Westside success story

Five years ago, Jason Valdez, Dan Bradley, Chris Fahey and five others joined forces to take over Club Mesa on West 19th Street in Costa Mesa.

They acquired the punk rock dive, which was known for rowdy shows and a steady clientele of daytime drinkers.

It was one of the first recreational businesses to tackle the Westside, something city officials were excited about then and now.

“I had heard it was coming through and was very much looking forward to it,” said City Councilman Gary Monahan. “The guys had a good track record and a good product. There was only a little concern about the location — it was a tough one.”

The Memphis Group, of which Bradley and Valdez have ownership stakes, opened Memphis Cafe in Costa Mesa’s Sobeca district in 1995 and have had continued success every year.

With a winning combination of music, art, comedy, and a spirit of entrepreneurship, the trio opened the bar. But a major overhaul was needed and Bradley said they literally peeled away the decades as they began their work.

“We love the area — it’s a vibrant area,” Fahey said. “We want to embrace the neighborhood.”

On Thursday, the bar officially kicked off its five year anniversary celebration with live bands, and tonight the bar will host its weekly Bristol Sessions with special guest and house music innovator DJ Charles Feelgood commanding the turntables.

The space that houses Detroit was originally a ‘50s diner — with a cocktail lounge, kitchen and dining area — before it morphed into an Italian restaurant and jazz spot, and later into Club Mesa, Bradley said.

The guys were not only inspired by the city’s push for revitalization, but they really wanted to reinvigorate Costa Mesa’s music scene, which they said thrived when they were growing up.

“In the early ‘80s, there was a plethora of live music venues in Costa Mesa…. This was a hub for music growing up,” Bradley said. “Club Mesa … was sort of the last bastion of those types of clubs.”

Since having hard-core shows did not make for the best business model — cops were often called to Club Mesa and it was not kept in the most pristine condition — the guys went for a different vibe.

“We wanted more indie rock bands and melodic music,” said Fahey, the bar’s booking manager.

The bar programs music and events seven days a week, which is not typical in the area. They have monthly resident bands, which play every Monday night on the intimate stage.

This month, Fahey set up Blvd., a young band with members mostly from San Clemente. It’s made up of guys who grew up with each other, including a former Orange Coast College student. Approaching their fourth year as a band, they’ve really gotten serious about doing the music thing for a living.

“Not working a day job anymore is the goal,” said singer and guitar player David Dennis.

Detroit often embraces young up-and-coming bands as they fight for recognition.

Blvd. certainly has a fighting chance. Each member’s sound is clean and mature beyond their 20-something years. They learned to play their instruments together — Tony Aguiar is on keyboard and guitar, Kurt Allen plays drums, Phil Munsey plays bass and Dennis also moonlights as a skilled kazoo player. Their sound is soulful, and Aguiar said its musings come from Motown music and “music played on K-Earth” 101, an oldies-music radio station.

Their folksy and bluesy tunes could easily have come from a time when Bob Dylan was fueling an antiwar movement or as Violent Femmes carved their space in punk, but it also has an upbeat sound. The repertoire of songs run the gamut of subject matter, with one even about playing shows for drink tickets, something at this point they gladly do.

“One of the most exciting things is seeing bands develop from infancy and then … seeing them do a sold out show,” Valdez said.

Valdez and his business partners have experienced this excitement more than once, and bands like Blvd. could have a promising future if the past holds any clues to the future. Acts like Cold War Kids, Matt Costa, and the 88 all played at Detroit before they were on the radar.

Cold War Kids, which completed its month long residency at Detroit almost a year ago, has drawn great reviews from critics. The band started with relatively few fans, but at a Detroit show this year, sold out the venue in advance.

The band is headlining a U.S. tour and will travel overseas next month for a European tour with Two Gallants. This summer they played South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, and were signed to Downtown Records. Cold War Kids manager Brett Williams said the only place in Orange County they want to play is Detroit.

“They gave us our start in Orange County basically…. It’s such a cool bar,” Williams said. “The small stage is good. The sound is good. The guys love playing there because there’s lots of vibe because it’s so small and the stage is not that tall and it involves the crowd a lot.”

The small stage has also played host to some musical heavy hitters, including four out of five members of hip-hop group Jurassic Five, legendary rock band Sonic Youth and the late Elliott Smith.

The guys aren’t afraid of competition, but rather welcome it so the revitalization of the area can continue. Ubiquity Records, Avalon and eVocal are open in the area, adding to its eclectic mix of fashion, music and art. The Westside also serves as a hub of the action sports and fashion industries with companies like Volcom, Hurley, Paul Frank, Factor54 and others just down the street.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Blvd., October’s resident band at Detroit Bar

WHERE: 843 West 19th St., Costa Mesa

WHEN: Around 9 p.m. Mondays through the end of October

COST: Free

INFO: www.myspace.com/blvd or www.detroitbar.com