By Ethlie Ann Vare
STUDIO CITY, CA (The Hollywood Times, June 21) “I never wanted to be a nightclub owner. It never crossed my mind,” says Bill Lynch, seated stage side at the nightclub he owns and operates with his wife Maggie. “I just wanted to get, you know, money for local musicians. That was it.” Back in 2018, that brainstorm turned into a cozy Woodland Hills bar and grill they called The Write-Off Room. If they weren’t going to make money — and since every musician in town got in free, they weren’t going to make money — maybe they’d get a tax deduction.
“If we had 120 people in there, it would be packed. This place’s occupancy is 270.” Lynch shakes his head as he looks around the newly remodeled space in Studio City that is the Write-Off Room’s new home. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
What happened, of course, was the pandemic. The famed and much-beloved Oil Can Harry’s, the oldest gay bar in the San Fernando Valley, couldn’t afford to keep its doors open and the building’s owners decided to sell. You can’t let a venue like Oil Can Harry’s, which has been a musical hotspot since it first opened in 1936, be anything but a club. When it was known as the Zomba Cafe, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie played there, for goodness sakes as well as The Doors, Van Halen and Lady Gaga. It’s an institution. So, the Lynches, who live right up the hill from the place, bought it.
“The good news was that during those that pandemic time, all the clubs were closed, so we had time to work on the place. Although getting people to come out again, that took a while.”
Bill Lynch is a Kansas City native with an easy smile who has played guitar all his life, working with the likes of Buddy Guy, Leon Russell and Jerry Lee Lewis. “I’ve never had a job,” he grins, although he and his wife have had successful family businesses that helped prop up the club during the inevitable slow times and emergencies. Like if the refrigeration breaks down, or, you know, there’s a worldwide pandemic. Bill and Maggie used to just pay the bands out of pocket, but that’s iffy for an operation this large. So, they’re figuring out how you make a world-class venue on Ventura Boulevard.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” says Lynch. “It sounds great everywhere. We opened in the first place to try and help the locals, but eventually we need to get big names in here and charge a real price for tickets.”
Luckily, plenty of local musicians also have big names. So far, they have had The Doors’ own Robbie Krieger sit in with a Doors cover band. David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer did a gig with veteran songwriter Jeff Barry. Peter Asher jammed with Albert Lee. Randy Bachman of BTO showed up. Billy Vera threw himself a birthday party. Of course, The Bill Lynch Trio — famed R&B rhythm section of drummer James Gadson and bassist Abraham Laboriel complete the band — play on the regular.
They’ve tried burlesque and they’ve done some comedy shows, and The Zomba Lounge upstairs is used for karaoke and staged readings. They have a six-camera live streaming set-up available, and Pro Tools if the band wants to leave with a performance video. But while Oil Can Harry’s had a well-established clientele and an identity (Saturday night is disco night!) The Write-Off Room is still finding its demographic.
“There used to be a model for the music scene,” says Lynch. “People would pick up the LA Weekly and go, ‘Oh, so and so’s playing.’ It’s much more difficult to get the word out now.” So far, their best results are from a neon sign in front of the venue advertising the coming attractions.
Still, Bill Lynch isn’t complaining. “My whole life has been playing music. This is like living your hobby.”
Coming up at the Write-Off Room are a Marvin Gaye Tribute act, a comedy night with Jim Jeffries, Pete Holmes and Aparna Nancherla, and of course the Bill Lynch Trio. As far as what he sees in the future, Lynch winks: “Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ringo walk through the door.”
The Write-Off Room
11502 Ventura Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA, 91604
747.400.4156
