I figured people here would be interested to note: I picked up a copy of "distractions" tonight at chain, opened it up and was amazed to find that it was grey and not black. I don't know if it was just a fluke or what, but I figured people may want to try their luck too.
I'd agree with that. Skip Long Beach (the people who live in the LB-area will probably drive to your LA show) and do something in Orange County (Fullerton = the Alley; Anaheim = Chain Reaction; there are also a ton of smaller venues scattered around the area).
Random dude in a band in Orange County budding in:
The Alley closed down bout 8 months ago and the dudes at Chain Reaction hate anything that doesn't fill the room with 13-17 year old girls.
You're probably best off hitting up Alex's Bar in Long Beach (http://www.alexsbar.com/) they seem to be really welcoming to touring punk bands.