Operation Ivy playing at Gilman

Front of Gilman in late 2009

924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit,^[1] collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San Pablo Avenue, at the corner of 8th Street and Gilman.

History[link]

In April 1986, the founders located the building at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. In the following months, the founders, including Tim Yohannan of Maximumrocknroll, held weekly organizational meetings and posted flyers to increase involvement. On December 31, 1986, the first musical performance was held at 924 Gilman. Since then, it has been one of the longest-running independent music venues in the United States. 924 Gilman opened several months after the closing of two San Francisco punk venues: the Mabuhay Gardens and The Farm. It was founded in part to counteract the lack of punk venues in the San Francisco Bay Area during this era, particularly all-ages venues. It slowly progressed as a mecca for punk youth to get away from everyday issues at home, work, government, etc.

Founding principles[link]

924 Gilman Street operates on Do It Yourself (DIY) ethic, whereby members pay $2-per-year and can then entitled to make decisions and work for the improvement of the club as a whole. Membership meetings occur at 5 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month. There are four main rules for patrons:

• No drugs
• No alcohol
• No violence
• No racism

The staff will not book or support racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or major label bands for performances. If a band was signed to major label, they were labeled as sellouts and not allowed to attend or set foot in Gilman. For a band to be booked there, they must first send in a copy of their lyrics to the venue. Members who espouse racist, misogynistic or homophobic beliefs, contrary to the 924 Gilman rules, or are signed to major labels are effectively declared persona non grata, as is anyone who brings or deals drugs or alcohol on the premises.

Music[link]

Gilman showcases mostly punk rock, specifically pop punk and hardcore punk acts, as well as heavy metal, grindcore, ska punk and industrial music. Some of the most influential bands that have played at Gilman include:

A history of the club "924 Gilman: The Story So Far," was written and edited by Brian Edge collecting memories and anecdotes from many of the seminal contributors to the club's day-to-day operations from 1986 through publication in 2004. The book is available through AK Press and also contains a full list of Gilman's shows from 1986 through early 2004.

A few of the bands listed above, such as AFI, the Offspring, and Green Day, are no longer booked to play the venue due to major label contracts. Many of the other bands are defunct. The venue still serves the East Bay and Northern California hardcore scene by bringing local, national and international acts to the East Bay.

Green Day, however, performed a set after fellow punk band The Influents in 2001. The show was taped and put on DVD for sale on the Influents web store.^[2] Green Day was not officially booked; they went on stage without consulting Gilman staff. The Influents decided to cut their set short to let Green Day perform.

Even though Pinhead Gunpowder features Billie Joe Armstrong (lead singer and guitar player of Green Day), they are still allowed to play there since they are not signed to a major record label.

Operation Ivy recorded their 7" vinyl EP record '69 Newport at the venue.

Jello Biafra incident[link]

Despite the fact that the club is meant to be a non-violent environment, on May 7, 1994 audience members attacked former Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra, claiming he was a sell out (per club rules, Biafra had never signed to a major label). Biafra claims that he was attacked by a man nicknamed Cretin, who crashed into him while bringing the mosh. The crash injured Biafra's leg, causing an argument between the two men. During the argument, the man pushed Jello to the floor and five or six friends of Cretin assaulted Biafra while he was down, yelling "Sellout rock star, kick him".^[3] Biafra was later hospitalized with serious injuries.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Venue Official Website
• 924 Gilman Artblog
• Gilman Event Calendar
• 924 Gilman Street article from MRR #42, 1986 at Punk Zine Archive

Coordinates: 37°52′46″N 122°17′59″W / 37.87956°N 122.29963°W / 37.87956; -122.29963

Plaid Retina was an American punk rock band from Visalia, California, formed in 1986 and active until 1996.

History[link]

The Beginning[link]

The history of Plaid Retina begins in 1984, in Visalia, a small city in California Central Valley, when drummer Don Hudgens joined metal band Oblivion, a high school band established by Travis, Jeff Gilley, "Bryan T" Thompson, Alarick Garcia and Mike Matthews. The crew for that band also included Matt Morris and Jeff Beck. It was at this time Hudgens and Matt Morris met up with Kelly Casper, who was part of that scene at Redwood High School.

Even though the band was not from Los Angeles, the band managed to keep up with the underground scene in Los Angeles (150 miles from Visalia), which was what made them unique in their small-town local scene. Heavy Metal's definition, however, was about to be shattered by a plethora of different influences. The advent of hardcore punk acts such as Minor Threat and the Suicidal Tendencies, whose first album made a huge impression of the metal scene, caused the members of the band to splinter.

Misc.[link]

In 1985, after the breakup of Oblivion, Hudgens and Morris saw that together they might be able to accomplish their own band, so they gave it a shot and set up shop in an old railroad boxcar that Morris' parents, Bill & Brenda, were using as a shed, located in a huge backyard away from the neighborhoods. They convinced Kelly Casper to join in on bass with Matt playing guitar and singing. This incarnation was called "Misc.", which happened to be scribbled on the first cassette tape they recorded on. The music clearly was leaving metal behind and headed full speed toward hardcore punk and skate rock. The music was played and performed as brash and as abrasively as they could possibly deliver it, and recorded with a 'ghetto-blaster' onto very old used cassette tapes that were actually found in the boxcar, with vocals by both Morris and Casper sung directly into the built-in microphone. Gary Stallions also played second guitar for an appearance at a Redwood High School talent show. They were kicked out of the talent show when panic ensued because no one other than the punk scene knew what was going on when the fast music and slam dancing erupted.

Aggravated Assault[link]

Casper had to leave the band amicably, so Don Hudgens brought in Rob Anderson, who grew up with him during their teens and knew Matt Morris from the local BMX scene on that side of town years earlier around 1982. They changed the name to Aggravated Assault, the band then started to gravitate toward Fresno, California, a city 40 minutes north which had an active punk scene, shops and interesting places to skate, especially in its classic downtown area. Hudgens and Morris posted a flyer at "The Record Factory" which led to their first real gig at the legendary Knights of Columbus Hall, opening for the Wimpy Dicks (San Luis Obispo) and the Sea Hags. Repeated trips to Fresno led them to meet Dale Stewart of Capitol Punishment at his record store in Fresno, Stage Dive Records, which although not in Visalia, became one of the bands favorite hang outs whenever they could get a chance to be there.

Releases[link]

[edit] Plaid Retina

Stewart convinced the band to change its name to Plaid Retina (the name itself was a group decision), mostly to help them grow just in case they grew out of the piston-pumping D.R.I. style rhythms, which proved to be sound advice. Stewart connected them with the studio A.I.R. (Audio Image Recording) in Fresno at Van Ness and Bremer owned by Gray Gregson. This was the team that recorded the self-titled debut album, Plaid Retina, that when pressed was actually a little 7" but was in fact a formidable full length album (relatively speaking). Plaid Retina was a furious debut with a devastating rhythmic pace comparable to Minor Threat and D.R.I. Stewart also introduced the band to the staff of the Maximum RocknRoll magazine where David Hayes entered the picture.

Hudgens used the magazine as a resource to communicate with people all over the world via mail. External influences other than hardcore punk began to appear and the band started experiencing with these influences. David Hayes then released Plaid Retina on Lookout! Records, the Berkeley based label he formed with Larry Livermore. Since the album was already recorded, releasing it was done fast and efficiently.

The East Bay and San Francisco Bay Area then become an additional focal point for the band. Morris got a van for the band, so national touring outside of California could begin.

[edit] Boxcar

At some point, Rob Anderson quit to become a Marine, and Travis from the "Oblivion" days joined on bass. Boxcar was recorded again with Gray Gregson at A.I.R. and was a cassette tape demo that consisted of covers on side A, and originals on side B. A sort of introduction of Travis to the world.

Thru the mail, Hudgens crossed paths with Musical Tragedies, a record label in Germany that later released Boxcar as a 7" EP. Once again, since the material was already recorded, this project was able to be pressed and released very efficiently.

The originals on side B had a noticeable tempo relax from the first Plaid Retina release. However, the external influences other than hardcore have yet to show themselves - that will happen with the next release, Pinkeye. The band spent a lot of personal time exploring these influences and getting them ready before presenting a radical change in their sound.

After the release of Boxcar, the band began touring around the United States.

