EXTREME NOISE TERROR

EXTREME NOISE TERROR live at 924 Gilman in 2008! That show (and tour) was definitely an adventure for Yapple and myself.  First I got A.D.T. a tour with Extreme Noise Terror, which is crazy, then Yapple's van (the van and gear for both bands) breaks down after a couple of shows.  Yapple rents a Winnebago or whatever, then calls me from the road with an update.  Tours going great, but Dean bailed in L.A., so Phil Vane (R.I.P.) is doing all the vocals, which is the norm it turns out.  I remind Yapple that I have giant posters hanging all over Gilman and the East Bay with Dean's big blonde mug on them.  So, right before the Bay Area gigs, someone tracks Dean down in L.A. and puts him on a Greyhound headed to Oakland, where he is met by a dominatrix, who takes Dean back to a dungeon located in the East Bay and expertly restrains him until the Winnebago arrives en route to Gilman. Long story short.

Jerry's Margaritas

Last Saturday we made a pit stop in El Cerrito, California for Sherri Norris' housewarming / Sam Bortnick's visiting from Dallas, Texas BBQ.  Sam Bortnick has contributed photos to UGZ for over a decade, in addition to being a mainstay of the North Oakland / Piedmont Avenue scene since the 80s.  Sam moved from his pad on 41st and Broadway in Oakland to Dallas, Texas a few years ago, so we only run into one another about once a year at this point.  I snapped this photo of Jerry Buchanan whipping up a batch of his signature Avocado Margaritas in Sherri's kitchen.

WORD SALAD

One of my favorite bands - WORD SALAD - played a reunion show at 924 Gilman in 2007, and luckily there was a video camera or two present to capture the moment.  This video in particular was shot by Dan Hashthrash / killthatcat.com

The WORD SALAD reunion shows that took place in the Bay Area back in 2007 came about because, going all the way back to 2001-2002, I was like a broken record when it came to asking these guys (mainly Jase and Sonny) to reunite the band for some huge shows I had in the works.  Both guys were in WATCH THEM DIE, a band I worked closely with, so at some point it was like open season when it came to pestering everyone about reuniting their former band.  Finally in 2007, Jase called me from Los Angeles and to my surprise he informed me that WORD SALAD was finally ready to play some reunion shows in California.  Stoked, I immediately booked them on a show I had on the calendar at 924 Gilman in Berkeley, then I called Scott Alcoholocaust who helped to nail down a second show in The City, and...the rest is history.  Don't forget that today's Throwback Thursday post was brought to you by the letter B, which stands for many things, but most of all it stands for beer!

Meet Jeff Armstrong

Meet Jeff Armstrong, East Bay native and Gilman booker. I asked Jeff to book at Gilman back in the fall of 2008 when I noticed that he was always at the club with another dude I was training to be a booker (Bobby Adopted), so those two eventually became Gilman's dynamic duo in 2009. The rest is Gilman legend.  Okay, maybe not, but Jeff has become THE d.i.y. flyer guy for the East Bay. When you see Prank Fest flyers and 1-2-3-4-GO! fest posters on every telephone pole between Albany and Oakland, that's Jeff. I showed him (and Bobby) all my flyer routes back in 2008, so Jeff still kicks me 15% of all the money he makes from his corporate flyering gigs (not really).

Here's an interview we did with Jeff Armstrong, discussing Gilman's 25th anniversary, as well as his personal reasons for volunteering at 924 Gilman.

Photo by Ingrid Johansen

GRIMPLE

For today's Flashback Friday post we have some shots from 1999 of GRIMPLE playing Bike For Beers in San Jose, CA.  All photos by Murray Bowles

YOB at 924 Gilman (Full Set)

In the summer of 2011, UGZ Presents breezed back into 924 Gilman and booked three shows: RORSCHACH, YOB, and POISON IDEA.  It felt good to be out there again, flyering telephone poles, record stores, tattoo shops, bars, houses, etc. - not just online, although we did that shit too.  All three shows were great, averaging around 350 paid, with PI topping out closer to 400. Guarantees were met, bills were paid, and itches scratched. 


Thanks to killthatcat.com for filming and uploading YOB's set in it's entirety.

R.I.P. Jeff "Leppard" Davis

Jeff and Nikki were two of the most genuine and friendly people that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. In a scene filled with lesser individuals of questionable character and intentions, Jeff and Nikki were a bedrock of integrity, who supported UGZ (and myself) at times when we really needed that extra push to help us get over the hill. I didn't know Jeff and Nikki as long as some of you, maybe 11 or 12 years, and we were never that tight after the Burnt Ramen days, but I did have an opportunity to reconnect with Jeff and Nikki a couple of years ago. We drank together for hours and discussed the crossroads in our relationship, our lives, then we drank some more, but more importantly we were able to put the pettiness of the past behind us. That's something that hasn't come easy for me, especially in dealing with certain individuals from 'the scene', but time has a way of making the weighty drama of the past seem more hollow, as do the moments spent with good people to remind us of what is important in life, however long it lasts.

R.I.P. Jeff, I'll miss you. My thoughts go out to Nikki for her loss, and also for a speedy recovery from her injuries.

