Bar in a time capsule

IT’S midnight in the Mile High Club, the upstairs lounge at the Airliner, a Lincoln Heights nightclub that’s been around since 1915.

Bloodshot Bill is strumming his guitar with the fury of a man who’s been two-timed by his favorite gal. Calling his style “rockabilly trash barbecue punk,” he growls with fervor. The only clue he’s not from around these parts is the lack of ink on his pale white forearms.

The Montreal singer is just the kind of offbeat entertainment you’ll stumble upon at the Airliner, an off-the-beaten-path venue that’s breathing new life into its Eastside ‘hood.

“The neighborhood really needed it,” says April Gallegos, a bartender at the 4-month-old nightclub. “We’ve got a lot of young urbanites moving in to this neighborhood and no one wants to drink and drive. They want to stay close to home for their fun and now they can.”

For owners Danny Vega and Luis Quiroz, it was kismet.

“When the Conga Room was first created, it was a Jack LaLanne Health Spa and there were pigeons roosting everywhere,” says Vega, who was the director of operations and a partner in the Conga Room. “When I first walked into the Airliner, there were pigeons and ducks hanging out. I thought, here we go again. It was fate.”

Vega and Quiroz teamed up with partners Ken McClintock and Rick Flanagan -- original founders of the Blue Cafe in Long Beach -- and started dusting off the venue, which had been used to run a catering business in recent years but still retained much of its early 20th century charms.

The first clue that the Airliner has some enchanting history is the terrazzo that greets you on your way inside. Laid into the flooring are the words “The Airliner,” spelled out in Art Deco lettering.

Your next clues are the bar, which is made of vintage black mahogany, and the curved-dropped ceiling, in place since it opened.

The downstairs bar area feels like a cool cross between the Burgundy Room and Beauty Bar, while the upstairs Mile High Club -- with its wooden dance floor and low-key vibe, harks back to Bar Deluxe in its heyday. But in place of a Hollywood crowd is a local crew of neighborhood homeboys and ‘50s-style rockabilly scenesters.

“We realized you don’t see places with this kind of history still intact, and people are really embracing it,” Vega says. “It feels comfortable and authentic.”

THE entertainment varies nightly, but guests can expect to find blues bands, reggae and reggaeton artists, rockabilly, comedy, country music and ‘80s-themed dance nights. Artists such as Latin Grammy winner Poncho Sanchez, King Cotton and White Boy James have already broken in the Mile High Club. And despite minimal advertising, the word on the new nightclub is already getting out.

“The Airliner is a throwback to the classic lounges and dance halls of the ‘30s and ‘40s,” says Moi, an Airliner regular who grew up in the neighborhood. “I remember the old-timers in my neighborhood talking about that place during World War II and the 1950s. It’s almost like an old speak-easy mixed with a cool jazz bar.”

“I like how the club has two levels and two outdoor patios, but the size is still nice and intimate,” says Bobby Mumbles, a promoter who brings the Airliner the bi-monthly ‘50s club, the Breakdown, and Friday’s dance club, Diskoteka. “I’m also a fan of vintage architecture and ‘40s and ‘50s decor. It feels like a time capsule.”

Vega says he’s hoping to inspire growth in the neighborhood.

“I have a vision of a Broadway entertainment district spreading from downtown L.A. all the way through to Alhambra,” he says. “The potential is out there.”

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Heidi Siegmund Cuda may be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

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The Airliner

Where: 2419 N. Broadway, Lincoln Heights

When: noon to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. All ages before 10 p.m.; 21 and older after 10 p.m.

Price: Cover varies

Info: (323) 221-0771; www.airlinerla.com