Bear of a reunion

A beloved band that got its start in late-night Laguna Canyon jam sessions will celebrate the venue that helped make it a household name.

Honk will join other local acts like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to perform at a pair of Golden Bear reunion concerts tonight at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach.

The concert area will be remade to resemble the Bear, with memorabilia displays and classic menu items like the Bear Burger. This weekend’s lineup also includes artists like Ray Manzarek of the Doors, another band that played at the Bear.

The now-legendary music venue, a former haunt of musicians from Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Buffett, stood for more than 60 years in downtown Huntington Beach. From its beginnings as a restaurant in the 1920s, it morphed into a celebrated concert hall before to its sudden closure due to building instability “” and redevelopment pressures “” in 1986.

Several past owners and staff members will be on hand at the reunion, some proceeds from which will benefit Sweet Relief, a local charity aimed to help musicians with life difficulties.

Honk received its first big break with its soundtrack for “Five Summer Stories,” the genre-setting 1972 surf flick by Laguna Beach-based MacGillivray Freeman Films.

The band was formed on a whim.

“We used to have these big jam sessions at my house in Laguna Canyon. There was always one really good player in each band, and I just had this epiphany one time,” said Steve Wood of Honk.

He decided to create a “supergroup” out of the best players that would focus on learning nothing but original songs for two months, rather than play Top 40 music at a regular gig.

“It was easier to make a living as a musician those days,” Wood said.

His rent in Laguna was $75 a month, and he was making up to $25 a night performing. There were many places to play, and the bandmates were able to earn a living without working too much, he said.

Wood said the Golden Bear was a unique option for the area’s music lovers.

“For me, it was the first place I could actually go and see known acts,” he said. “It was pretty amazing to be able to go to a venue so close to home, so easy to get into and so opportunely set up, so that you could be close to the performers.”

“It was really cutting-edge stuff,” his wife and fellow Honk bandmate Beth Fitchet Wood said. “It was sophisticated, too. The Bear’s probably single-handedly responsible for the really high quality of music in this area now.”

Wood and his wife first met at the Bear at an open mic night.

“If the owner liked you, he would hire you as an opening act and then pay you,” Wood said. “That’s the gold in the Golden Bear.”

The two both auditioned for owner George Nikas in the same night, Wood with Honk and Fitchet Wood as a solo act. Cheech and Chong also auditioned that night, as did other acts who would become headliners in the future, they said.

“It was an amazing night,” Wood said. “We both got the gig. He booked us both for the same night, two weeks later.”

Today, some of the Honk members run a songwriter showcase 8 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays at the Marine Room, 214 Ocean Ave.

The group is still together, performing several times a year in public and private shows.

“We still have a good time musically,” Wood said. “Everyone’s writing better stuff than they ever did.”

“Being in a band is like being married to people,” Fitchet Wood said. “We always get along well.”

Social networking has helped Bear lovers get back together. Past shows can be viewed on YouTube; Golden Bear groups on MySpace and Facebook let fans and former employees reunite, reminisce and share photos and videos from the venue’s many decades of musical history.

The Bear’s many loyal fans saw its range of performers as a way to learn about all kinds of musical genres.

“Nowadays, people look for musical acts that reflect how they wish to be, and they didn’t used to do that,” Wood said. “They looked for music that they liked.”

The venue attracted an array of acts like BB King and the Lovin’ Spoonful “” as well as a young Wild and Crazy Guy, actor and comedian Steve Martin.

The Honk members are debating whether they’ll play two separate set lists at their two shows at the Bear reunion tonight.

Also set to appear that night are David Lindley, Ray Manzarek of the Doors and Steve Noonan.

Saturday, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen will perform.

For more information on the Golden Bear reunion, call (714) 960-7904 or visit goldenbearreunion.com.

For more information on Honk, visit honkband.com.