by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

It seems the historic building at 129 Harvard Avenue, formerly home to The Press, will remain vacant for the time being. The prime Village spot, which barring obstacles will be the 11^th location of the Finney’s Crafthouse chain, has been sitting idle for several months with paper on the windows.

But despite what may seem like a project in limbo, Finney’s co-owner Brad Finefrock says plans are proceeding at the circa 1929, 3,804 sq. ft. structure.

“The Claremont Planning Commission and the Historical Design Board have approved us and we are waiting for the planning department to issue us a building permit,” Finefrock wrote in an email Monday.

If all goes smoothy, Finney’s could be open early next year. “February looks good,” Finefrock wrote.

I for one think the Westlake Village-based chain will work pretty well in the Village. My wife and I escaped blast furnace temperatures on Sunday and headed north to Ventura — where it was a heavenly 72 degrees — and for the second time had lunch at Finney’s on Main Street. The prices aren’t crazy, the menu is diverse, and the food’s pretty good. The vibe at Finney’s Ventura was festive and fun. I’m rooting for Finney’s to add some mid-priced excitement to the Village’s crowded restaurant scene.

‘Free LSD’ in Claremont

That headline kind of grabs you, doesn’t it?

Speaking of art and creators, musician, songwriter and now filmmaker Dimitri Coats will be hosting a special screening of “Free LSD,” his directorial debut, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 6 at the Laemmle Claremont 5 theater.

The 54-year-old Claremont resident has been on the road the past couple of weeks promoting the film, which he also wrote, and performing in select cities on a farewell tour with his ferocious heavy rock band, OFF! The band’s legendary lead singer, Keith Morris, stars in “Free LSD,” which is also the name of the band’s fantastic 2022 album, apparently its last, and is the soundtrack to the film.

Yeah, I know, it’s a lot of information, but it’s worth parsing. Coats has been a musician and songwriter of note since first coming to prominence with Burning Brides in the early 2000s. In 2009, guitarist Coats and former Black Flag and current Circle Jerks vocalist Morris, along with Redd Kross bassist Steven McDonald and Hot Snakes/Rocket from the Crypt drummer Mario Rubalcaba, formed OFF!, billed by promoters at the time as a “punk rock supergroup.” OFF! has since released a range of critically acclaimed singles, EPs, and albums, and since 2021 has boasted a new rhythm section of bassist Autry Fulbright II (And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead) and well-known jazz drummer Justin Brown (Thundercat).

I’ve always admired the band’s muscular brutality, and I imagine I am far from alone in being profoundly disappointed to hear their Friday, July 26 show at the Belasco in downtown Los Angeles will be their farewell performance. I’ll be there with my 18-year-old daughter Lucy, who is a massive OFF! fan. It promises to be bittersweet, but it will be nice to see the band go out on top, seemingly at the apex of their power.

I’ll also be there August 6 for the Claremont Laemmle screening of “Free LSD,” which, if the advance promo clips are any indication, should be a blast. The Q&A to follow with Coats and Morris, moderated by acclaimed Claremont musician/songwriter/author Dennis Callaci, will also no doubt be entertaining, as Morris is one of the great interviews in rock ‘n’ roll.

And though OFF! will soon be no more, I’m interested to see where Coats takes his nascent filmmaking career. Several other musicians have made the leap to directing, notably Questlove with 2021’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning “Summer of Soul,” and also David Byrne and Ice Cube, among others.

Morphing from songwriter/guitarist to screenwriter/director is rare, but Coats has done it. And as he told me in September 2022, on the occasion of the release of OFF!’s “Free LSD” record, filmmaking “really does incorporate every journey that’s brought me here: it’s storytelling, it’s acting, it’s photography, it’s music. I just feel like I’m built for it.”

Live music update

The much lamented loss of The Press — the last full-time live original music venue in town which closed its doors in March 2020 and never reopened — is old news by now. Finney’s, as Finefrock told me in October 2023, will not feature live music.

On the bright side, Claremont still has a few remaining spots that periodically book original, non-tribute acts, including Walter’s. The spring-summer Friday Nights Live series continues, sometimes offering original music. The Back Abbeyand Union on Yale regularly host some great original acoustic music acts. Garner House has been home to some epic performances over the past few years, including by hometown star Ben Harper, at periodic tribute shows and other special events, and will do so again this Saturday with the Treasury of Claremont Music Concert. Ophelia’s Jump in Upland also books the occasional interesting original music showcase. And, if one is feeling adventurous, the good ol’ Hi Brow on Foothill Boulevard, just west of Claremont, has been known to host a songwriter or two.

As per always, live original music continues to thrive at multiple venues in the nearby Pomona Arts Colony, which seems immune to the recent proliferation of tribute and cover bands.

All is certainly not lost. It’s just not as geographically convenient as it once was to find interesting writers singing their songs. The nonprofit Claremont Music Scene (claremontmusicscene.com) is ramping up its profile of late in hopes of providing a comprehensive hub for music fans, and I’m rooting for them too. Give ‘em a follow. Perhaps one day Claremont will again be blessed with an adventurous, full-time live music venue. Until then, fans of original music may need to dig a little, but it’s out there.