Fuck Festivals Festival: All My Pretty Ones, The Bulbs and the Hollihops, USA for LSD, Belly of the Whale, Ryan Parks, Cycloptopus, Toby Dick, Dakota Slim, Squeeky Rice, Queen's Jelly

To raise awareness of this plight, as well as the recent plight of large expensive festivals that seem to have commandeered our city, my friends and I are throwing the Fuck Festivals Festival this weekend - sat. and sunday the 27-28.

location - Saigon Market house (across the street from stork club, on telegraph @ 23rd)
Tons of bands - All My Pretty Ones (sat.), Belly Of the Whale, Squeeky Rice, Toby Dick, BeatBeat Whisper, ummmm, full list to come soon...there's lots, and its all free.



thanks!
Max Allstadt .. wrote:

From: "Max Allstadt" ..
To: Max Allstadt ..
Subject: More Live Music in Oakland!
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:43:30 -0700

Dear Friends,

In the past two years, Oakland's outdated cabaret laws have repeatedly shut down live music at some of our favorite locations. Oaklandish was first, then 21 Grand, and now Mama Buzz Cafe has been silenced. Art Murmur is down to a single live music venue, The Stork Club, and their lease is almost up.

The cabaret laws we have now don't consider the size of a venue, nor the type of performance. DJs are subject to the same restrictions as a 9 piece funk band. If you own a small venue for acoustic music and you serve beer and wine, you have to follow the same building codes as a 500 person dance club with a full bar. Upgrading your bar or restaurant is expensive. Small venues don't make huge amounts of money. The result is that big bars the only ones that can afford the overhead, and small venues are dying. Non-profits and galleries are also left hung out to dry.

So what do I want? I want you to write to the city council and say that you support changing these rules. Cabaret permits should not be one-size fits all. We need new rules that create more than one level of permit. Smaller, quieter venues should be in a separate category from nightclubs. We also need accommodations for non-profits and galleries. More than anything, we need to encourage the growth of small music venues in Oakland. Right now they are being stifled.

Please WRITE AN EMAIL to your City Councilmember:

nnadel@oaklandnet.com, jbrunner@oaklandnet.com, pkernighan@oaklandnet.com

These are the addresses for Councilmembers Nancy Nadel (district 3), Jane Brunner (district 1) and Pat Kernighan (District 2).

They are in charge of most of the areas where cabaret reform is needed.

Make it short, and use your own words because copycats get ignored. Emphasize small local businesses. Tell them that venues with less impact should have less restrictions. Remind them that when venues shut down, private parties pop up, and that means all the money goes to liquor stores. And tell them about how the current rules are hurting Art Murmur and Oakland's culture in general.

PLEASE take five minutes and send a short note. We can make Oalland a more musical city with just a little bit of effort.

Thanks,

Max Allstadt