Raji's

Last updated

Raji's was a rock and roll nightclub in central Hollywood, open in the 1980s and early 1990s. [1] It was located in the Hastings Hotel building, 6160 Hollywood Blvd. The space had previously been occupied by a Greek restaurant called The King's Palace.

It was one of the great sweaty, smoke-filled 'dives' of rock. It featured performances by iconic bands such as Green Day, Guns N' Roses, The Flaming Lips, Heatmiser (which featured the late Elliott Smith), Redd Kross, Hole, [2] Jane's Addiction, Thin White Rope, 45 Grave, Arab and The Suburban Turbans, The Untold Fables, The Dream Syndicate, The Lonesome Strangers, Snake Farm, The Billy Bremner Band, The Little Kings, The Shades, Tex & the Horseheads, Lock-Up, Mary's Danish, The Miracle Workers, Social Distortion, The Electric Ferrets, the Mentors, GG Allin, The Nymphs, Blackbird, Clay Idols and Los Lobos, as well as out-of-town acts like Nirvana (as seen on the cover of Nirvana's 7" single, "Sliver"), Pink Fairies, Pussy Galore, Mod Fun and Kyuss. Top-draw local acts like Thelonious Monster, The Muffs, the Red Aunts, The Lazy Cowgirls, Claw Hammer, Beck, Trash Can School, Pigmy Love Circus, Oiler, Kryptonite Nixon, Butt Trumpet, Kill Buddha, the Sacred Hearts, the Creamers, The Humpers, and many other underground music bands found enthusiastic crowds as well.

The club was also a hot spot for musicians, who would often come to watch bands and have drinks. Notable customers included Jonathan Richman, members of R.E.M., Top Jimmy, Gil T, and Carlos Guitarlos (of Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs), Billy Bremner of Rockpile, Nino Del Pesco (The Lonesome Strangers), Viki Peterson (of The Bangles), Texacala Jones or Mike Martt (of Tex & the Horseheads), Bernie Bernstein (The Little Kings), Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers), Pope, Beck, Mike Savage (of Pigmy Love Circus), Texas Terri, and more with an inside few often invited to stay after hours to party with the infamous Danny "Dobbs" Wilson, founder and booker of the club, and his regular cast of characters which included Bernie the doorman, Autumn the bartender, floor security Clint, Tony T, Dirty Ed, The Pope and sound man Brian "Up-stein" Green.

One could see the likes of Dwarves, Spoon, Fishbone, My Other Side, Meat Puppets, Backbiter, Impatient Youth, Red River, Suplex Slam, The Red Devils/Blue Shadows, DC-3, Rage Against the Machine, Dumpster, Dead, White, and Blue, White Zombie, Haunted Garage, Pennywise, Green Day, The Reverend Horton Heat, Top Jimmy, X, The Muffs, Wetherbell, Texorcist, Circle One, The Gears, The D.I.'s, Adolescents, Dogstar, The Uninvited, The Superkools, Claw Hammer, Two Free Stooges, The Flesh Eaters, Continental Drifters, Kyuss, Buglamp, Cake, The Scraps, Two Bass Hit, The Marigolds, The Jack Brewer Band, The Melodiacs, and The Skulls, among countless others.

The venue sustained a lightning bolt gash near the bar due to the Northridge earthquake. The club continued to operate for three months after it was red tagged. A fire marshall shut the venue down for good and Larry Mann moved his operations to Hell's Gate in the then, dangerous Yucca corridor. The building was demolished and is now a parking lot for the MTA.

The Ski Room, a bar located at 5851 Sunset Blvd., a few blocks away from the club's former location, was renamed Raji's and run by the same family that ran the club in its last two years, until 2004, when it closed due to the gentrification of central Hollywood. It's now called The Bar.

Danny "Dobbs" Wilson died in 2010.

