10 years later, O.C. still rocks

By ROBERT KINSLER
Special to the Register

It has been 10 years since I was asked if I wanted to write a weekly column about the local music scene for the Orange County Register. Since penning a profile on Huntington Beach dance outfit HYPE! that ran Aug. 1, 1995, I have written about hundreds of area musicians and I continue to be surprised and thrilled by the range and excellence of music being crafted in the county I have called home since age 2.

While HYPE! called it quits not long after it was profiled in Orange Pop, many of the artists I wrote about in the beginning of their respective journeys have enjoyed long careers. Fullerton's Lit, Irvine's Trespassers William, Costa Mesa's Fenians and Dana Point's Something Corporate are among the groups I championed after hearing early demos; all have gone on to enjoy international success.

And just as importantly, I have used the column to celebrate the work of scene veterans such as Walter Trout, Michael Ubaldini, Lee Rocker, Kerry Getz and Rusty Anderson, artists who were already recognized for accomplishments a decade ago but have since produced even stronger work.

Unlike many areas of the country where there is an eruption of a music scene followed by a sudden lack of interest - Seattle and San Diego come to mind - Orange County's scene has thrived as a kind of farm system.

Many of the artists who are spawned in O.C. hit commercial pay dirt and relocate to L.A. (Sugar Ray, No Doubt). But increasingly, much of Orange County's homegrown talent is staying put. Lit, Social Distortion, the Offspring, Trout and famed power-pop tunesmith Walter Clevenger are well-recognized musical heroes who have helped provide traction for the scene.

Even the most talented artists couldn't do it alone. Venues such as the legendary Coach House, Galaxy Concert Theatre, Anaheim House of Blues, Martini Blues in Huntington Beach, Renaissance Dana Point and Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest feed off a steady stream of new talent. And high-profile events such as the Hootenanny, Doheny Blues and Doheny Days festivals, as well as the Orange County Fair and Orange International Street Fair, showcase local acts and thus generate new audiences for original music.

A special nod goes to talented singer-songwriter-producer Joe Ongie (currently a member of Minnie Driver's band; it performs with Chris Isaak at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Saturday night) and wife Catherine Graziano, owners of the Gypsy Den cafes in Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. The couple have championed cutting-edge artists such as Michael Miller, John Hoskinson, John Carrillo, Sherman Fowler, Joy Flying and countless others over the past 10 years.

Check out www.gypsyden.com for more information.

Although I would be the last one to bet which of today's unknowns has a shot at greater glory, I'm sure you will read about many of them here long before you see them on MTV or hear them on commercial radio.

While my two favorite casualties of the O.C. scene are '90s outfits Altered State and Eli Riddle (seek out their out-of-print CDs via the used market; I found eBay sellers offering both bands' releases for under $1 in searches this week), here is a list of some of my favorite Orange County artists making music today:

Irish/Celtic:the Fenians, the American Wake, When Pigs Fly! Hugh Lehane, Tintangel

Punk/post-punk: Throw Rag, RX Bandits, Obsolete Heart, Mind Driver

Rock 'n' roll (includes power-pop, modern rock, California rock): Limbeck, Scarlet Crush, Beyond 7, Thrill Deluxe, 9 Ball, Joy Flying, Vale, Bodie, Walter Clevenger & the Dairy Kings, Kenny Howes, My Favorite Band, George Fryer Combo

Funk/Latin/jam rock: NAFRO, Bayadera, Ken Garcia Band

Electronica/ambient/synthpop:Color Theory, Sunset Room, Hans Karl, the Royal Visionaries

Singer-songwriters: Kerry Getz, Jannel Rap, John Carrillo, Joe Ongie, Niki Smart, Carol Martini, Michael Miller, Andrewesley, Vanessa Zarate

Blues: Walter Trout, Steve Copeland & Raging Sun, Savage City

Rockabilly/Americana/bluegrass:Michael Ubaldini, Lee Rocker, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Kelly Bowlin, Lilies of the West

Alt country: Fletcher Harrington, Fit 2-B Tied, Topeka

Jazz: Sherman Fowler

Rap: Kelly B., Mr. MJ