924 Gilman Street

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The 924 Gilman Street project, aka the Alternative Music Foundation, is the Berkeley, California street address, and the official business name of the all-ages, non-profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area 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.

1 History
2 Morals
3 The music
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

In April of 1986, a few people found the 924 Gilman Street space and signed a lease. The idea of having an all ages venue around Berkeley had then been floating around for a few years.
In the following months they held once a week meetings to get things organized, and at the same time put up flyers to get more people involved. Finally, after months of paying rent without being able to hold shows there, the club held its first show on December 31, 1986.

Starting out in 1986, 924 Gilman Street is one of the United States' longest running independent music venues.

[edit] Morals

924 Gilman Street operates on Do It Yourself (DIY) ethics, meaning that people who, for example, wish to make social change, should do it without permission or help from "the establishment."

A 924 Gilman Street member (which is anyone who attends shows), has the ability to make decisions and work for the improvement of the club as a whole.

The club is intended to be a violence-, alcohol- and drug-free environment (although punk icon Jello Biafra suffered a broken leg when attacked in the club in 1994). As such, there are three rules in the club that patrons and bands alike deem to be sacrosanct, albeit unofficial:

No drugs
No alcohol
No major labels

The staff will not book or support racist, misogynist, homophobic, or major-label bands for performances. For a band to be booked there, they must first send in a copy of their lyrics to the venue.

[edit] The music

Gilman showcases mostly pop punk and post-hardcore punk acts. Some of the most influential bands that played at Gilman include: Isocracy, Filth, Samiam, Rancid, Crimpshrine, Sweet Baby, Operation Ivy, AFI, Neurosis, Green Day,Shit in your eye, Jawbreaker, Tilt, Screw 32, The Mr. T Experience, and Link 80. Several of these bands, such as Rancid, Green Day and AFI, are today banned from playing the venue due to major label releases and MTV rotation which are allegedly seen as being against punk ideology and a violation of the unofficial Gilman rules. The venue now mostly serves the East Bay and Northern California hardcore scene.