ROCK OF ALL AGES CLUB IS OUTLET FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - There was a day when you could get a coffee drink and hear some solid punk music. Then those places closed.

Then there was the club where teen bands played on special nights designated for younger audiences. Then that closed.

In the meantime, sports complexes flourished and every available flat spot with grass is the site of a soccer match, with another team waiting on the sidelines.

But for musicians under 21, there was simply no place to play.

Command Audio on Oak Avenue in Canyon Country offered studio space for rehearsal and recording, but zoning and permits made holding a concert there out of the question.

The city of Santa Clarita sponsors semimonthly concerts through its Third Friday program at its Activities Center, featuring local high school bands. Phil Lantis, who oversees arts programs for the city, acknowledged the shortage of performance venues.

In hopes of turning that trend around, brothers Bret and Kevin Lieberman and friend Christopher Cook opened Suburbia, a new all-ages club, on Sept. 30. The club, next to Command Audio at 26846 Oak Ave., will host concerts on weekends under the auspices of the trio's company, Higher Level Productions.

``It's open to anyone who appreciates music,'' Cook said. ``We worked the street fair last week and all day long we were hearing from kids that they loved the music and felt it was the first time the city's embraced them.''

All three have day jobs that make this venture possible: Cook works as a graphics artist and part-time recreation aide for the city of Santa Clarita and the Lieberman brothers teach at Golden Valley High School.

``We were getting e-mails all the time from kids telling us they had no place to go, that every club was 21 or over,'' Bret Lieberman said. ``It was all over MySpace (a blog site aimed at teenagers) that there was no place to go in Santa Clarita.''

Bret is the frontman, booking the acts and working promotions; Kevin does lights and marketing and rigs the stage for shows; Chris is the designer and sound man. The HLP logo, a laughing Buddha wearing headphones, seems to illustrate the trio's intent in opening the club.

``We wanted to have a place where the kids can have a place to hang out where it's safe,'' Bret Lieberman said. ``We welcome parents to walk through and see the place, most of them take a look and leave happy. They can drop their kids off and not worry about them; the bands love it that they can play and we can get a couple hundred kids in here on Fridays and Saturdays to have a good time.

``And they can do whatever kind of dancing they want. They don't have to conform, there's no five-foot apart requirement, nobody's watching for freak dancing.''

Cover charges vary depending on the events.

``All three of us have been involved in the music scene on several levels. We've all had our own bands and played in L.A. at the Whiskey or Roxy, but it's hard to get your friends to support you when they have to drive an hour down there and an hour back. Not all of these kids have transportation, either, so they can get a ride here and enjoy the music.''

Higher Level produces all the promotional materials and engineers the shows, leaving the bands to concentrate on their music.

``We know how hard it is to make fliers and get the word out,'' Cook said. ``We try to help them promote themselves.''

Concerts are scheduled Oct. 21 and 22 with a special Halloween costume party set for Oct. 28 sponsored by Anthem Board Shop, a local retailer with a large teen clientele. Tickets for the Halloween show are $10 per person. For information on shows or special events, visit their Web site at www.hlproductions.com or go to www.myspace.com/higherlevel.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Bret Lieberman, Christopher Cook and Kevin Lieberman, from left, opened club Suburbia in Canyon Country.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer