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The Matrix (club)
Encyclopedia
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music. Located at 3138 Fillmore Street, The Matrix opened August 13, 1965 showcasing Jefferson Airplane
, which singer Marty Balin
had put together as the club's "house band." Marty had persuaded three limited partners to put up $3,000 apiece to finance the opening of The Matrix, giving them 75% ownership, while he retained 25% for creating and managing it.
rose rapidly to local prominence during late 1965 and early 1966 with their performances at the Matrix, and it was there that they were first seen by noted music critic Ralph J. Gleason
, who became an early champion of the group. The photograph of the members of Jefferson Airplane
that was featured on the front cover of their best-known album, Surrealistic Pillow
(1967), was taken inside the Matrix.
The Matrix was a favorite haunt of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson
in the late 1960s (see Fear and Loathing in America, c. 2000) and was also mentioned briefly in his book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, during a flashback scene. During this period, Thompson was a contributing editor for the then-new tabloid magazine, Rolling Stone
, which was founded in San Francisco in 1967.
, many other well-known bands and musicians performed there;
Since it was originally created and run by musicians, The Matrix was always popular with local and visiting musicians, so, on their off nights, many of them would come there to hear other groups they knew or just to hang out. Known musicians never paid a cover charge.
on the left wall near the rear; rumor was that the members of Jefferson Airplane
painted it before the club first opened (appropriate, since these four horsemen all carried musical instruments). The mood the mural conveyed was sort of in keeping with the very subdued lighting everywhere in the club other than the small stage.
The entrance was recessed about two feet and was left of center on the windowless wall seen from the street, but there was a movie-poster-like cabinet outside to the door's right, where upcoming bands were listed and handbills were posted. Inside, near the entrance, there was a bar (beer and wine license only) on the front left. The interior was about 40 feet by 80 feet. The front third of the club had about a 10-foot-high ceiling, but farther back, it went up to about 20 feet. The right front area had chairs and most of the cocktail
tables, while the center to rear of the room was a dance floor. The stage was a step above the floor on the right side, center to rear. A small sound booth occupied the center of the left wall, and a few cocktail tables were at the left rear in front of the mural. The rear wall had a window opening for the small galley used to prepare bar food and other snacks.
sold his share of the club to Peter Abram and Gary Jackson, two of the original partners. Peter actively managed the club room and did bookings while also recording any musicians who were well-known or that he enjoyed or who were recommended to him. Gary took care of accounting and general business matters. For a brief period towards the end of 1966 Bill Ehlert, better known as The Jolly Blue Giant or simply Jolly, owner of the Jabberwock in Berkeley took over running the Matrix for a couple of months. This saw a distinct change to the booking policy where Jabberwock favourites Country Joe and the Fish, the New Age, and Blackburn & Snow
would perform at the Matrix. Another change was seen in the advertising of shows, where Jabberwock house artist Tom Weller would provide some great posters and handbills.
some tapes of live sets from 1966 by The Great Society (the band Grace Slick
belonged to before replacing Signe Anderson
in Jefferson Airplane). Edits of those tapes (including the first commercial recordings of "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love") eventually became two LP's, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence and How It Was (promoted as by "Grace Slick & The Great Society"). Over 20 years later (1989–1990), identical combinations of the two LP's were re-released under different names as CD's by two different labels, possibly due to separate licensing agreements in the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.
Trivia note: The Great Society band photo on the album covers was taken in front of the same wall inside The Matrix that Jefferson Airplane posed in front of for their album, Surrealistic Pillow.
was material recorded live at The Matrix, purportedly on May 14, 1967, more than a year before the remodeling. However, the recordings were actually made when Steppenwolf was still called The Sparrow and were taped between May 9 and May 11, 1967 or between May 19 and 21. On May 14, the Sopwith Camel
were playing the last day of a three day set at The Matrix and The Sparrow did not appear.
label), Cheaper Thrills is the best tracks from several Big Brother gigs at The Matrix before the band was well known. Like many of the Matrix tapes, there has been some mislabelling and the actual recording dates have been lost in the mists of time. What we do know is that the recordings were made in 1966 and 1967.
also created a custom mixing board for the club, hoping for additional tapes of future live performances.
