The Avalon Ballroom
Encyclopedia
The Avalon Ballroom is a music venue, in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California
, at 1268 Sutter Street, on the north side, one building east of the corner of Van Ness Avenue. The space operated from 1966 to 1968 and reopened in 2003. Large events include Pagan Fest USA, that is held in May.
Chet Helms
and his music production
company, Family Dog Productions, which had offices on Van Ness.
Bands were frequently booked to perform at the Avalon on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Extraordinary poster
s advertising each event were produced by psychedelic
artists, including Rick Griffin
, Stanley Mouse
, Alton Kelly
and Victor Moscoso
.
In the 1960s, at the Avalon, two bands typically performed two sets during the evening beginning at about nine o'clock. Many local bands, such as Quicksilver Messenger Service
and The Steve Miller Band
, served as backup bands, as did the early Moby Grape
and headliners such as the 13th Floor Elevators
, The Butterfield Blues Band and Big Brother and the Holding Company
, which Helms organized around singer and performer Janis Joplin
in spring 1966.
The Grateful Dead
recorded their two live albums, entitled Vintage Dead
and Historic Dead
, here in the autumn of 1966.
On January 29, 1967, it hosted the Mantra-Rock Dance
musical event, organized by the local Hare Krishna temple, which featured Hare Krishna founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, along with Allen Ginsberg
, The Grateful Dead, Moby Grape
and Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin.
The Family Dog maintained a hippie
residential house that functioned as a commune
at 1812 Bush Street, a block away from the Avalon, frequented by Helms and his friends. The Avalon was not as large as the Winterland Ballroom
or The Fillmore
, which had been used by Helms before Bill Graham
allegedly violated their partnership agreements. However, the Avalon had the capacity of up to 500. The ballroom was 80 foot by 160 to 180 ft (48.8 to 54.9 m). This area included the stage, which was 40 to 50 ft (12.2 to 15.2 m) wide. The dance floor could accommodate several hundred dancers. An omnipresent light show was created by several local lighting companies.
that the building was available, neo-hippie
Steve Shirley (aka Morning Spring Rain) of the Hog Farm
commune restored and re-opened the Avalon Ballroom as part of the Regency Center, a music hall and special-events space.
, makes reference to the Avalon by stating in their song "Rally,""April 22nd at the Avalon, you teased me." The band also then mysteriously refers to the Avalon in their music video for "Long Distance Call" by having a long abrupt interruption for a man to write down in a journal, "22 April - Avalon."
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at 1268 Sutter Street, on the north side, one building east of the corner of Van Ness Avenue. The space operated from 1966 to 1968 and reopened in 2003. Large events include Pagan Fest USA, that is held in May.
History
The building that housed the Avalon Ballroom was built in 1911 and was originally called the Colin Traver Academy of Dance. The Avalon was founded by Robert E. Cohen, impresarioImpresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
Chet Helms
Chet Helms
Chester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
and his music production
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
company, Family Dog Productions, which had offices on Van Ness.
Bands were frequently booked to perform at the Avalon on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Extraordinary poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s advertising each event were produced by psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
artists, including Rick Griffin
Rick Griffin
Richard Alden Griffin was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. As a contributor to the underground comix movement, his work appeared regularly in Zap Comix. Griffin was closely identified with the Grateful Dead, designing some of their best known...
, Stanley Mouse
Stanley Mouse
Stanley George Miller , better known as Mouse and Stanley Mouse, is an American artist, notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and Grateful Dead album cover art.-Early life:...
, Alton Kelly
Alton Kelly
Alton Kelley was an American artist best known for his psychedelic art, in particular his designs for 1960s rock concerts and albums...
and Victor Moscoso
Victor Moscoso
Victor Moscoso is an artist best known for producing psychedelic rock posters/advertisements and underground comix in San Francisco during the 1960s and '70s....
.
In the 1960s, at the Avalon, two bands typically performed two sets during the evening beginning at about nine o'clock. Many local bands, such as Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
and The Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of the classic rock radio format.-History:In 1965, Steve Miller and...
, served as backup bands, as did the early Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
and headliners such as the 13th Floor Elevators
13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969...
, The Butterfield Blues Band and Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
, which Helms organized around singer and performer Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
in spring 1966.
The Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
recorded their two live albums, entitled Vintage Dead
Vintage Dead
Vintage Dead is a live album by the rock group the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, California in the autumn of 1966, and released in October 1970....
and Historic Dead
Historic Dead
Historic Dead is a live album by the rock group the Grateful Dead. It was recorded at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, California in the autumn of 1966, and released in June 1971....
, here in the autumn of 1966.
On January 29, 1967, it hosted the Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance was a musical countercultural event held on , 1967, at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. It was organized by followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as an opportunity for its founder, Swami Prabhupada, to address a wider public, and as a promotional...
musical event, organized by the local Hare Krishna temple, which featured Hare Krishna founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, along with Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, The Grateful Dead, Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
and Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin.
Description
The Avalon occupied the two top floors of the multi-story building at 1268 Sutter. An L-shaped, second-floor balcony surrounded the first-floor along the south and western walls, and the dance area was in front of the elevated stage in the northeast corner where musicians performed. The entrance doors were downstairs, and opened onto Sutter Street.The Family Dog maintained a hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
residential house that functioned as a commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
at 1812 Bush Street, a block away from the Avalon, frequented by Helms and his friends. The Avalon was not as large as the Winterland Ballroom
Winterland Ballroom
The Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400-seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
or The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
, which had been used by Helms before Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
allegedly violated their partnership agreements. However, the Avalon had the capacity of up to 500. The ballroom was 80 foot by 160 to 180 ft (48.8 to 54.9 m). This area included the stage, which was 40 to 50 ft (12.2 to 15.2 m) wide. The dance floor could accommodate several hundred dancers. An omnipresent light show was created by several local lighting companies.
Closure and restoration
The Avalon lost its lease in November 1968; Cohen and Helms moved on to other pursuits—Helms became an art dealer while still occasionally producing concerts. Cohen went on to form the national touring audio company, Bob Cohen Sound, that would tour with many former Avalon acts, and later founded Clearcom Intercom Systems. The space was converted to the Regency 2 Movie Theatre, that operated until 2001. In 2003, after learning from Stanley MouseStanley Mouse
Stanley George Miller , better known as Mouse and Stanley Mouse, is an American artist, notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and Grateful Dead album cover art.-Early life:...
that the building was available, neo-hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
Steve Shirley (aka Morning Spring Rain) of the Hog Farm
Hog Farm
The Hog Farm is an organization considered to be America's longest running hippie commune. With beginnings as an actual collective hog farm in Tujunga, California, the group, founded in the 1960s by peace activist and clown Wavy Gravy, evolved into a "mobile, hallucination-extended family", active...
commune restored and re-opened the Avalon Ballroom as part of the Regency Center, a music hall and special-events space.
Pop culture
The French indie band, PhoenixPhoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
, makes reference to the Avalon by stating in their song "Rally,""April 22nd at the Avalon, you teased me." The band also then mysteriously refers to the Avalon in their music video for "Long Distance Call" by having a long abrupt interruption for a man to write down in a journal, "22 April - Avalon."
External links
- Regency Center - houses the renovated Avalon Ballroom
- S.F.Heart - The Avalon Ballroom
- Avalon Ballroom Posters at www.janisjoplin.net
- Robert Cohen's Website