[edit] Pinkeye

Before the new album's release, the band debuted much of the new material in outside stage matinée performances at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, to stunned audiences. The music featured dramatic twists, tempo changes, stops and starts that seemed ironically rhythmic.

The music still felt at home in the punk shows, because it has retained its brashness (and in some tracks, high speed tempos) in spite of the original approaches.

Pinkeye, the band's first full length 12" album, was released via Lookout! Records in 1989, and was recorded at A.I.R. by Gray Gregson.

A friend of the band, Tony Sevener, loaned Hudgens a wide array of cymbals that helped the drum sound stretch out a little, along with some experimental drum effects by Gray. The new material was also performed on local Public-access television cable TV show, "The Shout Club".

Visalia pro skater Tom Knox met the band and most of Pinkeye appeared on Santa Cruz Skateboards' Strange Notes #3.

[edit] Rejection

Tim Biskup presented two different pressings of Rejection on Duck Butter Records, one of the pressings having hand screened art and clear red vinyl.

The Rejection era was an enthusiastic period, because the Rejection EP was recorded and released in Fresno. Ironically enough, the band got popular across the country first before they did locally due to the albums and touring, using the Berkeley/East Bay area as a springboard. Even though the band had roots in Fresno, they only really knew a handful of people, mostly from the Capitol Punishment camp (due to the distance from Visalia) and this release brought them more inside the scene. Tim opened different doors and they met many new friends. Many more live performances in different venues in the city started happening. The local scene received the majority of the hand-screened versions.

The evolution of the music continued, some of the more conventional approaches still on Pinkeye (even though that album was very original) can be heard melting away.

Travis acquired an Ibanez left-handed bass guitar and also came across an Ampeg combo bass amplifier which would later define his sound on the albums and tours to come.

Matt started experimenting with Yamaha SBG Model guitars.

"I sat on a milk crate that Matt got for me to play drums from the beginning all the way to Rejection. We also used it to haul the stands and the pedal. If I broke one I just went to the back of a grocery store and got another one. I played a nice Yamaha kit I got before Pinkeye but couldn't make the payments and had to go back to pieced together pieces of crap." -Don said.

[edit] Mind Tracing the Going Down

David Hayes presented Mind Tracing the Going Down, Plaid Retina's second full length album, in 1991 on Very Small Records. The album was recorded by Billy Anderson at the Razor's Edge in San Francisco.

If Rejection was a local breakthrough, Mind Tracing did the same for the band in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many more Bay Area gigs were to follow in venues not just in the East Bay, along with significant new friendships forged with bands such as Schlong, False Sacrament, Neurosis and Victim's Family.

Brad Weaver joined the band. Around this time, Matt Morris put together certain pieces of equipment that helped define his sound: a Mesa/Boogie amplifier (from the factory, purchased around the time of recording the album) in conjunction with a Roland JC-120 amplifier, a Paul Reed Smith guitar, and a complex, well defined system of delay and other effects.

Going Down CD, 1991 Shmin Esso / Duck Butter SE / DB021 --> Not long after its release, Matt teamed up with Tim Biskup to release Mind Tracing on the dual Shmin Esso / Duck Butter conglomerate, Shmin Esso being Matt's label.

[edit] The Spark.

The Spark. was an EP released on Very Small Records and recorded at Sergay's Recording Emporium in the San Francisco Bay Area.

At that time, Hudgens got a Tama drum kit.

[edit] Dead End Mind

Third full length album on Very Small Records, recorded at House of Faith, Northern California. First to be released on compact disc.

[edit] What I Can't Have

EP on Joey Edwards' Little Deputy Records. Recorded by Scott Greenall in Garden Grove California, before the band moved to Austin, Texas.

While still in California, Don acquired a Gretsch drum kit (which will define his sound through the remaining years).

In Austin, Mark Hughes joined on keyboards and Travis switched equipment from his Ampeg to a new Trace Elliot rig .

Unreleased album[link]

The band recorded in Memphis an unreleased album. However, the song "Sperm" made it out as a single for a heavy metal compilation.

Breakup[link]

The band broke up in 1996 in Austin, Texas.