The entrance was moved to the far right of the street wall. The ceiling was opened up to its full 20 foot height for the entire room. Just to the left of the entrance, against the street wall, was the new mixing booth, with its large, doubled-glass windows facing into the main room. The stage was moved to the center of the left wall, and was 3 feet up and about 12x28 feet (instead of the 10x18 feet of the original stage). Large speaker systems were mounted near the ceiling in the left front and left rear corners. A new lighting system aimed at the stage hung from the ceiling just in front of the stage.
When The Matrix closed, a nearby bar, Pierce Street Annex, leased the space and moved in, remodeling once again, turning it into a nightclub with only a DJ, and no live music. After the Pierce Street Annex closed, Mayor Gavin Newsom's
company, PlumpJack Group, took over in 2000 and renamed the space MatrixFillmore. Live music was incorporated into the venue during the first few years; however, this was not a viable venue for live music and the program was dropped. MatrixFillmore now has only DJ's. MatrixFillmore was one of the first ultra lounge
s in San Francisco. Currently the venue is planning a remodeling with an uncertain direction.
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, which singer Marty Balin
Marty Balin
Marty Balin is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and one of the lead singers of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life:Martyn Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
had put together as the club's "house band." Marty had persuaded three limited partners to put up $3,000 apiece to finance the opening of The Matrix, giving them 75% ownership, while he retained 25% for creating and managing it.
Emergence of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
rose rapidly to local prominence during late 1965 and early 1966 with their performances at the Matrix, and it was there that they were first seen by noted music critic Ralph J. Gleason
Ralph J. Gleason
Ralph Joseph Gleason was an influential American jazz and pop music critic. He contributed for many years to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival.-Biography:Gleason was born in New York City and attended Columbia...
, who became an early champion of the group. The photograph of the members of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
that was featured on the front cover of their best-known album, Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow is the second album by American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in February 1967.Original drummer Alexander 'Skip' Spence had left the band in mid-1966, replaced by a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, a nephew of Charlie Chaplin. New lead vocalist...
(1967), was taken inside the Matrix.
The Matrix was a favorite haunt of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
in the late 1960s (see Fear and Loathing in America, c. 2000) and was also mentioned briefly in his book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, during a flashback scene. During this period, Thompson was a contributing editor for the then-new tabloid magazine, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, which was founded in San Francisco in 1967.
The Music
The Matrix was an important place in the formative years of the San Francisco rock music scene, featuring not only rock bands, but several blues artists and blues bands, with an occasional jazz artist thrown in. Besides Jefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, many other well-known bands and musicians performed there;
- Big Brother and the Holding CompanyBig Brother and the Holding CompanyBig 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...
- Elvin Bishop BandElvin BishopElvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
- The Blues Project
- Sandy BullSandy BullAlexander "Sandy" Bull was an American folk musician who was active from the late 1950s until his death.Born in New York City, he was the only child of Harry A. Bull, an editor in chief of...
- Butterfield Blues Band
- The Chambers BrothersThe Chambers BrothersThe Chambers Brothers is a soul-music group, best known for its 1968 hit record, the 11-minute long song "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements, spawning a heady mix...
- The Charlatans
- Commander Cody and his Lost Planet AirmenCommander Cody and His Lost Planet AirmenCommander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is an American country rock band founded in 1967. Core members included founder George Frayne, John Tichy, Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Paul "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, and Bobby Black....
- Congress of Wonders
- Country Joe & the Fish
- The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
- Electric FlagElectric FlagThe Electric Flag was a blues rock soul group, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other well-known musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield formed the Electric Flag in 1967, following his stint...
- Ramblin' Jack Elliot
- Flamin' Groovies
- Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
& Friends aka Jerry Garcia BandJerry Garcia BandThe Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side-projects until his death in 1995... - Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe 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...
