says. “The sound system’s really good too.”

In fact, to L.A. bands used to playing dumpy dives in Hollywood, the Westside club is a welcome change for much more than its bright, clear sound.

Red and blue plastic art-deco chairs circle the mid-sized dance floor, two tidy pool tables do steady business at the back of the club and comfy, well-worn couches line the sides, with sightlines facing the corner stage.

Projections light the walls, some of which are adorned with cutting-edge artwork from local artist Geza-X. Paintings range from surreal landscapes to a portrait of Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis, and a bio of the artist is positioned on the wall next to the bar.

Drinks, of course, follow the medical theme: You can order a fruity “Transfusion” or a bitter “Ta-Kil-Ya,” both made with doubled-up soju and agave -- substitutes for vodka and tequila, so the club doesn’t violate its beer-and-wine-only liquor license.

The atmosphere is part of the long-term plan envisioned by owner Corey Trevor.

Like most bar owners in L.A., he’s young -- 25 -- but unlike many, he’s not jaded about the L.A. music scene. Though some bars have slowly done away with live music in favor of less-expensive DJ nights, the Good Hurt has gone in the opposite direction, eschewing dance parties to give local bands exposure. Even so, it’s band-friendly; the Good Hurt doesn’t work with the pay-to-play policy of the more competitive Hollywood bars.

There’s also no specific “sound” the Good Hurt is targeting: Bands range from jazz to hair-metal, sometimes mixing genres on the same night, with Trevor and booker Alec Ziegler combing through demos for talent.

“We enjoy being an ‘everything’ venue, and we enjoy booking every type of live music -- as long as it’s within the realm of what we’re deeming to be ‘cool,’ ” Trevor says. “As far as the bands being able to live up to their word of being able to pack the house, we do the research. We’ll go to the website; we’ll call other venues.”

Soon, there will be even more to the Good Hurt: Trevor is renovating the space adjacent to his Venice Boulevard location. He envisions an all-ages coffee shop, pizza parlor and specialty clothing house. He also plans to offer an in-house graphic designer to help bands come up with logos and print shirts.

Though a second room still looks like it’s in the beginning stages of a remodel, Trevor’s optimistic that it’ll be up and running in just a few weeks.

The new room will continue with the medical theme that Trevor said came to him in a dream, a theme that, surprisingly, goes over as well with the female customers as it does with the males.

“The little bartender’s cute,” says Jessica Levey, who came to the club to see the band the Westminster Abbey.

“Her nurse’s uniform, that’s cute!”

And Fritz, the bartender, says that customers “get it.” “Everybody’s been amazingly respectful,” she says. “Everybody gets the joke. We’re campy. We’re not strippers. It’s supposed to be fun.”

While she’s talking, she’s interrupted by a customer, a brunet woman in her 20s with a tight T-shirt and tighter jeans. But she’s not looking for a drink. “Your outfit is awesome!” she says. Fritz smiles. She’s heard it before.

Jeff Miller can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

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Club Good Hurt

Where: 12249 Venice Blvd., L.A.

When: Nightly from 8 p.m.

Price: Cover varies; usually $7 or less

Info: (310) 390-1076 or www.goodhurt.net