Punk Rock to the people

Over 25 years ago The Alternative Music Foundation, a group that is committed to offering  an all ages venue for truly independent music free from drugs, alcohol or hate speech opened it's doors at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley. Since that time the venue has hosted countless bands including Bad Religion, GWAR, Rancid, Fugazi,  The Offspring, L7, Green Day and  Pansy Division, all before they had a major label deal, and some before they were out of high school.

A true icon of the  San Francisco Bay area music scene, 924  Gilman is one of the only independent music venues left in the United States, and late last week it was announced that the venue may be forced to close their doors come July, when a profound rent increase goes into effect. 

At press time, there has been no word as to whether or not any of the hyper-successful bands that got their start at 924 Gilman Street will step forward to offer financial support to the club.  However,  a few grass-roots groups have formed in hopes of getting the word out, and  a smattering of independent bookstores have committed to donating a percentage of sales of the book Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive,, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk From Dead Kennedys to Green Day to benefit the club.

To join the fight to save independent music in the SF Bay area, you can donate money directly to The Alternative Music Foundation via the official webpage.