A PLACE FOR SAINT PATRICK TO PARTY
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Temecula, CA – The scene around T-town has been percolating right along. Across town Full Value Entertainment has been drawing crowds to the ‘Battle of The Bands’ competition leading up to the Temecula Music Fest, host to an eclectic mix of talent last year as was never seen before in this beautiful valley. Believe me, I know. I’ve been here since the only thing around was square dancing, nude hills, and Menifee didn’t have the second ‘e’. I wonder what kind of talent show Bill & Jeney (FVE) will have in store for the valley at this year’s Fest. Up the hill where word is, Jackie and her Promotions are ‘busy as a beaver, what with school and all going on’, says Grandmother Kathy as she putts around town delivering tasty food for Caterer’s Cafe. Down the hill at Java Jo’z show promotion companies like AMP (Amplified Music Promotions) and BurnLounge have been added to the espresso mix with owner James also taking a much more active role in production and booking. “Can you believe it?” he recently intoned to me, “I’ve got a (Christian) band from Maryland contacting me. A band in Maryland contacting a ‘coffee house’ out here in California about playing a show?!” Ivan just chuckled because we were walking out the door and on the way to the movie bus, which was freshly cleaned. Inside the bus was the night’s ‘road trip’ crew, the cheering section for a local band that was returning ‘home’ to Long Beach, CA to play a venue called KHOURY’S, 110 Marina Drive, (562.598.6800, closed Mondays). Besides being a venue, KHOURY’S is also known as ‘The Best Little Fish Grill in Long Beach’ (see soon-to-be posted companion review).
With less time requirements at Java Jo’z, Ivan Promotions has been added to the repertoire of the TVIFF and is back to collecting more footage of bands featured in the trailer. Tonight one of those bands, INVERSE, is playing the show in Long Beach and Ivan is driving. I watch the various colored vista depths of Southern California’s Inland Empire’s shadowed hills roll by a second time as my day job had allowed the same passage earlier. As the bottle of wine is passed all around the ‘sausage party’ sans one, the conversation was one filled with ‘girls’, humor, and music, a pleasant change from charged political debate of past days. Also the hills represent ‘out in the sticks’ where I live, as opposed to where I’m going, ‘the city’. I’m happy living in the sticks, my ‘fast’ sticks that is.
Thanks to expert directions, skilful driving, and light traffic, we get to Long Beach just at nightfall. Finding a parking place reminds me that we are indeed ‘in the city’ as we walk for blocks through various restaurant parking lots, all filled, and past some well dressed folks who seem a little surprised by our gang of 10. When we get to the KHOURY’S, after passing the CRAB POT that due to fancy lettering I took to be ‘the grab pot’ –lookout Ma, the hicks are in town’- I lay eyes on this venue, and I know I’m in ‘the city’. The parking lot is full, people are walking toward the entrance in droves, and this place is huge, as in long and decoratively done with simple lighting, the kind you see down at a wharf, which is exactly where we are, a marina wharf. Walking on a diagonal, we have been walking to the marina, which is a bit more uptown than the beach. The whole atmosphere has a ‘close to the water’ feel to it. We have pre-bought our tickets from the band, so after a short wait we roll in. The place is packed but everyone is in motion. We join the flow of people who are moving into the club’s interior and encounter not one, not two, but three action filled music rooms with stages pumping out live music, with a smoker’s outdoor patio in the middle, and small interior corner hallway/foyer bars inside for convenience. Outside along the outer waterside perimeter next to a wharf dock lies an enclosed patio restaurant all done up with tables, not booths. KHOURY’S has that ‘wow’ factor and provides ample reason why people love living in ‘the city’ like my friend April, from 32 Degree Ice. The smaller second stage presented young acts similar in age to groups that played Madlins, with parents and grandparents watching and cheering along with friends. Though there was a party in every room, none of the band’s music drifted from one room to the next, a truly classy ‘big city’ set-up.
But we were there for INVERSE, who recently added Sal from THE OUTSIDE VIEW and former DOWN INSIDE (‘Fat Bitches’) co-founder, to their line-up. “Sal’s addition has added expansion to the overall INVERSE sound,” said Hannah, bass player Paul’s girlfriend in observation after she had unloaded the two guitars she was carrying. Indeed, INVERSE, formally named NO COMPLY played Madlins back in the day. That was also when I first met Ivan. He was their merch man. Back then they were a band that lived in Long Beach. They played Madlins as the last show stop of their first tour. Tonight’s show performance, if noticed, could get the band on the Queen Mary bill playing with FALL-OUT BOY.
Starting with the first song, INVERSE owned the room, though the sound could have been better mixed. The sound was fuller with a polished stage presence as newbie Sal dueled with Dominic on guitars, Topher smacked the drum beat with crisp passion, Paul rocked the bass end with his curly haired cute self and Hannah beamed satisfaction at her artist, Paul’s recovery and remission of cancer has only added to a feeling of ‘oneness’ from the band, and you can feel it from them all as Trevor does an extemporary job of front man, whether banging out a tune on the piano or climbing atop a monitor to belt out a song’s lyrics to the mesmerized rhythmic crowd. With each of the six songs done, the room got fuller and fuller until it was SRO, with many new ears hearing the band with this fresh sound for the first time. Having seen this band over the years it can be said that their sound has matured and fully blossoms their newer stuff while putting fresh energy into the older numbers. With three stages pumping out music from at least 18 different bands in a night, all doing a max of 30 minutes and a quick efficient load-in and out through a conveniently close exit door, it’s easy to see why KHOURY’S is a giant party palace on this Friday night. We finished the drive back with a stop at Denny’s.