Kevin Bronson on February 25th, 2009

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By Monica Alvarez

Dennis Lluy must feel as if he has gone home again. The man behind Koo’s Arts Cafe in Santa Ana (1994-2002), who spent the past five years struggling to make a go of his non-profit in Long Beach, has come back to the Orange County seat. With his Koo’s Inc. in control of operations, the Yost Theatre opens its doors to a wide array of music, film and cultural events.

Already on the calendar are the Bird and the Bee (Thursday), Richard Swift (March 14) and the Parson Red Heads (with We Barbarians, March 25), as well as spoken-word artist Derrick Brown (March 21). On the phone early this week, Lluy was focused on making a good first impression.

“We’re continuing to work to try to make that a good show,” Lluy says of the preparations he and the Yost staff are making for Thursday’s opener with the Bird and the Bee, Melanoid (their record-release party) and Stacy Clark.”  “We are actually getting lighting up today.”

Lluy, a resident of downtown Santa Ana himself, has been working hard on his vision for over 15 years and he has become a key player in the arts movement in Orange County.

“I’m really excited to be back and have a venue like the Yost,” he says of the approximately 800-capacity space, which was shuttered in 1985 before undergoing renovation. “We can really fully realize our vision for what a venue should be – Santa Ana is one of the youngest cities in America. We have so many kids here. It just seems like the area really needs something like the Yost.”

The all-ages venue aims to mount at least three shows per week. Where does Lluy see the Yost fitting in, compared to Los Angeles venues?

“I think it’s going to be a little bit of the El Rey, a little bit of the Echo,” he says. “We’re going to be bringing in a lot of the bands that are going to be playing through there. But then there’s the other component: We would like to fund after-school programs and maintain a strong community connection. It’s a cross-breed of Koo’s Arts Café with actually having a viable music venue.”

||| Info: 307 S. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana. (888) 862-9573.

Photos: International Noise Conspiracy performing at the Yost in November; the theater’s exterior. By Jess Dryenforth.