Discography[link]

• Plaid Retina - Lookout! Records (1988, 7" vinyl)
• Boxcar - Musical Tragedies (1990, 7" vinyl)
• Pinkeye - Lookout! Records (1989, 12" vinyl)
• Rejection - Duck Butter Records (1990, 7" vinyl)
• Mind Tracing The Going Down - Very Small Records (1991, 12" vinyl)
  • Also released on compact disc via Shmin Esso/Duck Butter Records in 1991
• The Spark. - Very Small Records (1993, 7" vinyl)
• What I Cant Have - Little Deputy Records (19??, 7" vinyl)

External links[link]

• Plaid Retina Review
• Plaid Retina on Myspace
• Future Imperfect on Myspace

Have Heart was a straight-edge hardcore band, formed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 2002. The band recorded a demo that was released in 2003. In 2004, they released the What Counts EP (Think Fast! Records), with their debut full-length, The Things We Carry (Bridge Nine Records) arriving in 2006. Their latest full-length, Songs To Scream At The Sun (Bridge Nine Records), has garnered much critical acclaim from hardcore critics and fans alike, winning 'album of the year' from many Hardcore-oriented websites.

Have Heart's lyrics cover a variety of subjects from the hardcore scene to a much larger scale. Many topics include self-image and its transition to popular media, the Straight Edge lifestyle, self-control and respect, pacifism, pressure (especially youth pressure), perseverance, self-destruction, friendship, and family. Such lyrical themes have allowed Have Heart to have a commanding force in at least the positive hardcore scene, and even the scene as a whole.

History[link]

Part of the resurgent Boston hardcore scene, Have Heart formed in 2002 around the core lineup of singer Patrick Flynn, guitarist Ryan Hudon, and bassist Ryan Briggs. Hailing from the coastal town of New Bedford, the trio moved to Boston after graduating high school. Initially working with a revolving lineup of local musicians, the band played their first show in July 2003, and in November, their debut demo was released. The demo came to the attention of Think Fast! Records, who signed them for the release of the What Counts EP in 2004. The EP showcased long-time guitarist Ben Kelley and drummer Justin Paling.

In 2005, Have Heart moved to the estimable hardcore indie Bridge Nine Records and underwent a lineup change, with Kelley and Paling replaced by Kei Yasui and Shawn Costa, respectively.^[1] The following year they released The Things We Carry, their first full length. In 2007, the band toured through the U.S., Canada and Europe.^[2]

In 2008, the band released their second full-length album on Bridge Nine, Songs To Scream At The Sun, which debuted and peaked at No. 193 on the Billboard top 200 and No. 16 on the Top Heatseekers chart.^[3]

Disbandment[link]

On May 13, vocalist Patrick Flynn told the world that Have Heart was breaking up after they completed their scheduled world tour, posting a bulletin on the group's Myspace account:

"Once the Fall rolls around, we can't really do this band the way we would prefer to anymore. Knowing this deadline of ours and having a whole world tour already booked, we'd like to take advantage of the chance to say goodbye to all the people we have met around the world over the years. So, please come check us out in the remaining months on our little trip around the globe. So far Asia has been a wonderful experience and we're very happy to have had the chance to meet so many kind people and look forward to the rest of Asia. We will be playing our last show on this year's National Edge Day on October 17, 2009 with a bunch of our friends bands and a sweet guest. It will be somewhere T accessible in the Boston area. It will also be a benefit for a women's shelter in New Bedford, MA, run by my kind mother. It's been a nice 7 years and we'd like to thank all the unique hardcore kids and bands we have encountered. And in the words of DFJ, thanks to all the shit talkers for all the material to get off on. But, really....we have met so many wonderful people who we'll just never forget. It's been so great. Take care and hope to see you over the next couple months."

The bulletin received over 400 comments from fans after it was posted.

Have Heart's final tour covered every major continent (except Antarctica) with fellow band Shipwreck. However, due to a family crisis, Flynn was absent on the first week, of shows in the European tour. In this time, Sam Yarmuth from Triple B Records filled in for Flynn, and he rejoined the tour on July 3 In Wiesbaden, Germany. On May 13, Have Heart announced after finishing their world tour and doing a final show on October 17, 2009 for National Edge Day in Massachusetts, they will split.^[4] On July 25, 2009, Pat Flynn told the audience during their set on Moshvalleyfest in Belgium that they might release a last EP later that year. However, this plan was scratched.

