Punk Rock of the East Bay Area

KIDDING.

Doesn't Billy Joe live in a fancy Oakland Hills mansion now?

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PUNK ROCK in the East Bay Area

but yeah, this thread is very un-east-bay-punk--I can testify ta that as even a reformed make-funner-of-east-bay-punkers. shame shame ya'll.

But I've remember sumthin maybe of use. there was an interesting website that I recently seen--they had this 1 record label don't remember which but sumhow probably related ta The Gilman/Adeline Records/??? that was suddenly transferring ALL they catalog of cassettes ta digital form--mp3's & the exact cover scans, that they were posting up ta the worldwideweb for free ta suckers like you. Yall should check that out by googling various East Bay Punk namedrops... semi-good luck.

billie joe peed on my friend's leg once.

LIQUORBALL

I won't bore everyone with my pizza, piss, and macaroni stories. Whogivesashit, really.

I will say that when I saw the Crimpshrine/Operation Ivy show at Gilman in the late eighties, I wasn't really *into* punk, but what I experienced that night was unforgetable. It was rough, ugly, & distorted (as punk should be), but with a refreshingly upbeat, melodic, and happy-go-lucky tone. It was all about comradary, the way everyone in the place would rush the mic for the choruses and scream their fucking hearts out. There was a unique blend of ska, humor, and politix that became a trademark of Gilman street in the 90's. After the show we all went hedge diving.

This was during the time when punk wasn't cool again yet. There was nothing fashionable about the scene. They were mostly nerdy berkeley vegan kids, with some stink. I don't know what other venues/cities were flying that black flag so proudly during that time.

Also mentionable: these same kids' older siblings were the ones brewing up original American Death Metal around 81-86. All these bands had members living in the East Bay during that time: Slayer, Death Angel, Testament, Exodus, Laaz Rockit, Metallica, Acid Rain, Blind Illusion, Metal Church, Murder, Lazarus and Leviathan. Now Oakland's "High On Fire" proudly carries that torch.

(heavy sigh)

I guess I got old and am not very punk anymore, so Gilman rarely does shows that I care about, but I still like to listen to the old stuff that used to capture my imagination in high school. I wore out my Shit Split cassette and all my Crimpshrine 45s.

This is all true, but you are ignoring the fact that I was pretty stupid when I was in high school.

other venues from back in the day...mid 1980's

New Method in E-ville, right by jug liquor. pre-gilman thing that died after a COC show went wrong and the space was flooded. I remember the story was that some kids were hanging on pipes and they broke. great venue.

the ice cream parlor on Adeline near Alcatraz, where you could get ice cream AND pizza and see some hardcore bands play on the floor. Not far from the classic Alcatel Liquors minigolf-skate spot.

promoters like the DMR girls (where is Carol now??) put on some of the best damn shows in the bay area at Ruthies and other east bay spots. Ruthies was awesome. Barrington hall was insane. La Pena community center in berkeley had killer shows with bands like Fang, Special Forces, etc. berkeley heathen scum.

club foot in SF was still rocking into the mid 80's with bands like clown alley, helios creed, ludivico technique, crash and burn, and short dogs grow. more of a sf thing, but a good scene.

the Farm in SF, where you could see a million great bands in an afternoon, but have to deal with skinheads and pay the high price of 10 dollars admission. at least it wasn't the Stone though.

curfew shows at the Mab in SF, where I met all the other suburban high school hardcore kids who could get there by BART and get home before the buses stopped running.

various suburban community centers all around the bay, from davis to santa cruz, and everywhere in between. It really was DIY. the first show I ever went to was in fairfield or something. it was The Dicks, the Crucifucks, the Pukes, and some other local band. (too long ago to recall). there were about 50 people there.

you can get all the best Dicks recordings on the "1980-1985" comp on alternative tentacles.