Breaking the Ice to Develop Fullerton House

Avalon Attractions is continuing a step-by-step experiment that one of its bookers hopes will establish the Ice House in Fullerton as a regular stop for touring alternative-rock bands.

Encino-based Avalon, one of Southern California’s leading pop concert promoters, began the experiment last month with a sold-out show by the techno-industrial bands My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Ethyl Meatplow. Pleased with the way that went, Avalon staffer Les Borsai, who is promoting the Ice House shows, will continue with a triple bill Oct. 30, featuring guitar-rockers Redd Kross, the Doughboys and Flop.

Over the past few years, small-time, independent promoters have attempted occasional shows by local bands at the Ice House, a high-ceilinged, rectangular brick building near the Fullerton Amtrak station that once was the site of an ice-making operation. Avalon would have the clout to bring interesting national talent to the venue.

“I want this place to happen,” said Borsai, a young promoter who grew up in Anaheim. Borsai envisions making the 587-capacity Ice House a regular stop for bands that typically skip Orange County because there is no small- to mid-size venue here except the 480-capacity, sit-down Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. “When I lived in Orange County I didn’t want to drive to L.A. to see a show,” Borsai said. “I’d rather stay in Orange County to see the same band.”

For the Ice House to become a regular stop on rock bands’ itineraries, Fullerton city officials will have to be satisfied with crowd-control measures.

Last month’s show was “handled properly enough that they’ll let us do another,” Borsai said. “If we do it right, we’ll be able to do more.”

Borsai said that one hurdle he must overcome is a ban on night-of-concert walk-up sales that city officials have imposed. Walk-up sales accounted for nearly half the attendance at the September concert, Borsai said, and he hopes to get the restriction dropped before the Oct. 30 show.

However, Bob Linnell, a Fullerton city planner who has advised the Planning Commission on regulations concerning concerts at the Ice House, said that the no walk-up policy could not be changed without a public hearing and that it would be impossible to schedule a hearing before Oct. 30. Advance tickets are available through TicketMaster outlets.

“I think it’s a learning process,” Borsai said. City officials “don’t want people (milling around) outside, and we haven’t yet proven to them, in their eyes, that we can control crowds.”

Borsai said he is confident that, as shows continue, city officials will come to trust Avalon’s ability to provide effective security and crowd control.

Linnell said the ban on walk-up sales has been in effect since the summer because of disturbances early this year at an Ice House concert run by a different promoter. There were no problems at Avalon’s September show, Linnell said, adding that the prohibition on walk-up sales was waived for that concert because there was a “misunderstanding as to what the conditions were.” Now the rules are clear, he said, and promoters can expect police to enforce the ban on walk-up sales.

“We’re trying to work out the best way to handle this to protect everybody’s interests,” Linnell said. “If we can work out an agreement acceptable (to Avalon and the Ice House management) and still address the Police Department’s concerns, great.”

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In an interesting musical match, Warren Fitzgerald, a young Huntington Beach guitarist who is one of the wildest players and stage performers on the Orange County rock scene, has won a spot in the expanded lineup of Oingo Boingo that will play at Irvine Meadows on Oct. 29-30.

In his main band, Xtra Large, and his side-project, the Vandals, Fitzgerald typically has wailed freely on guitar, playing metal-tinged punk rock while roaming stages and climbing about nightclubs with unpredictable moves of the don’t-try-this-at-home sort. Oingo Boingo, by contrast, emphasizes musical precision behind main-man Danny Elfman. However, given his penchant for unfettered stage work, Fitzgerald did show surprising discipline in his work as guitarist and producer of Xtra Large’s strong 1992 debut album, “Now I Eat Them.”

Boingo manager Lara Engel said Fitzgerald is one of three to five musicians who will augment the band’s regular lineup in an upcoming series of five California dates, ending with the Irvine Meadows shows.

“They seem to like the energy Warren brings to the band,” said Jon St. James, who manages Xtra Large. St. James said Fitzgerald was recommended to Oingo Boingo by Kevin Moran, the talent scout who signed Xtra Large to Giant Records. Oingo Boingo’s next album will also be on Giant.

Fitzgerald isn’t the only Xtra Large member whose services have been in demand by bigger-name rockers. Josh Freese has spent the past few months touring as the drummer in Paul Westerberg’s band. Given those Xtra-curricular activities, St. James said, Xtra Large won’t be able to reconvene to record its second album until mid-December.

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A glitch has developed in the Butch-and-Sundance approach that has been the hallmark of the promising Orange County/Long Beach band One Hit Wonder. Namely, Butch (or was it Sundance?) has ridden off in search of greener pastures with a new band that already has a major-label recording contract in its saddlebag.

Robbie Allen and Dan Root, both veteran sidemen on the local punk-alternative scene, founded One Hit Wonder in mid-1992 to showcase their abilities as singers, songwriters and guitarists.

But Allen recently joined Rob Rule, a new band that will record for Mercury Records. That leaves Root and the two other members of One Hit Wonder, bassist Randy Bradbury and drummer Chris Webb, looking for a new partner who can sing and play the guitar.

“It was really a weird scene,” Allen said of his decision to switch bands. “I told (One Hit Wonder) ‘I’m willing to do both things if you guys are willing to wait for me to get done with the recording and touring (by Rob Rule).’ Understandably, they were not willing to do that.”

Rob Rule is a nickname Allen acquired during his six-year stint as a roadie with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He said the new band was founded by Dave King, former guitarist of Mary’s Danish, who invited him to join, then appropriated Allen’s nickname for the band.

Allen said he will be a guitarist, songwriter and backup singer in Rob Rule, which will be fronted by Eddie Anisko, a 19-year-old newcomer from New Jersey.

Root, in a separate interview, said his erstwhile sidekick’s decision to switch horses had strained, but not destroyed, their long-standing friendship.

“I always had the feeling that Robbie was looking for something that was going to pay off quicker,” Root said. “Everyone’s got to make a living, but I think we’ve got just as good a chance as anybody for the brass ring. I’ll just keep on grabbing. The bottom line is I wish him luck, and I’m sure he’ll be successful, but we’ve got to watch out for us.”

Root said that One Hit Wonder recently hooked up with New York-based manager David Krebs and is planning to release an EP on his independent Rock World label next year. The band’s first release, recorded with Allen, will be an upcoming vinyl-only EP for the local Doctor Dream label.

One Hit Wonder will play as a trio Saturday night at Club Mesa, 843 W. 19th St., in Costa Mesa, on a bill with Joyride and the Loved Ones, a new band featuring local punk veteran Rik L Rik.