Classic punk rock is definitely one of my favorite musical genres. As a music nerd, that's a bold statement for sure. But what I like about punk isn't necessarily the music itself. It's the history, the attitude, and the fact that really anyone could do it if they wanted. Punk is credited with having origins in New York and London in the mid-1970s, but what is often left out is the Bay Area scene. One venue in San Francisco, Mabuhay Gardens, was an important place both for music and posters during this time.

A New Genre

In the mid-1970s, there was a shift in music and in concert art. Posters had just evolved the decade prior, giving way to the artistic nature of psychedelic art, and it was time for them to evolve again. This time, they took a very different path. With the emergence of punk rock came the punk flyer, which was usually created with a DIY approach. Instead of true artists taking their time to create beautiful posters, band members and their friends usually crudely designed advertisements themselves. They designed flyers on cheap paper, using cut and paste methods and copy machines.

As was the case with psychedelic posters, a large number of these flyers came out of the Bay Area in California. Many of the shows these flyers advertised took place at San Francisco's premier punk club, Mabuhay Gardens. Originally a Filipino restaurant, Mabuhay Gardens, also known as The Mab or Fab Mab, operated as a venue from 1976 until 1986, hosting some of the greatest punk and new wave bands of all time.

The Flyers from Mabuhay Gardens

The flyers created for Mabuhay Gardens shows were pretty typical for the time in terms of design. They were generally black and white and printed on 8.5"x11" paper. They featured simple, crude collage designs. Mabuhay Gardens had a unique logo that appeared on most of these flyers, which was unusual for a punk club. Punk flyers were designed as street art, meant to line the streets and inundate your senses, which they certainly did effectively. As a result, it's fairly difficult to find these original flyers in good condition today. Though multiple artists were responsible for creating these pieces, most of them are not credited.

There were many important bands that performed regularly at the venue. They include Dead Kennedys, The Nuns, Crime, The Dils, and The Avengers. In fact, Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys decided to pursue punk music as a career after attending a show at Mabuhay Gardens, and his band played their first gig here. Touring acts such as Devo, The Dead Boys, The Ramones, and The Runaways also made appearances here. Many of these shows were advertised via flyers that are extremely rare and valuable today.

The Legacy of The Mabuhay

It's no secret that Mabuhay Gardens was an enormously important venue for the evolution of punk music. It has often been compared to the legendary CBGC in New York City, perhaps being its West Coast counterpart. Dirk Dirksen, the venue's promoter and emcee, has been described as the Bill Graham of punk music. Flyers promoting shows at this venue would be an amazing addition to any punk fan's poster collection.

 

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