Some scenes from Chris Cornell's 1999 music video "Can't Change Me" were shot at the club. [3]

Related Research Articles

Nirvana are an English pop rock band, formed in London, England, in 1965. Though the band achieved only limited commercial success, they were acclaimed both by music industry professionals and by critics. In 1985, the band reformed. The members of the band sued the American band Nirvana over the usage of the name, reaching an out-of-court settlement.

In the United States, California is commonly associated with the film, music, and arts industries; there are numerous world-famous Californian musicians. Hardcore punk, hip hop, country, and heavy metal have all appeared in California. Furthermore, new genres of music, such as surf rock and third wave ska, have their origins in California.

Palm Desert Scene Music culture in Southern California often described as "desert rock".

The Palm Desert Scene is a group of related bands and musicians from Palm Desert, California. Their hard rock sound – sometimes described as desert rock – contains elements of heavy metal, psychedelia, blues, punk, alternative, grunge, and other genres. It often features distinctive repetitive drum beats, a propensity for free-form jamming, and "trance-like" or "sludgy" grooves. The involved musicians often play in multiple bands simultaneously, and there is a high rate of collaboration between bands. The Palm Desert Scene is also notable for fostering stoner rock pioneers Kyuss. The term "stoner rock" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term "desert rock". However, not all Palm Desert scene bands are "stoner rock" and not all stoner rock bands sound exactly like those in Palm Desert. Palm Desert has been named by Blender magazine as "one of the top seven rock n' roll cities in America".

The Cathay de Grande was a nightclub on 1600 Argyle Avenue on the corner of Argyle Avenue and Selma Avenue in central Hollywood, USA, which featured mostly punk rock bands but also other styles of underground/alternative rock in the 1980s. It was almost as well known for rockabilly, cowpunk, the Paisley Underground bands and the beginning of the garage rock revival. It was owned by Michael Brennan. Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs played every Monday night for three years. Violent Psychosis joined every Thursday.

Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs were an American rock and R&B band that emerged from the Los Angeles punk/roots music scene of the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Music writer Chris Morris dubbed them "L.A. punk's house band." This scene also produced bands such as The Blasters, X, Los Lobos, The Gun Club, The Knitters, The Circle Jerks, and The Plugz.

Spaceland

Spaceland was an alternative rock/indie rock nightclub in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, that existed between 1995 and 2011. The club was formerly a popular disco to young locals called Dreams of LA. Spaceland's owner announced the end of the venue in late 2010, with the space continuing to operate under the new name The Satellite.

Ben Bernie American jazz violinist and radio personality

Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie, was an American jazz violinist, bandleader, and radio personality, often introduced as "The Old Maestro". He was noted for his showmanship and memorable bits of snappy dialogue, being part of the first generation of "stars" of American popular music, alongside other artists such as Paul Whiteman, Ted Lewis and Al Jolson.

Bobbie Clarke Musical artist

Bobbie Clarke was an English rock drummer. He was regarded by critics as an important figure in the configuration of early British rock and roll, although he is often chiefly remembered for his long term association as the drummer with Vince Taylor and the Playboys.

Hollywood Rock Brazilian rock music festival

Hollywood Rock was a music festival which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, from 1988 to 1996, featuring both Brazilian and international acts. The festival was sponsored and organised by the Souza Cruz tobacco company, owners of the Hollywood cigarette brand, taking its name from an unrelated festival that occurred in 1975 with an all-Brazilian lineup. After a law was passed by the Senate of Brazil prohibiting tobacco and alcohol companies from sponsoring cultural and sporting events, the festival was cancelled. The festival did not happen in 1989 or 1991.

The Palomino Club was a music venue in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. It opened in 1949 and was the best-known country music club in Los Angeles for decades, closing in 1995. It was called "Country Music's most important West Coast club" by the Los Angeles Times and named national Club of the Year by "Performance" touring talent trade magazine. It featured such performers as the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Delaney Bramlett, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Carver, Jerry Jeff Walker, Hoyt Axton, Tanya Tucker, Jimmy Bryant, and Willie Nelson, and was also a popular hangout for other country entertainers such as Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Jr,, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis played there at least once a year from 1957 to 1987. Elvis Presley at least once strolled in unheralded and took in a set.

