Marco Cordova: My uncle and dad bought 1st Billiard’s in 1969, opened up the bar in 1970, and picked up another location downtown called 5 Star. He always took me under his wing so I would barback & help out when I could. I was 12 or 13 years old when I started dropping by.
My dad got ill in 91/92’ and I was asked to take over. I didn’t plan on it but it was something that I had to take in. The bar scene around 5 Star was very chaotic. I would go to Al’s bar to unwind when I found out bands would play there too (Located in the Arts District, at the American hotel, down in the basement).
My first time there, I was in awe of how grungy and cool it was with the bands playing and I thought about having the same at 5 Star one day. I was approached by a few promoters around ’98 who were interested in possibly doing something – that’s when I brought in a stage and sound and let it evolve after that. Once people found out I was doing shows it just snowballed.
We removed 2 pool tables to create space and Norwood Fisher, a founding member of Fishbone, let me borrow some gear when I first got started. He noticed I had a loft upstairs and he suggested it would be a great idea to keep a green room up there for bands. I followed through and we had a DJ/green room upstairs and stage downstairs.
The marketing was a completely different scene. I knew a lot of bike messengers down there, one of my closest friends started the first bike messenger service. A lot of musicians worked as couriers during the day.
5 Star was two doors down from The Smell but years prior to the Smell, there was a bodega there. The past owners would sell heroin & crack cocaine out of there and in between us both, there was a blood bank. So in the early 80s, people would drop by to sell their blood and go next door to 5 Star to spend blood money on drinks and pool. Or they would pick up their dope from the other side. I remember being a kid walking over for chewing gum or candy thinking it was kinda weird seeing nothing on the shelves.
I liked what Jim was doing at The Smell, the difference was that it was all ages and they didn’t sell any kind of alcohol. But we did collaborate on a comedy festival called Riot LA. For 2 or 3 years, it was the Five Star, The Smell, and the Independent Theatre in collaboration, put together/created by Abbey Londersaid.
5 Star and 1st Billiard’s were open at the same time, and 1st Billiards was a pool/sports bar until 2018. We started bringing in live music around that time. 5 Star would only hold a maximum of 100-150 people, and knowing 1st Billiard’s was much bigger, we said why don’t we bring a stage in?
It was an easy transition because I met some really good promoters having the 5 Star. Those are the only ones I work with here. It was comfortable because they’d shown me what they’re capable of.
There was not much to balance between having a sports bar and music venue in one because the people who were coming to play pool didn’t have a problem hearing music. Matter of fact, a lot of them liked that it was a different crowd coming in. It was livelier.
With music, you gotta make sure your calendar’s up to date. Last thing you want to do is double book. I make sure the promoters and the venue are all on the same page. I only work with a handful of promoters: Nothing Less Bookings, SOS Bookings, Concrete Jungle, Lie Detector. I have a couple sound engineers I work with but my mainstay Charlie has been with me for 10 years now.
If you want to run a venue, location is really important. Gotta have the right people involved. There’s a lot of people out there who aren’t in it for the music – they’re in it for money. When you’re doing things for money, things can get very difficult.
The Subhumans were here at 1st not too long ago. We also hold a pre – C.Y. Fest. C.Y. Fest was created by Nacho, he holds it every year at the Belasco and brings bands out from all over the world. There’s a lot of Ska bands I like here too. Another promoter Austin (Lie Detector), he plays in multiple bands – Blazing Eye is one of them, I really enjoy seeing them play too.
Having the right sound is also really important. A long time ago I was told that live music in a club or a bar needs to be at the right level; if it’s too high it generates stress. But above all, what makes things run the smoothest is having the right bands. Certain bands give showgoers an idea of what to expect.
Before coming into the family venues, I used to host gigs DIY. I would find a spot like a warehouse and bring everything – soundgear, a bar, a stage, staff – and rent out spots for the day. That is something entirely different than hosting events in-house with everything up and running already.
At the 5 star, we had a secret backroom which was basically an empty warehouse. It used to be a crossfit, that’s where the blood bank was at. Leading through the back hallway door, on certain nights, I would rent it out from the landlord and run art shows & concerts back there. I had a separate stage and sound equipment. It was a lot of work, for probably once every 3 months.
What you get at 1st Billiards is a location with history that’s upheld by the local community. First-timers usually don’t expect it to be so large inside. It’s a space with good vibes for everybody to enjoy themselves.
By Valerie Gonzales.
Edited & curated by Hector Zaldivar.
1906 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
