A Jammin Good Time
Sunday, May 20, 2001 10:00 PM PDT
LisaAnn Riddick
Every Friday night is coconut night. Friday night is also the night live entertainment can be found at Jolts and Juice Co., Ontario. Co-owners of "Jolts and Juice Co.: The Global Empire," Dennis Hart and Todd Heinz, envisioned live entertainment when they recently opened at 17 S.E. Third Ave., behind Making Tracks Cycles. Now the vision of live entertainment is a reality as players and listeners alike gather for live music and coconut drinks on Fridays. A cousin of Mathias Crandall, Fruitland, talked Hart into giving Crandall a try as live entertainment. Now the 17-year-old nearly runs the show. "Jammin' with Mathias" is open to anybody who wants to play, within the realms of "relaxing, but upbeat." Crandall, who said he is pretty selective about who plays, wants the audience to be comfortable as well as the players. "We're all here to have fun," Crandall said. Ensuring equality among the performers, Crandall said, brings the pressure way down. At the same time, its a way to connect with the audience. After all, the goal is to bring people in. It must be working, though. One week, Crandall said, more than 100 people attended. Crandall, who gets paid in smoothies, has been entertainment director at Jolts and Juice for nearly a month. He plans, he said, to do it as long as he can. "I've been hoping something like this would happen," Crandall said. "The opportunity came and I sprung on it." Among the selections Crandall and his cronies play are numbers from Greenday, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, the Eagles, the blues and Eric Clapton. "The best music was created in the '60s and '70s," Crandall said. He wants the music he plays to give people a happy and warm feeling and to mean something to everybody. "It's the feelings that make the music," Crandall said. "I want my music that I play to be inspirational." Crandall must be doing something right, since the audience keeps coming back. Good weather helps, he said, as do citronella torches, the fact that there are not many places with live music in Ontario, and, more importantly, good customer service. Crandall, who is currently seeking employment, said he spends much of his free time at Jolts and Juice when he's not playing guitar. "It's a pretty laid back scenario," Crandall said. This is obvious by the grass skirts and tiki hats worn by Hart and Heinz, and the coconut cracking that goes on behind the counter. It's also apparent in the names of the original drinks. A "Dennis on the Beach" is made of peaches, coconuts, blueberries and cream, while a "Lazy Ape" is made of bananas, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. "Spunky Monkey" is made of oranges, strawberrys and bananas. "For the most part," Crandall said, "it's just having fun." His personal gratification, he said, comes from knowing he's helping the business grow and bringing new life to Ontario. Not to mention he's getting his name out there. Not old enough to play in bars, Crandall said he would like to see more people his age at Jolts and Juice. It's a safe place, he said, with no drugs or alcohol. "I'd like to see a lot of this happen," he said. "I want more people to do this all over the place." Even if that does happen, though, Crandall said he will remain loyal to his sponsors. Greif's Music Store, Ontario, has helped him with public address systems. Jolts and Juice, though, gave him his start. Hart is the main advertising for the Friday night gigs. "We wanted something like this to happen here," Hart said. "Every week it just seems to grow." It is not only helping Jolts and Juice, it helps downtown Ontario, Hart said. "The point is to get people to come to this area," he said. People are. Word of mouth has been a big help, Hart said. So is the fact that there's always something new. "Believe me," Hart said. "We're not beyond anything." In fact, the co-owners are open to suggestions for drinks and entertainment. Because Jolts and Juice is a family owned business, and one of a kind, there are not any rules, Heinz said. "We've wasted a few things in our endeavor," Hart said. They, however, are not wasting their Friday nights. The pair, though busy serving customers, take time out to listen to "Jammin' with Mathias." "It's just plain fun," Hart said. "We know 90 percent of our customers," he said, and they bought everything they could locally. Jolts and Juice is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. "Jammin' with Mathias" is Fridays from 8 p.m. to closing. Whether stopping by for hand-roasted coffee, an original smoothie or a couple of laughs, it's the place to be, Mathias said. "The music is there and that's all that really matters."
