The Mason Jar
Encyclopedia
The Mason Jar was a notoriously famous rockers genre club located in Phoenix, Arizona
. It was initially famous for being a scene for rock music
, alternative rock
,punk rock
, hip hop
, and heavy metal
in the 1980s and 1990s. Many famous bands such as Nirvana (band)
,Rob Zombie
, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and others took the stage during its heyday.
Franco Gagliano was the founder of The Mason Jar and is credited with making the club a success with national touring bands.
Franco, originally from Sicily
, was a legend in his own right, he managed the club from inception until the year 2000. Gagliano was known for his pizazz, personality and his love–hate relationships with the bands that played at the Mason Jar. He certainly made the place all the more lively with his dry sense of humor and thick Sicilian accent. He often wore his famous shoes clogs, or “klags.” Many patrons had just as much fun engaging with Franco on numerous conversations over seventy-five cent Kamikaze (cocktail)
shots.
Many bands came to the “world famous” Mason Jar on their way to Sunset Strip
in Hollywood, California
. Some simply ran out of money, never making it to Los Angeles
, and others simply liked Phoenix and decided to stay and made it their permanent home. Whatever the reason for passing through Phoenix, all bands somehow made their way to the Mason Jar and the club became world renown in the process.. Scores of bands played at the Mason Jar before they made it big, such as Tool, Green Day, Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine
, Jane's Addiction
and Guns N' Roses
. Local bands such as Surgical Steel, Flotsam and Jetsam
and Sacred Reich
also played there. Jason Newsted
of Flotsam and Jetsam, who later became the bass player for Metallica
, was a regular at the Mason Jar.
The Mason Jar experienced a resurgence as top Phoenix live music venue with the start of the new millennium, when in 2000 the club was bought by local businessman Michael Manfredi aka "Mick". Mick gave The Mason Jar a badly needed face lift, a substantial sound system upgrade and a new contemporary list of rising stars hit the stage like, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Opeth, 30 Seconds to Mars and many more. Mick's appetite for diversity brought The Mason Jar into new genres including country music with acts like David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III and Shooter Jennings. Mick honored The Mason Jar's roots by hosting acts like The Ramones, Rob Halford, Dishwalla, Frank Black, Vanilla Ice, Stephen Pearcy, Ice-T, Megadeth, Robby Krieger and many, many others.
The Mason Jar was a favorite launching ground of music industry execs like Jenna Adler of Creative Artist's Ageny (Papa Roach, The Apex Theory) record labels like Sony and Dreamworks, management agencies like Sanctuary Music (Rob Halford) and of concert promoters like Danny Zelisko, owner of “Evening Star Productions” (now merged with Live Nation) Tom Lapenna and Wil Anderson of Lucky Man Concerts, Kim Larowe of 13th Floor Entertainment and many, many more.
It was not uncommon to see famous artists, professional athletes and politicians at the Mason Jar. Artists like Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (Van Halen) would stop in to jam when booked on tour through Phoenix. Local artists like Alice Cooper and Glen Campbell's kids made their debut upon stage at The Mason Jar.
The Mason Jar was often awarded "Top Club for Rock" by the readers of The Phoenix New Times. It gave music fans in Phoenix a chance to experience live bands the way club goers in Los Angeles and other major cities could.
The Mason Jar closed for business on February 15, 2005 when Mick sold the license to an outside party that no longer operated as The Mason Jar. The Mason Jar experienced its busiest year ever in its last year of business(when Mick was owner), boasting over 30 bands per week and dozens of shows on sale at Tickemaster.com every month.
In 2006 the club closed for remodeling and re-opened as a gay bar
.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. It was initially famous for being a scene for rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
,punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
in the 1980s and 1990s. Many famous bands such as Nirvana (band)
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
,Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and others took the stage during its heyday.
Franco Gagliano was the founder of The Mason Jar and is credited with making the club a success with national touring bands.
Franco, originally from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, was a legend in his own right, he managed the club from inception until the year 2000. Gagliano was known for his pizazz, personality and his love–hate relationships with the bands that played at the Mason Jar. He certainly made the place all the more lively with his dry sense of humor and thick Sicilian accent. He often wore his famous shoes clogs, or “klags.” Many patrons had just as much fun engaging with Franco on numerous conversations over seventy-five cent Kamikaze (cocktail)
Kamikaze (cocktail)
The Kamikaze is made of two to one parts vodka, triple sec and lemon juice. According to the International Bartenders Association, it is served straight up in a cocktail glass. Garnish is typically a wedge or twist of lime....
shots.
Many bands came to the “world famous” Mason Jar on their way to Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
in Hollywood, California
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...
. Some simply ran out of money, never making it to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and others simply liked Phoenix and decided to stay and made it their permanent home. Whatever the reason for passing through Phoenix, all bands somehow made their way to the Mason Jar and the club became world renown in the process.. Scores of bands played at the Mason Jar before they made it big, such as Tool, Green Day, Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
. Local bands such as Surgical Steel, Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam and jetsam
In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict describe specific kinds of wreck.The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage....
and Sacred Reich
Sacred Reich
Sacred Reich is a Phoenix, Arizona-based thrash metal band that formed in 1985. Singer/songwriter Phil Rind's interest was in socially conscious and political speed metal. After several records on Metal Blade Records, they signed to Hollywood Records for a short stint, but later returned to Metal...
also played there. Jason Newsted
Jason Newsted
Jason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
of Flotsam and Jetsam, who later became the bass player for Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, was a regular at the Mason Jar.
The Mason Jar experienced a resurgence as top Phoenix live music venue with the start of the new millennium, when in 2000 the club was bought by local businessman Michael Manfredi aka "Mick". Mick gave The Mason Jar a badly needed face lift, a substantial sound system upgrade and a new contemporary list of rising stars hit the stage like, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Opeth, 30 Seconds to Mars and many more. Mick's appetite for diversity brought The Mason Jar into new genres including country music with acts like David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III and Shooter Jennings. Mick honored The Mason Jar's roots by hosting acts like The Ramones, Rob Halford, Dishwalla, Frank Black, Vanilla Ice, Stephen Pearcy, Ice-T, Megadeth, Robby Krieger and many, many others.
The Mason Jar was a favorite launching ground of music industry execs like Jenna Adler of Creative Artist's Ageny (Papa Roach, The Apex Theory) record labels like Sony and Dreamworks, management agencies like Sanctuary Music (Rob Halford) and of concert promoters like Danny Zelisko, owner of “Evening Star Productions” (now merged with Live Nation) Tom Lapenna and Wil Anderson of Lucky Man Concerts, Kim Larowe of 13th Floor Entertainment and many, many more.
It was not uncommon to see famous artists, professional athletes and politicians at the Mason Jar. Artists like Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (Van Halen) would stop in to jam when booked on tour through Phoenix. Local artists like Alice Cooper and Glen Campbell's kids made their debut upon stage at The Mason Jar.
The Mason Jar was often awarded "Top Club for Rock" by the readers of The Phoenix New Times. It gave music fans in Phoenix a chance to experience live bands the way club goers in Los Angeles and other major cities could.
The Mason Jar closed for business on February 15, 2005 when Mick sold the license to an outside party that no longer operated as The Mason Jar. The Mason Jar experienced its busiest year ever in its last year of business(when Mick was owner), boasting over 30 bands per week and dozens of shows on sale at Tickemaster.com every month.
In 2006 the club closed for remodeling and re-opened as a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
.