- The Great Society
- Vince GuaraldiVince GuaraldiVincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
- MickeyMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
& the Hartbeats (a subset of the Grateful Dead consisting of Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
), Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Phil LeshPhil LeshPhillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
, and Bill Kreutzman - Dan HicksDan HicksDan Hicks is the name of:*Dan Hicks , singer and musician*Dan Hicks , sportscaster*Dan Hicks , British historical archaeologist/anthropologist*Dan Hicks , American actor...
& His Hot Licks - John Lee HookerJohn Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
- Lightnin' HopkinsLightnin' HopkinsSam John Hopkins better known as Lightnin’ Hopkins, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Houston, Texas...
- Hot TunaHot TunaHot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
- Howlin' WolfHowlin' WolfChester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
- It's a Beautiful DayIt's a Beautiful DayIt's a Beautiful Day is a band formed in San Francisco, California in 1967, the brainchild of violinist David LaFlamme.LaFlamme, a former soloist with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, had previously been in the band Orkustra, and unusually, played a five-string violin...
- Mad RiverMad River (band)Mad River was an American psychedelic rock band.Mad River formed at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in April 1966. The band took its name from the nearby Mad River. By March 1967 they had relocated to Berkeley, California. There they came to the attention of cult author Richard Brautigan...
- Taj MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
- Harvey MandelHarvey MandelHarvey Mandel is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career...
- Marvin Gardens
- Steve Miller Blues BandSteve Miller BandThe 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...
(with Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
before he formed his own band) - Moby GrapeMoby GrapeMoby 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...
- Charlie MusselwhiteCharlie MusselwhiteCharlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
- New Riders of the Purple SageNew Riders of the Purple SageNew Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
- Quicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver 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...
- Otis RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
- SantanaSantana (band)Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
- Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
- Siegel-Schwall BandSiegel-Schwall BandThe Siegel–Schwall Band is an American electric blues band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1964 by Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall , and still tours occasionally.-History:...
- Sopwith CamelSopwith CamelThe Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
- Rosalie SorrelsRosalie SorrelsRosalie Sorrels is an American folk singer-songwriter who resides in the mountains near Boise, Idaho. She began her public career as a singer and collector of traditional folksongs in the late 1950s. During the early 1960s she left her husband and began traveling and performing at music festivals...
- Steel MillSteel MillSteel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
(with Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
) - The Sparrow (just before they changed their name to SteppenwolfSteppenwolf (band)Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
) - Sonny TerrySonny TerrySaunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.-Career:Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia...
& Brownie McGheeBrownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:... - The TubesThe TubesThe Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band, whose 1975 debut album included the hit single, "White Punks on Dope". During its first fifteen years or so, the band's live performances combined quasi-pornography with wild satires of media, consumerism, and politics...
- Velvet Underground
- The Wailers
- T-Bone WalkerT-Bone WalkerAaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
- Johnny WinterJohnny WinterJohn Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
, and many more.
Since it was originally created and run by musicians, The Matrix was always popular with local and visiting musicians, so, on their off nights, many of them would come there to hear other groups they knew or just to hang out. Known musicians never paid a cover charge.
Original Club Layout
In the early years of The Matrix, there was a huge mural of the Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book'/'scroll' in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals"...
on the left wall near the rear; rumor was that the members of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
painted it before the club first opened (appropriate, since these four horsemen all carried musical instruments). The mood the mural conveyed was sort of in keeping with the very subdued lighting everywhere in the club other than the small stage.
The entrance was recessed about two feet and was left of center on the windowless wall seen from the street, but there was a movie-poster-like cabinet outside to the door's right, where upcoming bands were listed and handbills were posted. Inside, near the entrance, there was a bar (beer and wine license only) on the front left. The interior was about 40 feet by 80 feet. The front third of the club had about a 10-foot-high ceiling, but farther back, it went up to about 20 feet. The right front area had chairs and most of the cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
tables, while the center to rear of the room was a dance floor. The stage was a step above the floor on the right side, center to rear. A small sound booth occupied the center of the left wall, and a few cocktail tables were at the left rear in front of the mural. The rear wall had a window opening for the small galley used to prepare bar food and other snacks.
