Kitty Cash Bar 01
Kitty Cash Bar is a tribute series to recognize San Francisco's most beloved live and electronic music venues in an effort to raise funds for them during Covid-19 mandatory closures.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, we invite you to pour a drink (or 2) for Happy Hour (loosely all day, these days), reflect on some of your fondest shows and memories, share one of those memorable moments with your social media family, and to tip your bartender (via the venue campaign page)!
Inspired by the efforts of the community to rally around our scene and conversations had with our friend femmelectric - we decided to collaborate on this project in order to bring a consistent, targeted approach to helping the causes we’re passionate about.
March 31st 2020 - Noise Pop
Our first spotlight is a bit of an anomaly as it’s not a venue - it’s an entity unto itself: Noise Pop. “Paying homage to the greats and focusing on the best of the up-and-coming artists, Noise Pop cultivates revitalizing experiences and supports the broad scope of Bay Area culture.” - quite simply, the Bay Area would not be the same without them.
Creators of our favorite local, multi-venue music festivals, block parties, practical residents of Swedish American Music Hall and Cafe Du Nord, and champions of the independent music scene for over 20 years now - Noise Pop landed at the top of our lists for causes to donate to amidst the coronavirus crisis.
You can find their GoFundMe campaign here. We encourage you to reminisce about your favorite moments from a Noise Pop event and consider donating the amount of a bar tab had you actually been able to go out this evening. Every bit helps!
Notable responses from our social media endeavors:
“Noise Pop put on the best show i've ever seen hands-down: Sevdaliza. She made horcruxes out of every member of the audience. I've never seen a crowd that firmly in the palm of a performer before.” - Liam
“This year I think my favorite new discovery was the insane night at The Great Northern for Chaos in the CBD, Kornel Kovacs, Baltra, Computer Data, Experimental Housewife, Run the Length, et. all. BONKERS lineup that I still dip into today. Not to mention EVERYONE was there!” - Justin
“I think my favorite musical discovery via Noise Pop would be seeing The Marias at The Chapel last year. Great energy. Great crowd. Great friends in attendance. All around fantastic night.” - Chris
I was invited to see Slow Magic at 1015 Folsom in Feb of 2015 by my friends, without knowing too much except that I was going to see some guy play drums in a dope, colorful mask. That was my first Noise Pop show, first 1015 show, and first time totally grooving to a show of that nature.” - Regan
April 2nd 2020 - 1015 Folsom
Today, we feature one of the longest standing clubs in San Francisco--1015 Folsom--who just celebrated their 30 year anniversary last October. The historic club has been home to many emergent scenes through the decades including early house music in the 90's, bass music in the 2000's, and electronic music and hip hop in the 20-teens. Today, 1015 is known for being a premier venue for an array of dance music, hip hop, and even the occasional niche and avant garde show, thanks to longtime promoter DJ Dials who is the primary talent buyer for the venue. 1015 is also integral to our local ecosystem by providing many support opportunities for both rising and veteran artists in the bay.
The sudden closure impacts a staff of over 70 workers--bartenders; sound and lighting techs; janitorial, door, and security staff. Their funding campaign will be matched by owner, Ira Sandler, so every dollar you can give, is doubled, and will be split evenly among staff. If you have the means, consider donating what you would have spent on your bar tab at a show there this weekend.
Those of us that frequent the club scene find ourselves there 1-many times per month and have many stories to tell. Today we ask what your favorite, wildest, or most surprising show at 1015 was. Whether you can afford to give financially or not at this time, we invite you to share a memory, and thank any staff person you may know that works there for playing a key role in those memories. We miss you, 1015.
Notable responses from our social media endeavors:
“Verrrry recent favorite was seeing The Blaze DJ there! and running into [a friend] who bought my spare ticket, tho I didn't know it was him at the time but we were both shazamming the same songs” - Sarah
“Easily one of my favorite venues now, especially with the new renovations. The bookings and honesty a la Noah Bennett Dials have been incredible. The Maya Jane Coles show - especially the stellar production brought in that made it even better (disco ball!!!!) - was one of my favorite shows recently.” Torie
“Best shows at 1015 were definitely the Ninja Tune 20th Anniversary and the old raindance Chinese new years parties, especially the Year of the Tiger with 16bit. I love the direction the club has taken these days, but nothing beats the early 2010s” - Scott
“1015/Noah also books SOOOO many locals. like SO many. and the way that first time playing at 1015 feels is insane. It makes you so nervous. and at least for me, I spent like at least two weeks tuning up for the show. The sheer volume of opportunities this club has created for local DJs to level up their craft makes it, by far, my favorite club in the city.” - Liam