Helios House is a real gas

DRIVERS who pulled in to the new gas station on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Robertson on a recent Tuesday asked the same questions: "Is this a 'real' gas station?" And "Is that woman playing guitar?"

Yes, Anna Jones said. This is a real BP station. And, yes, she's playing guitar.

Jones, 24, is a member of the "green team," a group of enviro-friendly actors and musicians who answered an ad on Craigslist and became the least likely gas station attendants you'll ever meet.

Team members proudly point out the better features of the "Helios House," as the station is called: The Space Age architecture includes 90 solar panels. The bathroom is designed with recycled glass tiles and farmed wood.

But what really sets the station apart are the people who gas up and work there.

Employees show up on their off hours to cheer each other on at the weekly "Open Mic Night." Jones and three co-workers recently got a house together. It seems more like an MTV reality show than a gas station.

It's so pleasant, regular customer Dana Handler says she drives a few miles out of her way to gas up there.

"I feel like I'm in a movie," said Bryan Besser, as he filled up his Mercedes G500. "I'm drawn by the architecture, and having live music to listen to? I'm in."