A Personal Vibe

NEWPORT BEACH — In the new Palm Street Beach Club, Mark Wood has realized his vision for a place where live music and good food coexist.

He is not only the fledgling establishment’s owner, bookkeeper, soundman and part-time entertainer but also a singer-songwriter-bandleader who has been eking out a living on the local music scene for 15 years. With this 185-seat club on the Balboa Peninsula, he offers an alternative to the impersonal vibe and trendiness found in many larger, established nightspots.

Previously the Bubbles Balboa Club, Palm Street opened in mid-June after renovations to create clear sight lines from nearly every seat or bar stool in the house. The sound and lighting are first-rate. And the menu--which includes appetizers, salads and sandwiches as well as such entrees as medallions of emu and fried calamari chile relleno--should satisfy a variety of tastes and budgets.

Patrons on a recent evening ranged from longtime fans of the performers to a young man carrying a backpack and skateboard to an engineer who described himself as a regular. Ory Conrad, who works at the Irvine-based telecommunications company ICG, says he frequents Palm Street for its food, friendly service and the eclectic lineup of live music.

“You can hear and see something different every night,” he said between sips of his Crown Royale and Coke. “I love seafood, and the Caribbean shrimp scampi and blackened rare ahi are two of my favorite dishes here.”

Wood, 41, believes Palm Street’s survival hinges on quality and a mix of talent.

“My idea here is to provide a place where, seven nights a week, music and good food is the focus,” he said. “Everything’s going well so far, and we’re now starting to get some nice diversity among the musical acts.”

Mondays mean original acoustic music, and it’s alternative-folk on Tuesdays, and blues and jazz on Wednesdays. Wood performs rock, folk and country on Thursdays and Saturdays, and Friday is R&B; night. Sundays offer acoustic or zydeco in the afternoons and big band swing at night. Whew!

Wood said the most popular shows so far have featured an 11-piece R&B; and swing band called Swingtown; guitarist Tom Long; Bruce Wall and the Jazz All-Stars; and the blues-rock of Byron Bordeaux & the Wild Bunch.

A few nights ago, a small but appreciative crowd heard an evening of exceptional acoustic music played by three unheralded singer-songwriters, including Wood, Kerry Getz and Lucy Van Dyke. A veteran singer-songwriter from Newport Beach, Getz delivered brilliant solo acoustic folk, pop and rock. Commitment and maturity frame her artistry, whether she’s singing covers (Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill,” Rikki Lee Jones’ “Chuck E’s in Love” among them) or her own emotional tales of despair, hope and eventual redemption. A warm stage patter and dry sense of humor round out her act.

Wood, who later backed the captivating singer (part Natalie Merchant and part kd lang) Van Dyke on guitar, did a fine job, dazzling at times. Highlights included an echo-y version of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” a country-tinged number about love at first sight titled “One Love,” and a bittersweet ballad that he dedicated to his late father called “Now That You’re Gone.”

The evening was billed as the “Blue Beet Reunion Party” for fans and alumni of that old cafe (now the Sol Grill) in Newport Beach. It was there that he, Pyzow and Getz “got our Southern California careers going,” Wood said.

Wood hopes to revive at Palm Street his American Music Showcase, a monthly series he helped organize in the early ‘90s. It brought together singer-songwriters--novices and veterans--to try out new material, get immediate feedback and discuss the songwriting craft.

“I’d like to get that going again here, too,” said Wood, who previously held the showcase at the Blue Beet and Trocadero in Irvine. “I got the idea back in ’91 while playing songs at a place called the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where I worked on new songs with some very talented, professional songwriters. I’ll tell ya, that kind of supportive environment can really make a difference in boosting your self-esteem.”

* The Palm Street Beach Club is at 211 Palm St., Newport Beach. It opens at 5 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and at 11 a.m. Sundays. Upcoming acts include Swingtown, Friday; Blue Mama (Dennis Roger Reed’s acoustic-blues project), Aug. 18; Day of Days (featuring ex-Voodudes member Jimmy Spungeon), Aug. 22, and the Swingin’ Tikis, Aug. 29. (714) 673-3040.