-Jay Unidos/UGZ

"This is a set that STFU played at Burnt Ramen days after the famous false flag event in New York. I overlayed pictures of Jeff Davis (AKA Jef Leppard). Jeff was an amazing individual, an excellent guitarist and a great audio engineer. He was also one of the most vibrant, enthusiastic people I have ever known. It is a loss to the Bay Area, he was killed in a motorcycle crash on June 10th, 2012. His wife is currently in the hospital in critical condition. Her medical bills are mounting. I will try to find out where any donations can be made. Also, if anyone wants to figure out the setlist for this performance, that would be appreciated."

-Mykee Ramen

UPDATE: A bank account has been established to help with funeral expenses for Jeff, Nikki’s mounting medical bills, and living expenses while Nikki recovers.

To donate cash, you can visit any Chase Bank and make a deposit to account number: 3034797323

To donate via PayPal the email is: help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com

Beyond The Screams

Beyond The Screams: A U.S. Latino Hardcore Punk Documentary

Directed by Martin Sorrondeguy (Los Crudos, Limpwrist)

RORSCHACH

RORSCHACH photos by Taylor Keahey

This show took place last year at 924 Gilman, and was one of only three that we booked and promoted in 2011.

CONQUEST FOR DEATH

CONQUEST FOR DEATH opening for CROW (Japan) at 924 Gilman in 2010.

SWAMPY & HATRED SURGE

SWAMPY & HATRED SURGE at 924 Gilman in 2009. Photo by Kendra Griffiths

HIGH ON FIRE

The first single from the new HIGH ON FIRE album "De Vermis Mysteriis".

Dystrophy

A couple of photos from Libertatia 2002, which took place at Warm Water Cove in San Francisco, CA.

If the turnout looks small, that's because it was. 2002 was a busy year for the Ear2TheGround Punx, which was basically UGZ Presents & friends holding down the fort at places like Burnt Ramen, and also doing our best to support the Pyrate Punx crew by including them on bigger events like the Rampaging Insane Depravity Fests. 2002 was not such a busy year for the Pyrate Punx, and by the end of the year the only active members of the crew were (to the best of my memory) Russ, Marcus, Jeremiah, and eventually myself when I was voted in as head booker (Marcus' old position). That caused a riff in the Pyrate Punx, and long story short, Marcus and I kind of broke off and did our own thing for a couple of years after that. Pyrate Punx remained a relatively small operation until the fateful day that I convinced Marcus Da Anarchist to sign up for a Myspace account, and the rest is history. Now the Pyrate Punx thing is international, or so I've been told by newer members of 'da crew'.

Our staff photographer Sam Bortnick snapped these photos of DYSTROPHY, along with some others that I'll post at a later time. DYSTROPHY were one of the best young Bay Area hardcore bands at the time, and they played a bunch of shows for us, including the Rampaging Insane Depravity Fest and the first ever UGZ Speed Trials.

UGZ Speed Trials 2005

All photos by Lars Knudsen

From top to bottom: Iron Lung, Brutal Death, and Reagan SS.

924 Gilman | Mural Project

 In 2010 I got together with Bay Area artist Kaytwo from the WCF crew to organize the 924 Gilman Street Mural Project. The original idea was to create a rotating exhibit of pieces by Bay Area street artists, with Kaytwo handling the logistics for us once the ball was rolling. In spite of the puzzled looks I encountered when discussing the 'Mural Project' with many of the club's volunteers, I went ahead and proposed the project at a monthly membership meeting where it was voted in unanimously. In addition to receiving the club's stamp of approval, I asked for and received money to help kick start the process, i.e. pay for the paint. Unfortunately, the project was never fully realized, but Kaytwo did shoot the above videos documenting its beginnings.

FILTH

FILTH reunion show (full set) from June 4th, 2010 at 924 Gilman, recorded by Dan Hashthrash. This was the first of four reunion shows FILTH played that weekend to celebrate 20 years of The List, and by far the biggest. Relive the chaos!

Will Rutherford

Will Rutherford is an Oakland based musician and record label owner who currently plays bass and sings for both ACTS OF SEDITION and NEGATIVE STANDARDS. He was also a long time volunteer at 924 Gilman back when we were also active at the club. In addition to his usual Gilman workload, Will would occasionally knock out some impromptu wall art for some of UGZ's bigger shows. Usually, these pieces were done the night before an event, without a sketch or anything planned ahead of time. The photos in this post were taken prior to the AGE (Japan) / HELLSHOCK (Portland) show at Gilman in 2007.

UGZ Speed Trials

Throwback Thursday: Oversized poster for the 2007 UGZ Speed Trials hanging next to the stage at 924 Gilman.

Black Dahlia

Throwback Thursday: UGZ #15 meets the Black Dahlia, aka Elizabeth Short, at the Mountain View Cemetery in 2004.

POISON IDEA (1982-1989)

BIRUSHANAH at Gilman 2008

BIRUSHANAH is an experimental metal band from Osaka, Japan that UGZ Presents had the pleasure of working with at 924 Gilman in 2008. The band was brought to our attention first by Carl Auge, who was playing in DRAIN THE SKY at the time. Most of the credit for the experimental nature of this bill definitely goes to Nathan Carson from Nanotear Booking.

DARK CASTLE at Gilman 2011

Here's a song from Florida's DARK CASTLE, who co-headlined one of the best bills we've ever had a hand in putting together. All of the bands were so good, from WORM OUROBOROS to DISPIRIT to YOB. It was also UGZ Presents first show at 924 Gilman in over a year.