Ownership Change
Sometime in 1966 or 1967, Marty BalinMarty Balin
Marty Balin is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and one of the lead singers of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life:Martyn Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
sold his share of the club to Peter Abram and Gary Jackson, two of the original partners. Peter actively managed the club room and did bookings while also recording any musicians who were well-known or that he enjoyed or who were recommended to him. Gary took care of accounting and general business matters. For a brief period towards the end of 1966 Bill Ehlert, better known as The Jolly Blue Giant or simply Jolly, owner of the Jabberwock in Berkeley took over running the Matrix for a couple of months. This saw a distinct change to the booking policy where Jabberwock favourites Country Joe and the Fish, the New Age, and Blackburn & Snow
Blackburn & Snow
Blackburn & Snow were a folk rock duo popular early in the mid-1960s San Francisco music scene in the United States. The group consisted of guitarist-singer Jeff Blackburn and vocalist Sherry Snow.-History:...
would perform at the Matrix. Another change was seen in the advertising of shows, where Jabberwock house artist Tom Weller would provide some great posters and handbills.
Live Music Albums Recorded at The Matrix
| album | artist | label | released | recorded | format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conspicuous Only in Its Absence | The Great Society | Columbia Records Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... (9624) |
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| How It Was | The Great Society | Columbia Records (9702) | |
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| Early Steppenwolf Early Steppenwolf Early Steppenwolf is a collection of live recordings by the band Steppenwolf when they were still known as "The Sparrow" [nee: "The Sparrows"]. It was released in 1969 under the label ABC Dunhill Records... |
Steppenwolf Steppenwolf (band) Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The... |
ABC Dunhill (DS-50060) | |
|
|
| Collector's Item | The Great Society | Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated... /Sony BMG |
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| 1969: The Velvet Underground Live 1969: The Velvet Underground Live 1969: The Velvet Underground Live is a live album by The Velvet Underground. It was originally released as a double album in September 1974 by Mercury Records. The September 1988 CD re-release was issued as two separate single CD volumes, with one extra track per disc... |
The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited... |
Mercury Records Mercury Records Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... |
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| Cheaper Thrills | Big Brother & the Holding Company | Edsel,UK Demon Music Group Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records... (ED135,EDCD135) |
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| Live At The Matrix | The Great Society | Edsel,UK | |
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| Collector's Item | The Great Society | Legacy Recordings/Sony BMG | |
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| Cheaper Thrills | Big Brother & the Holding Company | Get Back,Italy (6688) | |
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| Cheaper Thrills | Big Brother & the Holding Company | Acadia Evangeline Records Evangeline Records is an independent American record label based in San Francisco, California that promotes and releases music in the indie rock, baroque pop, psych folk, and Gothic Americana genres. The label was founded by notable songwriters Bob Frank and John Murry in 2006.Both Frank and Murry... (8001) |
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| Collector's Item | The Great Society | Legacy Recordings/Sony BMG (B0000024X1) | |
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| Live at the Matrix 1967 Live at the Matrix 1967 Live at the Matrix 1967 is a double live album by The Doors, compiled and resequenced from recordings made on March 7 and 10, 1967 at The Matrix in San Francisco by club co-owner Peter Abram... |
The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger... |
Rhino/WMG | |
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| Return to the Matrix 02/01/68 | Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success.... |
Collectors' Choice Music Live | |
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The Great Society Tapes
In 1968, after finally getting all the necessary releases, The Matrix's owners sold to Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
some tapes of live sets from 1966 by The Great Society (the band Grace Slick
Grace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
belonged to before replacing Signe Anderson
Signe Toly Anderson
Signe Toly Anderson is an American singer who was one of the founding members of the American rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life and joining Jefferson Airplane:...
in Jefferson Airplane). Edits of those tapes (including the first commercial recordings of "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love") eventually became two LP's, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence and How It Was (promoted as by "Grace Slick & The Great Society"). Over 20 years later (1989–1990), identical combinations of the two LP's were re-released under different names as CD's by two different labels, possibly due to separate licensing agreements in the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.
