I Went To Gilman Twice This Past Weekend

I went to Gilman twice this past weekend, and going back to Gilman feels like thanksgiving dinner at the home of your cool uncle, who used to be cooler, but at least he never sold out.  Not like the others… Of course he lives in an apartment that was built in the 60s, and even though his record collection is pretty awesome, it’s hard to hear at times because the speakers are old and dusty, or maybe he just needs to change the needle on that dusty old turntable of his?  Anyway, it’s cool because you can show up after not showing up for a long time, and all that he asks is that you clear the table when you’ve finished eating.  Oh, but it would be awesome if you helped do some dishes after, but at the very least if you could pass the mashed potatoes, then that’s all we ask of you.  To be honest, you could eat, leave your plate, throw your leftovers in the toilet before you leave, and you’d still be welcome back, just apologize before next thanksgiving.  Always remember that even though he refers to them as “little kids tables”, there’s still a space for you.

 The end, need coffee.

Back To The Present

Part Four

I decided to check in with a few of the folks that I volunteered with at Gilman during my run as the club's head booker, and more specifically my fellow bookers who were there between 2007 and 2011.  I also threw in a security person or two, and a couple of Stoar workers. This is not meant to represent the entire staff of volunteers during those years, but rather the handful of folks that I personally approached about volunteering at the club with one exception - Pat Libby. 

Pat Libby

Here's an interview I conducted with Pat Libby a couple of weeks ago while he was out on one of his walks around Berkeley with his daughter Harriet.  After grabbing some coffee on Telegraph Avenue we headed up the street to a spot where I was pretty sure we wouldn't be bothered.  I recorded this interview with my phone and while I tried to get the best sound quality that I could given our surroundings, the levels are rough at times (it's not that bad).  Originally the plan was to transcribe this interview so that it could be read, but unfortunately I slept on getting that done, so with 'This Is Not A Stop' starting tonight at 1-2-3-4 Go! I decided to post the interview as a MP3.  This was edited for time and to minimize the repetition that comes with stopping and starting the process several times, as we did.  Additional vocals and sound effects were provided by Harry.

This Is Not A Step: Workshop/Speaker Schedule

In case you missed it the first time, here's a short interview I did with Pat around the time of Gilman's 25th Anniversary.

++++ at 924 Gilman

Harald O.

I'm not sure how Harald O and I met, but if memory serves me right we were first introduced by the late Anarchy Al at Collector's Realm on Telegraph Avenue, where Harald worked when he wasn't on tour.  However the story of how Harald O, bass player for D.R.I. and the guy who photographed all your favorite thrash metal bands before most people had ever heard of them ended up working security at 924 Gilman probably begins at the CR3.  Wait, before we go any further, let's go back to the day I met Anarchy Al.

I remember meeting Anarchy Al for the first time twice,  the first of those meetings taking place at a Wolfpack show in San Francisco.  Al was videotaping the show (mainly for opener) in the corner of the room that my crew and I were hanging out in while Deface (the opener) played.  The official first time took place a year or so later when I stepped into the Collector's Realm, which only happened because I looked in and noticed that Bailey (Smiley) was flipping through some old comic books.  I went inside just to say what's up to an old friend, and we quickly decided to blow that joint and head over to Bison brewery.  As we were leaving a Verbal Abuse 8x10 promo photo for a German tour caught my eye.  It was randomly displayed with some miscellaneous Cal post cards.  Next to that was a pile of used vinyl, and resting on top was the "Them Boners Be Poppin" compilation put out by Boner Records in '85.  I asked the guy working, who turned out to be Anarchy Al, how much for both of them and he said, "Five for the album, two for the photo".  I returned a week or so later and while flipping through some old metal mags I came across a copy of Grimple's "Up Yer Ass" on M&E Records filed in with some old calendars in the back.  It was pretty unbelievable then and now.  While standing in front of the register, Al started to ask me questions about bands I liked, which quickly lead to Al showing off his growing video collection of shows he'd videotaped around the Bay.  Al proclaimed that he was perhaps the best bass player in the Bay Area, aside from Harald O from D.R.I., who had just shown up to start his shift.  At some point I began to put Harald O and Anarchy Al on my guest lists for shows I booked at various venues, including Gilman, so they could videotape them.  From there it gets hazy, but one day I was walking down Oxford in Berkeley when I ran into Harald O. who was devouring a Vanilla Freddo from Peet's.

"Dude, taste it! Madagascar vanilla!!"

