Ready to Rock--en Espanol : 2 O.C. Clubs Will Feature Latin Acts, With One of Them Focusing on Locals

Rock en espanol has been expanding into clubs big and small throughout Los Angeles, and come Sunday, on the eve of Cinco de Mayo, two Orange County clubs will join the burgeoning Southland scene.

Sensations, a dance club in Irvine, kicks off its live Latin rock nights with one of Los Angeles’ top bands, while Club 369 in Fullerton, where alternative rock has dominated the bookings, will put the focus once a week on locally developing rock en espanol groups.

Managers at Sensations--a restaurant-nightclub that during the last two years has had an R&B;/hip-hop music format--say they will decide about more Latin rock shows after they see how Sunday’s concert with L.A. power-pop quartet Pastilla does. The group has released an album for San Francisco independent label Aztlan Records and has been touring nationally.

Club 369 launches what club officials say will be an ongoing series of Latin-rock nights, also on Sunday. The first one will feature alternative-rock band Voz D’Mano headlining a triple bill that also includes disco-hard-core punk group 15 Letras and fledgling pop group Fenix.

The series continues weekly, with two to four Latin rock bands each night. The next show, on May 11, features bilingual psychobilly act Calavera, tropical-ska band Chencha Berrinches and O.C. hard-core band La Mortal.

“We know it’s a risk in Orange County,” club manager Randy Cash said. “But we are willing to take the chance. We’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and we’re finally doing it.”

Club 369 owner Greg Howell seized on the idea to feature local Latin rock acts the day club promoter Miguel Castellanos approached him with it.

“In comparison to other Orange County venues that play rock en espanol, we are a live music venue,” Castellanos said. “With this club opening up we’ll probably get the local O.C. bands out of the woodwork.

“The only thing that I’m worried about now,” Castellanos added, “is that we’ll have to compete with the venues in L.A. that have rock en espanol showcases on Sunday.” He was referring to the highly successful La Banda Elastica magazine’s night at the Dragonfly in Hollywood.

While Anaheim dance club J.C. Fandango’s has given live Latin rock a presence in Orange County by sporadically booking international touring acts, local rock en espanol bands have been limited to roving underground venues ranging from motel basements to warehouses.

Castellanos should find plenty of local acts to choose from. According to La Banda Elastica, the Latin-rock scene’s bible, more than 60 Latin rock bands in the region make up the scene.

Club 369 has showcased just about every form of popular and underground music except country, so venturing into new territory isn’t much of a stretch, Cash said.

Castellanos is getting help with bookings from Orange County Chicano punk rocker Mike “Gabby” Gaborno--who has fronted O.C. bands including Manic Hispanic and Cadillac Tramps and now leads Drive By Smile.

Club 369 managers are hoping that with Gaborno’s reputation and connections in both the Latin rock scene and the O.C. punk scene, they will be successful in closing the cultural gap between Spanish- and English-speaking rock audiences.

* Pastilla plays Sunday at Sensations, 1830 Main St., Irvine. 9 p.m. $5. (714) 724-9776.

* 15 Letras, Voz D’Mano and Fenix play Sunday at Club 369, 1641 N. Placentia Ave., Fullerton. 9 p.m. $7. (714) 572-1816.