Trivia note: The Great Society band photo on the album covers was taken in front of the same wall inside The Matrix that Jefferson Airplane posed in front of for their album, Surrealistic Pillow.
Early Steppenwolf Tapes
Released by ABC Dunhill Records in 1969, the album Early SteppenwolfEarly Steppenwolf
Early Steppenwolf is a collection of live recordings by the band Steppenwolf when they were still known as "The Sparrow" [nee: "The Sparrows"]. It was released in 1969 under the label ABC Dunhill Records...
was material recorded live at The Matrix, purportedly on May 14, 1967, more than a year before the remodeling. However, the recordings were actually made when Steppenwolf was still called The Sparrow and were taped between May 9 and May 11, 1967 or between May 19 and 21. On May 14, the Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
were playing the last day of a three day set at The Matrix and The Sparrow did not appear.
Big Brother & the Holding Company Tapes
First released in the UK in 1984 by Edsel Records (a Demon Music GroupDemon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
label), Cheaper Thrills is the best tracks from several Big Brother gigs at The Matrix before the band was well known. Like many of the Matrix tapes, there has been some mislabelling and the actual recording dates have been lost in the mists of time. What we do know is that the recordings were made in 1966 and 1967.
Remodeling
The earnings from the Great Society tapes enabled a major remodeling of The Matrix, including a professional mixing booth and two higher quality tape decks, as well as the major improvements to the sound and lighting systems. As part of their contract, Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
also created a custom mixing board for the club, hoping for additional tapes of future live performances.
The entrance was moved to the far right of the street wall. The ceiling was opened up to its full 20 foot height for the entire room. Just to the left of the entrance, against the street wall, was the new mixing booth, with its large, doubled-glass windows facing into the main room. The stage was moved to the center of the left wall, and was 3 feet up and about 12x28 feet (instead of the 10x18 feet of the original stage). Large speaker systems were mounted near the ceiling in the left front and left rear corners. A new lighting system aimed at the stage hung from the ceiling just in front of the stage.
End of the Matrix
The Matrix continued to showcase local and visiting bands for a few more years. It was always a hangout for local musicians, famous or otherwise, both because of its history and because of the owners' respect for serious musicians. The club closed in 1972; although briefly re-opening at a new location (412 Broadway - previously "Mr Ds") in the fall of 1973.When The Matrix closed, a nearby bar, Pierce Street Annex, leased the space and moved in, remodeling once again, turning it into a nightclub with only a DJ, and no live music. After the Pierce Street Annex closed, Mayor Gavin Newsom's
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
company, PlumpJack Group, took over in 2000 and renamed the space MatrixFillmore. Live music was incorporated into the venue during the first few years; however, this was not a viable venue for live music and the program was dropped. MatrixFillmore now has only DJ's. MatrixFillmore was one of the first ultra lounge
Ultra lounge
An ultra lounge is a style nightclub lounge, that came to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ultralounges tend to be small to mid-sized venues, featuring cocktails and an upscale atmosphere....
s in San Francisco. Currently the venue is planning a remodeling with an uncertain direction.
See also
- San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Rock music
- Wikipedia:WikiProject San Francisco Bay Area
- Wikipedia:WikiProject California
External links
- An Internet Community Forum Site: The Matrix Club* Rock & Roll Roadmaps: The Matrix
- bbhc.com - Big Brother and the Holding Company
- Rainman Records: Jefferson Starship - Biography
- Bay Area Bands: The Great Society
- Interview and conversation with Marty Balin for a cover story in High Times magazine (pub. March 2000)
- [ allmusic guide: Cheaper Thrills - Overview]
- Chicken on a Unicycle — Bay Area Music history
- list of all shows at The Matrix