Bridge Nine Records posthumously released a live recording of Have Heart's final show, titled 10.17.09, on November 23, 2010. The release features, in one package, the performance on both CD and DVD.^[5] Included with 10.17.09 was a pamphlet announcing We Were Supposed To Stay Young, an upcoming DVD chronicling the band's career and general scene of the time. Named after lyrics from Minor Threat's "Betray", the DVD is set to be released at some point in 2012.

Acclaim[link]

Have Heart has garnered many favorable reviews for their albums from many sites such as Sputnikmusic and Punknews. Songs To Scream At The Sun gained a 4.0 (excellent) from Sputnikmusic,^[6] and a 4/5 stars from Punknews, and later on was given the No. 11 spot as album of the year for 2008.^[7]

Influences[link]

Patrick Flynn has cited numerous influences from their local hardcore scene. In My Eyes and Bane, as well as Chain Of Strength and Turning Point, have been known to have influence the band. Their Myspace page also cites Deftones, Far, and Verbal Assault.

Final show[link]

Have Heart's final show was played on National Edge Day 2009 in Revere, Massachusetts, along with other Straight Edge bands. Many members of bands presented testimonies of how members from Have Heart had a huge influence on their lives and careers, along with presenting stories of good times shared with members of Have Heart. Have Heart's last performance consisted of songs from all three of their releases and went for roughly one hour. The crowd performed typical Moshing and Hardcore Dancing, and boogie boards were even used by people for Stage diving. The last song they played was "Watch Me Rise" from The Things We Carry. Afterwards, Flynn laid out on the stage and a good majority of the crowd surrounded him onstage cheering and chanting, "Have Heart," along with fans shouting their personal testimonies to the significance Have Heart had on their lives. This lasted for around 20 minutes straight. Patrick Flynn estimated approximately 1500 people attended, whilst Bridge Nine estimated around 2000. The show was safe overall. With the presence of club security and police officers, moshing injuries were minimal, and no fighting broke out throughout the duration of the show.

Band members[link]

Final lineup

• Patrick Flynn – vocals (2002–2009)
• Ryan Hudon – guitar (2002–2009)
• Kei Yasui – guitar (2005–2009)
• Ryan Briggs – bass (2002–2009)
• Shawn Costa – drums (2005–2009)

Former

• Justin Paling – drums (2002–2005)
• Ben Kelly – guitar (2003–2005)
• Ryan Willis - guitar (2002–2003)
• Eric St. Jacques – guitar (2002–2004)

Touring

• Austin Stemper (2009)

Discography[link]

References[link]

1. ^ "Have Heart profile". thinkfastrecords.com. http://www.thinkfastrecords.com/haveheart. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
2. ^ "Have Heart World Tour". bridge9.com. May 25, 2007. http://www.bridge9.com/article/18. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Songs to Scream at the Sun - Have Heart". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/artist/have-heart/discography/albums/755927#/album/have-heart/songs-to-scream-at-the-sun/1147938. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
4. ^ "Have Heart announce final show with Bane, Shipwreck a.d.". punknews.org. August 22, 2009. http://www.punknews.org/article/34906. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Paul, Aubin (September 22, 2010). "Have Heart announced final show CD+DVD". Punknews.org. http://www.punknews.org/article/39908. Retrieved October 12, 2010. 
6. ^ Carlson, Lee (July 7, 2007). "Have Heart Songs To Scream At The Sun review". sputnikmusic.com. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=28408. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
7. ^ "Your Favorite Albums of 2008". punknews.org. December 31, 2008. http://www.punknews.org/article/31758. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 

External links[link]

• Have Heart at Bridge Nine Records
• Have Heart at MySpace
• Review of Have Heart in Manchester
• Interview with Pat Flynn (Aug. 2007)
• Have Heart profile at punknews.org
• TheLightBetween.com - Patrick Flynn interview 18/Dec/2008
• ChangeTheRecord.net interview with Pat Flynn - 20/07/09
• Photos from Have Heart's final tour