For further information Michelle Barnett at 415 377-0262 or michellemarieb@gmail.com

GIMME SOMETHING BETTER a Fundraiser for 924 Gilman

(download hi-res flyer here)

SAN FRANCISCO — On July 1st, 2010 the legendary Berkeley all-ages music club 924 Gilman faces a very large and unexpected rent increase, nearly $3,000 per month. The venue is now struggling to generate an extra $31,000 a year needed to cover the massive rent hike.

Outside of New York and London, California’s Bay Area claims the oldest continuous punk rock scene in the world — from the innovative late-70s art-damage of San Francisco’s Fab Mab in North Beach, to the still vibrant all-ages DIY ethos of Gilman, where bands like Green Day, Rancid, and AFI got their start. Conceived and managed by an all-volunteer community, Gilman has been in operation for over 23 years, providing inspiration and empowerment for Bay Area youth, as well as music fans around the world.

Starting May 1st and continuing throughout the month of May, select independent bookstores in the Bay Area will donate a percentage of sales of the oral history book, “GIMME SOMETHING BETTER: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day,” by Jack Boulware & Silke Tudor. A percentage of the book’s proceeds will be donated to 924 Gilman to help keep this important venue from suffering the same fate as New York’s CBGB’s, which is now a clothing store.

Participating bookstores already include: Pegasus Books, Dog Eared Books, Green Apple Books, Get Lost Books, City Lights, Booksmith, Phoenix Books (SF), Books Inc. Berkeley, Pegasus Downtown Berkeley, Pendragon Books Oakland (East Bay).

CLICK HERE for stores’ contact info and location.

Those who already own a copy of the book but are interested in donating via PayPal to the Gilman cause can visit: http://www.924gilman.org/blog/?p=116

Or send checks to: Alternative Music Foundation, P.O. Box 1058, Berkeley, CA. 94701.

GIMME SOMETHING BETTER represents the definitive chronicle of Bay Area punk music, progressive politics, social consciousness, and divine decadence. The book features black and white photographs throughout, an exhaustive who’s-who list, and an introduction by Jesse Michaels, famed singer of Operation Ivy.

“A sweeping oral history likely to remain the definitive tome on the topic.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Endlessly fascinating and frankly addictive masterpiece of safety-pin journalism.” – Austin Chronicle

“Gimme Something Better has it all: dead dogs, statutory rape, skinhead fights, the origins of the term ‘emo,’ promoters accidentally taking acid in jail, M-80s, soup lines, people falling through skylights, people getting torched with flamethrowers, teenagers on meth squatting in empty beer vats, exhumed bodies, laundromats, Ford Pintos, murderers and millionaires…There are also some parts about bands.“ – North Bay Bohemian

TDOA: In the book, you indicate that the punk scene in SF is still vibrant. What bands should people outside of San Francisco be listening to?

JACK: I have no idea. It’s up to them. Go fucking check it out!

SILKE: Who the fuck am I to tell you what to listen to? Call 510-BAD-SMUT. Visit the List. Dig. Research. Listen. Punk rock should not be spoon fed. Discovery is always half the fun. Someone in our book talks about finding a mixed tape on the ground when they were a kid. It was like a treasure map to a foreign land. I wish that experience for everyone.