Harald and I started to shoot the shit and he asked me if I knew any place cool that would let him work off some community service hours stemming from an incident that took place while he was on tour with D.R.I.  I told him that he could work them off at Gilman.  When Harald showed up the following weekend it just so happened that we needed an extra security person, so Harald began his community service by working club security.  I loved it and later when Harald began to show up with his camera taking photos instead of walking the block and pouring beers out, I loved it even more.  Some volunteers seemed bothered by Harald's non-traditional approach to working security, but it's important to note that he wasn't being paid for a majority of the time that he was active at the club.  Even after he worked off his court ordered hours, Harald stuck around and continued to photograph a bunch of shows, all the while sporting the Gilman security garb.  I remember one show I booked where our security staff for the night consisted of the bass player from D.R.I., the former drummer of Powerhouse, and both the guitar payer and singer from Attitude Adjustment.  Eventually Harald left the Gilman for a security job with Bill Graham Presents, while continuing to tour with D.R.I., and for the rest of the story, lets check in with Harald O.

Harald O:  Well it's been quite a year so far...a couple of successful D.R.I. US tours that were amazing....It always blows me away how dedicated and cool our fans are!  Some of them come to see us literally everytime we play in their area!!  Spike is finally fully recovered from his near fatal bout with colon cancer, but he is still struggling to pay his hospital bills off.  Most people don't know how much medical care costs these daze!  We recently did a fifteen date East Coast tour with our longtime bros in Suicidal Tendencies (and our pals in Sick of It All for selected dates) and the shows were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!  What a great bill that was!  Mike Muir and company treated us GREAT, and we totally shared a mutual respect for each other!  My book "Murder In The Front Row" has done incredibly well, selling out of the first printing in record time!!  I'm having a blast meeting people on the road who dig the book.  Now, we just played the HUGE Punk Rock Bowling Fest with Flag, Subhumans, Casualties, DEVO, Turbonegro, Bad Religion, etc., and had a GREAT time!  We got a month off and then it's off to Europe where we play a buncha Festivals with Slayer and tons of other killer bands!!  Never a dull moment around here.

Harald O. x Cliff Burton

Harald O. x El Duce

Harald O. x D.R.I.

Back To The Present

 Part Three

I decided to check in with a few of the folks that I volunteered with at Gilman during my run as the club's head booker, and more specifically my fellow bookers who were there between 2007 and 2011, but I also threw in a security person or two, and a couple of Stoar workers. This is not meant to represent the entire staff of volunteers during those years, but rather the handful of folks that I personally approached about volunteering at the club, with one exception, but we'll get to that later.  

Matt Kadi

I met Matt in 2006 when I began booking his band Monster Squad at Gilman.  The first time I remember seeing Monster Squad was at Burnt Ramen in 2002.  Burnt Ramen, back then, was as much a hangout for me as it was a venue.  I would often just show up randomly, having no idea who the bands were.  Four years later I discovered that Monster Squad were one of the only drawing bands at Gilman, but I was soon to find out that a majority of active membership in 2006 weren't that stoked about Monster Squad playing the club.  Some of them would openly criticize former Gilman booker Nick Ackley for even writing their name on the club calendar.  I listened to most of the complaints, but all I was hearing was that Gilman didn't have the staff to handle big shows, and more specifically they didn't seem to have enough security to handle the types of shows the club was in dire need of (not just financially).  I tried to point out (at a membership meeting) that the club had hosted a big fest earlier that year, not to mention some pretty huge hardcore shows that were considerably larger than your average Monster Squad bill, but that just lead to more complaints about those shows as well.  I felt like walking away and returning to the Oakland warehouse venues where I felt most comfortable, but when Nick abruptly left Gilman, I decided instead to endear myself to the club's membership by booking a Monster Squad show.

Monster Squad at 924 Gilman

Matt was the only dude I ever really dealt with from Monster Squad, and he not only helped out on the booking end, but he also designed flyers for every show.  Matt was always very appreciative of Gilman, and when asked he would design posters and flyers for other shows as well.  Soon after Monster Squad broke up (for the first time), Matt asked if I would be into booking an indie rock bill for his new band Build Us Airplanes, at which point I asked him to join our booking staff.

Monster Squad became one of the most well liked and respected bands at the club, and when they played two reunion shows in 2010, the band made both of them (one took place in Sacramento) benefits for Gilman.

