Apparently, this is one former Fatal and a Creteen making sounds nothing like their previous bands. Things slow down with just a touch of cowboy, but there's a groove if you wait for it. The A-side finds its particular stride nicely and settles in, even if the flip sounds like a couple of guys in mom's basement with a bong and a bucket. If both were soundtracks, the hit would be for a Gallic march into the sea, and the B-side would nicely support that new Danish comedy, "Idiots at the Beach." I kept staring at the back cover, wondering if that juxtaposition of titles was harkening back to the SF ponytail boys of the 80s, psychefunkepuss lovin' and Naked Lunch showing but not reading pricks that rode rice rockets and talked a lot about process. Do those guys still exist? Speaking of the 80s, Larry Blakes on Telegraph is closing its doors after over thirty years. That downstairs space should have been the greatest east bay rock venue ever, but instead they gave that chick from the Heinz Club, what, three months? It's depressing that I spent more time in the upstairs bar, often trying to beat up the jukebox every time the Eagles came on. It was indeed a ponytailed bartender who 86ed me after that first attack. I met my draft-dodging friend Harold in that bar, when I noticed he was drawing what looked like a scene from Under the Volcano on a cocktail napkin. We stopped here on a couple of bar crawls, and I think I even managed to avoid ever eating. Clearly, Telegraph has fallen on hard times in the last decade, but if somehow they could find a new owner who hates blues and rap, that street might have a chance.
18 comments:
I was sad to hear of Larry BLAKES DEMISE. it is truly a wonderful place. In a normal college town it would thrive with students alumnus and parents making it a must visit spot. Sadly the city of Berkeley has done everything in it's power to ruin Telegraph Avenue and make University an eye sore so as to make any college related venue struggle to attract non homeless customers. But that basement is the shit as well as the bar upstairs.
Berkeley had Ruthies, the Square and for a few months Larry BLAKES basement. Now nothing. What about the UC Theatre? Is that open yet?
The function on the IPhone that automatically tries to correct your typing and always gets it wrong is a real drag. And it makes me sound line an even bigger idiot. If that's possible. Is there a way to turn it off???
Blakes always bummed me out. Such wasted potential. The east bay just can't produce that larger-than-dive venue for slightly larger bands to play. The Berkeley Square served nobly, but what since? The east bay needs its Bottom of the Hill, but no matter how many foofoo restaurants thrive, I don't see it happening.
Why are you typing on a phone in the first place? You're a middle-aged man- get behind your keyboard like the rest of the geezers. And stop hating apostrophes- grammar is meaning, dude
THIS THING ATE MY PREVIOUS COMMENT! You're stuck with what I can remember...
Things really are dire if Berkeley Square is being looked at fondly. Still, where else was I gonna be able to see D.I.??? "Suburbia" and Berkeley Square. Jay Vee's underage alcohol sales helped matters greatly as well.
I don't know much about how it was before, but Blake's has been worthless (show-wise) for 15+ years (the one booking highlight I can recall is Victim's Family and Schlong on a wednesday). No venue booking actual punk or Rock'n'Roll could survive on that strech. UCB kids want white reggae or hip hop or dance music. Leave it to Blake's to even fuck that up. Bah.
Oakland/Berkeley doesn't have the crowd or spending money required to build a legit mid-level venue. The New Parrish is as close to a Bottom Of The Hill as we are going to get, and that doesn't feel like a rock club (closer to Blake's, honestly). The Uptown might as well be a San Jose nu-metal club (oh wait, it pretty much is). You have The Stork, The Fox and Gilman St...along with any number of house/artspace/warehouse shows. Not so bad, really.
Saw a show at Merchants this weekend, oddly enough. Would love to see more happen there.
Mitch,
You're too young to remember how many great shows the Berkeley Square delivered, and people showed up! As a venue, OK, it had some issues, but it was big enough to attract "larger" touring bands (Mudhoney, Lyres, Didjits, etc.) and fairly big crowds. Other than the Omni (ha! talk about your pay-to-play numetal), it was pretty much the only game in town.
You are probably right about the east bay being unable to support a larger place now. I haven't been to the New Parrish, because it doesn't book bands I want to see. I've never been to the Uptown because everyone says what you wrote. Perhaps we're romanticizing the Square (old guys have that tendency), but weekend after weekend in the late 80s and early 90s it had folks up there I wanted to see.
And folks went to Blake's when that girl who used to book the Heinz worked there. I saw several well-attended shows. The Heinz used to back them in sometimes as well.
Merchants? Ha! I saw Thinking Fellers there and a few others. Would love to see that come back.
And Eli's failed already? Is that record time?
Yeah, my age does negate a lot of this talk. My time at Berkeley Square is mid-90s and limited to whatever Lookout and Alternative Tentacles were pumping at the time. Then, it always seemed like the bar alternative to Gilman St. more than anything else. People went then too though.
