New Year's Eve will mark 40 years since the first show at 924 Gilman, the West Berkeley punk club run almost entirely by volunteers. Very few independent music venues last that long, and the club is now trying to make sure it lasts longer.
The $5 million plan
Gilman doesn't own its building at Gilman and Eighth streets. Berkeleyside reported that the collective has launched a $5 million campaign to buy it from Jim Widess, owner of The Caning Shop next door and the venue's landlord for 40 years. Executive Director Kian Alexander said owning the building would take "a lot of weight off of our shoulders." Widess, 81, says fans shouldn't worry about the club losing its home.
How it started
Tim Yohannon, founder of the magazine Maximum Rocknroll, pitched an all-ages, alcohol-free venue for the former grocery store. Widess agreed to lease it to him. The club became the proving ground for Green Day and the home base of Operation Ivy. UC Berkeley professor and punk historian Tom McEnany told Berkeleyside that people know Gilman before almost any other club except New York's CBGB.
Still volunteer-run
Only security staff are paid. Decisions are made at collective meetings. The club held a four-day 40th anniversary benefit weekend Sept. 24 to 27, ThePunkSite reported. It closed with a night hosted by the Bay Area label Alternative Tentacles, and proceeds went to the nonprofit.
The anniversary comes as other small venues close, including Oakland's New Parish and San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill and Thee Parkside, Berkeleyside noted.