Matt Kadi: I believe the last show I booked at Gilman was the OFF!, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Culture Kids and Zero Progress show.  It was difficult for me not to nerd out on Keith Morris in the Gilman office after the show.  However, I maintained my 'cool'.  I've always considered myself very fortunate for all that Gilman and UGZ has allowed me to do.  Monster Squad loved to play there.

I've played plenty of shows since I stopped booking at Gilman but haven't set up many at all.  Since then I've added a couple bands to my plate, Great Apes and Know Secrets. Great Apes released three 7"s and a full length soon.  Know Secrets is doing a 12" ep soon as well.

I've been doing a lot more photography, getting into video editing.  Still going to shows. Trying to get myself outside more to hike.  I work at a giant fruit stand in downtown SF.  Thanks!

MatthewKadi.tumblr.com

Matt Kadi X Monster Squad 

Matt Kadi X Great Apes

OFF! at 924 Gilman in 2011

Matt Kadi X Papa Roach

Post Script: The OFF! show that Matt mentioned in his update was the biggest show of 2011 at 924 Gilman.

Yapple

I was initially introduced to Yapple by Jon Skull back when Deathtoll was beginning to play its very first shows.  Jon was playing drums for Deathtoll, in addition to drumming for a reformed Exitwound, which was how he and I'd met.  At first I was mainly in communication with Jon about booking Deathtoll shows, but then eventually the talk turned to making a website, then putting out records, followed by art for the record sleeves, and eventually contacts for touring.  It became clear that I was becoming some sort of unpaid manager/booking agent/graphic designer for Jon's new band, only instead of dealing with Jon, more often than not I found myself on the phone with Yapple.  Yapple told me later that he'd asked Jon to contact me after hearing about all the stuff I'd been doing with Watch Them Die, like being an unpaid manager/booking agent/graphic designer.  It's funny to me now in retrospect, but then again we sometimes laugh to keep from crying.  Totally kidding.

Yapple X Deathtoll

In addition to Deathtoll business, Yapple and I began to work together on setting up shows for touring bands at various venues, and ultimately we tried to start our own venue through an old contact of Kevin Reed (singer for Deathtoll) down on 7th street in West Oakland.  We called it the Arcadia Skate Ramp Warehouse (there was a mini-half pipe in the same room as the stage), and the space was amazing, but the owner was a bit of a control freak and reluctant to hand over the keys to Yapple and myself.  In spite of some of the negatives, like an owner that was too hands on and a neighborhood that was still a few years from being gentrified to the point of hosting a cafe on the corner (as it is today), we managed to book a bunch of fun bills there that drew around 250-300 per show on average.  That said, we never came close to blowing that spot up the way we'd discussed back when Yapple and I got our first peek inside, which was shortly after the Slaughterhaus in Jack London Square had closed down.  After a couple of muggings, a drive by shooting, and some other hood type shit that took place both during and after shows, it didn't take long for the bulk of our audience to return to venues like the Hazmat, also located in Jack London Square.  At the very end of our involvement with the Arcadia Skate Ramp Warehouse, we brought in Erik Thomas to run our security, which included a bunch of folks who would eventually find their way to Gilman's security staff.

 

Post the Arcadia Skate Ramp Warehouse, Yapple and I worked together on a handful of shows at venues like Shady Acres, The Chop Shop, Hazmat, John Patrick's in Alameda, the Steve List Warehouse in East Oakland, Dead Rat Beach, and some others I probably forgot.  When I became head booker at Gilman it was just natural to involve Yapple in some of the booking, like the BadRap.org benefit he organized in 2008, his bands (A.D.T., Deathtoll, and Attitude Adjustment), and sometimes his gear, as we did when Crude from Japan flew in to play one Bay Area show in 2009.  Yapple also worked security for my shows, almost exclusively, but when Erik Thomas became head of security, he also helped out on some of the larger hardcore bills.  Yapple basically quit Gilman when I stepped down as the club's head booker.  So after all that, here's an update from Yapple.

Yapple: Since 2011, I finished off a 6 year run with Attitude Adjustment that ended in December of 2012. I accomplished more than I expected in my musical career and no longer have any desire to actively play in bands. I have been employed as a Systems Administrator for Infineon Technologies for the past 13 years. Working on a permanent move to Jalisco, Mexico. In the meantime, you can find me in the Bay or Ocean catching big ass fish.

Yapple X Attitude Adjustment

Yapple X A.D.T.

Yapple's favorite Vincente Fernandez song.

If made it this far, then you should probably read this: Yapple X Extreme Noise Terror

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!

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.

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.

Black Dahlia

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