Eli's SHOULD work, really. As with previous stints, someone gets a bug up their ass to make a go of it, but seems to tire after 6 weeks tops. Unless the ownership (which apparently changes with the wind) wants to run it as a venue, there's really no point in trying. They want it as a bar: pour, serve, no headaches. Rob, the latest Eli's booking casualty, made it 3 shows before quitting, the last of which essentially had the plug pulled. That neighborhood gives some the willies though...
For a bit of fun: watch how the guys at The Stork pour drinks. It's like an optical illusion. 4 pours yield barely an ounce of swill.
So the Stork? That's it really for a bar and rock n roll or punk shows. Not exactly a UC Berkeley scene either.
Just to throw it out there.. Is the real problem here that kids dint like rock n roll? If they did, these other places would work? That's become my take on the lame state of SF nightclubs when compared to other cities. The audience sucks. Too nerdy, techie. Not fun people.
I remember going to Eli's during one of its previous failed attempts, and the place was packed. The patio was filled with folks partying hard, and there seemed to be a festive spirit about the place. People were really enjoying themselves and seemed to appreciate that something was happening. Shortly thereafter, down it went.
And the Stork is fine, but I wish they'd improve the sound and put in a little higher stage. Probably not a very punk rock sentiment, but I kind of like to see the band. Will watch the magical bartenders next time. Who owns that place nowadays, anyway? It's not still that family with the crotchety old matriarch, is it?
When you say nightclubs, Tony, do you mean discos? I don't go to too many shows anymore, but there's still plenty of energy in the kids. Always will be.
Let me put it this way...when I lived in New York and my wife and I went out, the clubs were in spaces created especially for "an experience". Weird lights, pounding DJ music, very professional bartenders and super hot girls in slinky outfits. A lot of times we stumbled home at dawn.
I'd never seen anything like it. My experience going out had been Bay Area based- read: post college bars, polar fleece and early nights in order to go hiking on Mt Tam the next morning. Lots of people in tech, consulting.
Yes, of course there's the "punk rock" clubs in the city. I love the fact that there is the Parkside, Hemlock, BOTH, Independent, etc. In conterast, The Continental and CBGBs actually closed while I was in NY!
But on an apples to apples basis, NYC (or even my times in Hollywood/downtown LA) just provided a far more "sexy" experience. When I was single and even recently married sans kids, that mattered to me.
Of course, Im old now. And maybe SF has changed and I just dont know it. But the types of places in other cities and the open all night sense of possibility they have never existed in SF. IMHO its bc there arent the type of people in SF who are intested in that sort of thing. If there were, it would be provided.
Whenever I watch something about Egypt, I get a hankering for falafel. Anyone else? Am I missing the significance of this moment?
Hey, you know what could have been a great spot? Kicks 2- OK, the location sucked, but that set-up was fantastic- ah, the could-have-beens- maybe she would buy it and bring it back- it's sitting there all sad and lonely
For sure. There are spaces out there. I'm just sure there are enough fans to justify more than the Stork.
I'm also bummed about Eli's. That's a bummer.
Where are the fans?
San Francisco strikes me as the opposite. Too many places and not enough good bands. BOTH, Parkside, Hemlock, Bender's, Hotel Utah, Red Devil Lounge, Yhe Independent, Galaxy, Cafe Du Nord, and another place on Polk whose name escapes. These are all smallish live music venues. And damn if they all aren't filled with no name bands.
I was just being dreamy- that place had a fantastic set-up- the bar downstairs was very cool and the upstairs live space was plenty big enough- if the band sucked you could escape to shots at the dive bar- I'll bet that place could be had for cheap- you're in banking, mister- buy the fucking thing and Mitch will run it. I'll cheer.
What if I buy it, jack it up off the ground and on to a trailer, and then move it to Piedmont? It could be right on that main drag near the high school. 2 bands every Saturday night, happy hour 4-7, and serve burgers and fried chicken sandwiches?
I bet there is more than one mom in that swinger's town who ends up drunk with her shirt off on stage singing Bad Reputation.
What do you say Mitch?
The ideal for this type of scenario was obviously Roundtree's on San Pablo near Ashby (an idea that Chris O had and stomped around for quite a while). Sadly, it turned into Black Oak Books. PFFFFFT. Hard to imagine buying a copy of "Eat Pray Love" from an isle that once housed Pimp Don Magic Juan's cane. Easier to imagine a 3 band Friday night show, every week, complimented by $5 shot'n'brew combos. Wasn't that actually where Ruthie's used to be? History...etc.
I love seeing shows at new places, especially in Oakland. Almost everyone I know +/- 5 years from my age is broke as hell and hitting a bar is a huge commitment, hence the amount of warehouse BYOB shows. What would need to happen is for a few Oakland local bands to designate a new spot as a clubhouse and build it through months of plodding. No "booker dude" is gonna make it work.
SOMEONE BUY KIM'S BACKYARD.
When you say Kim's do you mean Kim's the sleezy Mexican place serving underage kids circa 1986?
Kim's Backyard = bar on Telegraph, a block away from The Stork Club. Korean owned...for now.
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