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The live music experience has a lot of usual descriptors, especially at small clubs, but “comfortable” rarely makes the list. So, the first steps inside of Aviator National Dreamland may be confusing to the concert veteran: new-looking couches along the walls, a black onyx bar along the back wall, murals, and art on seemingly every surface.

The task in front of Dreamland is to bring a live music audience back to Malibu on a regular basis, but the venue, as developed by the surfer clothing brand and its founder Paige Mycoskie, seems up to it, offering an experience unlike most in Los Angeles, while also possessing its own interesting history.

Aviator Nation Dreamland may be relatively new, but its space along the Pacific Coast Highway (a short walk from Malibu Beach Inn) dates to the 1920s, beginning as the Anchor Inn. The Malibu Inn, a popular restaurant near the Malibu Movie Colony, moved into the space in the 1950s, but the modern history really starts with its years as the Crazy Horse Saloon. Said to be owned in part by Neil Young, the venue hosted artists like The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, and The Beach Boys (naturally), along with its co-proprietor. But ownership changes and constant tweaking and rebooting eventually made it difficult for the space to hang onto a loyal customer base, and increasing traffic along the PCH made Malibu feel like a further drive for those interested in attending shows in the town (another area music venue, Trancas, also eventually shut down).