Backbiter is a protopunk band from Los Angeles, California that has received national recognition. They played their first show October 23, 1991, at the Shamrock Bar in Hollywood, CA on a bill with Dicktit, the Jack Brewer Band and The Drills. Singer/guitarist Jonathan Hall had been playing in Texorcist and the Angry Samoans with and bassist Heath Seifert. They jammed with drummer Bob Lee and the power trio came together, playing local clubs such as the notable post-punk hangout, Raji's.

Johnny A. American songwriter

John Antonopoulos, known professionally as Johnny A., is an American musician, guitarist, and songwriter.

Smokey Hormel is an American guitarist known for his blues-influenced Americana style and working as a session musician with a wide array of performers.

Jimmy Wakely American singer-songwriter

Jimmy Wakely was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies with most of the major studios, appeared on radio and television and even had his own series of comic books. His duet singles with Margaret Whiting from 1949 until 1951, produced a string of top seven hits, including 1949's number one hit on the US country chart and pop music chart, "Slippin' Around". Wakely owned two music publishing companies in later years, and performed at the Grand Ole Opry until shortly before his death.

Celebrity Skin were a post-punk, glam influenced, hard rock band from Los Angeles, California. They were active from the mid-1980s till the early 1990s.

Warren Klein American musician and songwriter (born 1944)

Warren Klein is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being a founding member & lead guitarist of The Factory with Lowell George, as a member of Fraternity of Man, and for being a guitarist in The Stooges with Iggy Pop in the spring of 1973.

James Allan Berkenstadt is an American writer, record producer, and historical entertainment consultant. Berkenstadt was born in Winnetka, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He is the third of three children born to Lois Berkenstadt, his mother, and Edward Berkenstadt, his father.

Scream was an underground music club in Los Angeles, CA from the mid-80s and into the 90s focusing on glam rock, death rock and industrial rock. Founded by Dayle Gloria, the "Queen of the Sunset Strip" and Michael Stewart, Scream hosted many of the larger rock bands, such as Guns N' Roses, Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sisters of Mercy, 45 Grave, TSOL and Human Drama. It was considered one of the more influential clubs/outlets in L.A./Hollywood due to the signing of many of its of local musical group bookings to major label record companies and its hosting of many of the larger touring acts of the goth/industrial scene.

Devonshire Sound Studios was a music recording studio designed and built by David Mancini located at 10733 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, California. Mancini is also known for designing and building the California Hollywood Recording Studios. The original Devonshire Studio was located in Granada Hills and the original partners were Ray Dewey, Glen Pace, Dick Stricklin and a little later Bill Comstock of The Four Freshmen. Ray met Bill when The Freshmen were recording Ray's song "Girls" for Liberty Records. Originally designed as a production studio, Devonshire soon required more space, more studios, a live chamber, parking, etc. The studio relocated to North Hollywood in 1971 and Mancini became a partner and builder.

Tex Avery Screwball Classics is a series of single-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive unit collecting various theatrical cartoons from animation director Tex Avery during his tenure at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon division between the years of 1942 and 1955. It is the first comprehensive collection of Avery's MGM shorts to be released on home media in North America since The Compleat Tex Avery series of laserdiscs in the 1990s, with many of the shorts having been previously unreleased on DVD or Blu-ray.

References

  1. "All Time Top 25 Rock N' Roll Bars". Whiskey Goldmine. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  2. Brite, Poppy Z. Courtney Love: The Real Story . Simon & Schuster.
  3. "Chris Cornell - Making The Video - Can't Change Me". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22.

Coordinates: 34°6′5.14″N118°19′28.33″W / 34.1014278°N 118.3245361°W / 34.1014278; -118.3245361