Former Monterey Live owner to reopen Doc’s Lounge with new acts, spiffed-up look.

Gary Smith, former owner of Monterey Live, stands inside what used to be Doc’s Dance Lounge in Monterey wearing his signature baseball cap and leather jacket. What was once a bandstand with a stripper pole is now the wooden core of a new stage. The sound engineering room, which used to be tucked in the corner behind glass, is now stationed at the back of the venue.

Smith hopes to turn the former dance club into a classy live music venue called the Whammy Bar. Grand opening is scheduled for April 23, with local favorites Forrest Day and Ostrich Head performing. The venue will be open Thursday through Saturday for starters, with special showcases during the week.

Smith says a curtain will come around the stage between sets, and there will be coolers for the bands who can load in and out from the back alley. “The stage will be a green room,” says Jesse DeCarlo, a local musician who is helping Smith with the Whammy Bar’s sound system.

“A LOT OF PEOPLE TOLD US IT WAS A BIG LOSS WHEN MONTEREY LIVE CLOSED DOWN.”

Many locals have missed the musical calendar of Monterey Live since it closed last June after an eviction battle with investors from bankrupt mortgage firm Cedar Funding. Since then, downtown Monterey has lacked a live-music-focused venue for original bands. “A lot of people told us it was a big loss when we closed down, and they wanted us back,” Smith says.

The Whammy Bar will be bigger than Monterey Live, with a capacity of 300, and will have the advantage of one main room.

Smith still has some hurdles to overcome before opening, however. His liquor license application is held up by the state Employment Development Department, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Smith says the hold is due to taxes he owes the state Board of Equalization from running Monterey Live.

December tax liens show Monterey Live owes nearly $18,000 to BOE, about $2,900 to EDD and about $17,600 to the federal government. Smith says the federal debt was a mix-up and has been settled, but he is still trying to verify how much he owes BOE and set up a payment plan. “I don’t run away from debts,” he says.

Doc’s has been closed since around the end of the year, when former proprietor Sean Croce apparently fell on hard times.

“Doc’s business just went down the tubes,” says Mike Marotta Jr., landlord of the Franklin Street property. “We did a mutual lease termination.”

Croce did not return phone calls.

Croce used to run Croce’s Pizza and Croce’s East Coast Eatery on the same corner, but the businesses all closed. Sheriff’s deputies served the late-night pizza place’s eviction notice on March 15, after the property owners sued for $1,400 in rent, according to court records.

Smith says he and his wife will turn the corner space into a Mexican restaurant, and one of his partners will be opening the pizza joint back up. Both businesses are expected to be serving by the end of May, he says.

Marotta, a musician himself, says he is excited to have Smith running the Whammy Bar given Monterey Live’s track record. “More than anything I am just so hopeful that it is successful,” he says. “They need to make money and that’s the key. I am hoping that the community will support it.”

UPDATE: The Whammy Bar will not host its April 23 grand opening show as planned. Smith cited lack of a sound system for the delay.

But the venue's liquor license is still pending due to debt from Monterey Live, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. ABC lists holds from the state Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization and Employment Development Department.

The venue hasn't announced a new opening date but is scheduled to host a Your Music Olympics event on May 1.