SAVE 924 GILMAN STREET!

Hey Everyone!

For those of you who dont know what I'm talking about, allow me to explain... 924 Gilman Street is basically the California equivalent of CBGB's. Its a punk rock club which allowed the start for some of the most notable bands today like Green Day and AFI. It also was a place for bands like Operation Ivy and Rancid to get their start. This place has some AMAZING history.

924 Gilman Street is an all ages, non profit club that showcases bands who are not part of major labels or the mainstream scene. The club held its first show in 1986 and gained tremendous popularity with the youth of Berkeley, California. Its mainly run and operated by youth who pay a $2 fee to become members of a 'board' if you will. The rules are: no drugs, no violence, no booze. They also refuse to support any bands who encourage racism, sexist or misogynist music. This place is incredible and honestly, its sad that only one club like this really truly exists here. It has allowed the spirit of the early punk scene to live on through the ages. I love the idea and I really hope they pull through.

So now that you have the history under your belt, allow me to explain the issue at hand... This place has been in a little financial trouble for a while as you can imagine. And now, their rent is set to go up so more costs will need to be covered. The rent, according to the web pleas of Gilman Street, will be increasing almost double... (from 4300 to 7000/month). They are asking for donations, and donations of $25+ will include a t-shirt and tote bag. I plan to make a donation as soon as I can, hopefully you can too! Any size helps. I want to be able to see this place in all its glory before it falls like so many others...

HELP GILMAN STREET, PEOPLE! DO WHAT YOU CAN TO SAVE HISTORY!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Screeching Weasel Announce Toronto Tour Date

Hey Everyone!

American punk band, Screeching Weasel announced earlier this week that they will be playing in Toronto, Ontario in May. This is big news for Canadian fans, as the tour dates tend to be few and far between, especially on this side of the border. The Chicago natives formed back in 1986, drawing inspiration from the heavy early punk scene of the time. They gained more notoriety in the early 90s after they signed with the punk label, Lookout! Records (responsible for signing bands like Operation Ivy and a young Green Day). In fact, former members of the band include Mike Dirnt (Green Day bassist) and Phillip Hill (Teen Idols).

With a classic repertoire that has withheld the tests of time, this band is not easy to forget. Punk fans should be excited to see them back in action. Mind you, reunion tours do appear to be a recent specialty of the group which tends to take away from the appeal, sadly. Not putting them down, I'm happy to see this tour date and I am actually thinking about heading down to Toronto to check it out. Its not often that punk legends of the prime come here anymore.

So what do you think of the tour date? Do you plan to hit up this show? Why or why not?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Punk Rawk Show by Mxpx... "We ain't got no place to go, Lets go to the punk rawk show, Come and take me by the hand, Gonna see a punk rawk band"... and yes, they actually DO spell it "rawk" haha that is not some awful typo or ridiculous spelling mistake... please keep in mind this is a rock blog, I should be incredibly familiar with that word by now ahaha.

Bands Supporting Other Bands... How Influential Is It?

Hey Everyone!

So the other day I was flipping through some of my old magazines when I came across this issue of Alternative Press. The feature article in this issue (beyond the blatantly obvious Blink-182 reunion) is a piece called "The Band Who Changed My Life". In this multipage work, different members of popular bands take turns discussing bands or artists they admired. William Beckett (The Academy Is) cites the artistic and bold Robert Smith of The Cure as a major influence, while acts like the young All Time Low chose the 90s pop punk kings, Blink-182. The bands vary across the board... different genres, different generations, but the one thing they all have in common is an influence. 

Images Belong to Alternative Press Magazine

This got me wondering, to what level does this influence extend? If you think about it, a lot of the bands featured are inspiring the up and coming generation of musicians. I know that when I read about Green Day being fans of bands like Operation Ivy, I immediately pull up google and yahoo radio to check them out. I don't always like the bands (Operation Ivy, however, I love) but I am always curious to know what first made these people think "hey, maybe I could do that". So if I know that Green Day grew up listening to Operation Ivy, and I like them, I might wonder who had an impact on their career and so on, and so fourth.... taking artists of all kinds of genres and styles and intertwining them into one single web. 

Personally, I love this idea. It lets us all celebrate and appreciate music past and present. It brings me to bands I would have maybe never thought to dig up on my own. Its a way of bringing it to my attention. In reality, its not much different from the way a band will select an opening act for a tour. Sometimes this is done for them, but when they hand pick, there's usually a reason. Some people don't show up at a concert until just before the main acts, but if you ask me, that usually means you're missing out. As much as I love knowing who influenced them at first, its also cool to find out who they think has potential to carry the torch for a new generation.

 Its all about giving us new bands to listen to and love.  So what do you think? Does this have much influence on you? Do you care who made your favorite acts decide to pick up an instrument? Do you care who is asked to tour with your favorite acts? Does this make you approach listening to that group any differently? Let me know!

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song Of The Day: Knowledge by Operation Ivy... one of the first OI songs I heard- because Green Day released a cover of it on their album 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours.