I am producing a documentary about the Flint, MI Punk Rock Scene circa 1980-1987. This is simply a field journal detailing some of the process steps I am taking during the production of the doc.
The working title is "Hall Show". Hall shows were live music performances that utilized rental hall venues. While not every show and event actually took place in rental halls during this time frame in Flint, people generally referred to the shows as Hall Shows.
If you would like to participate in the production of this film by being interviewed, providing pictures, journals from then, flyers... please contact me at hall.show.documentary (at) gmail (dot) com
Wow, driving around Flint with one of my musical influences is pretty cool, and in a Cadillac - how cool! Well that was the setting for this interview with Dissonance bassist Tanya Narhi. We met at Wyatt Earp Records, chatted a bit with Al, then hit the road. We looped around Flint, on a route that took us to many of the early basement parties and hall shows that Tanya and Phill hosted and promoted. A trip down memory lane for sure. While I didn't attend any of the basement parties, I am sure they were wicked cool events (sorry, my Massachusetts is leaking). The popularity of these early punk rock parties with mostly local bands is what really gave birth to the more organized Hall Shows that brought acts such as Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer, MDC, 7 Seconds, and many others.
One thing that I find, as I talk to people about the Flint scene is that it was really a place where everyone was welcome, in many ways. Whether you were in a band (whatever kind of music you played) a skate kid, an oldster, whatever race, the Flint scene welcomed you to be art of it. If you just wanted to catch some bands, cool. If you wanted to start a band and pay live shows, there was a venue for you to get your punk on. The Hall Shows that Tanya and Phil put on emphasized this community openness.
I am so glad I had the chance to cruise around some of the spots of the old scene with Tanya. The highlight of the afternoon for me was when we were wrapping things up at the Ukranian Hall, sitting in the parking lot - reflecting on many of the great shows that happened there. A lady walked up and asked if we were needing anything. We described that we were doing an interview for the Hall Show Documentary, she said she owned the hall. I asked if we could possibly go into the hall to look around, she said sure! The old Ukranian Hall still looks the same, with a fresh coat of paint. The floor right in front of the stage is totally void of varnish, more than likely scraped off by mosh pit activity.
When it comes to knowledge about the Flint Punk Rock scene, there is no one who has a greater overall knowledge than Joel Rash. Joel was thrown into an integral role building the Flint scene as a dare by members of the Guilty Bystanders to book and promote a show. Well, Joel did just that, and never turned back. While others like Phill Hines and Tanya Narhi (We Love You Too Productions) were bringing in bigger nationally touring acts, there was a gap in the scene for Flint and Michigan bands, so Joel filled that gap, and started promoting Hall Shows from that angle. Well, that's where it started for Joel.
I was reminded that there was a change from Hall Shows to Fallout Shelter shows in 1987, when the basement of the Capitol theatre in downtown Flint became a more permanent venue. The scene at this point sort of changed as a number of new people started attending the shows since there was a more consistent show calendar. This reminder has made me rethink the scope I may take for the content of the Hall Show Documentary. Since nothing is chiseled in stone and I am still in the fairly early stages of production, scope changes are expected. More on this in future dispatches.
While not directly connected to the Hall Show Documentary, Joel provided a glimpse at the current state of Flint that really paints a reassuring picture of a renaissance within the core of Flint. From loft apartments to new restaurants to fresh businesses going in, he described a very positive environment in and around Flint, unlike the stories that appear in the national and international media and press.
Finally, we shared a great meal at Flint's Original Coney Island on Court street in Flint after the interview. People who know me well, know I have evangelized the Coney Islands at Angelo's Coney Island for over 20 years. Well that time has ended. The real deal is served up at Flint's Original!
Eric and I went to Grand Blanc High School together. He graduated a year before me in 1984. With the exception of running into him at a few hall shows in the mid 80s, I really haven't seen him in over 20 years. I reconnected with him a few years ago through social networking, and learned that he is in Ann Arbor. We sat in a park south of Ann Arbor, and taked about the good old days. Eric is a chef, has been for over 25 years. It is something that he loves to do. We didn't sit around and talk cooking though, we were in the park to talk punk rock, specifically Flint punk rock. Eric was involved in the Hall Show scene in a few bands like The Thrash, Shocking Grasp, Dark Reality, and Jesus Christ and the Superstars. The first three bands were really progressions of the same band with different names and a few different characters. Eric would call the style hardcore punk, I would agree. Standard power chord punk with angry screaming and lots of energy. JC&theSS was more noise/jam metal/who knows what. The JCSS days for Eric were mostly a blur, and memory is foggy at best for him. I know I remember seeing JCSS many times, Eric doesn't remember seeing me at these events, or in the scene much at all. We were both there, really. Our conversation rambled on, touching on how the Flint scene really was a cool scene. How it differed from the bigger scenes like Detroit. There really was a community that was built around the hall shows, and many friends were made as a result of this common thread in our lives. Whereas larger scenes like Detroit really just pulled in larger acts, so the crowd was there to see them, and not really find much common ground in the appreciation of the scene as a whole. Our close friend Chuck Taylor was discussed, mainly about his death in 1999. Eric told me that he learned of Chuck's death nearly a year after it happened. I, for some strange reason, found out the same week - yet I hadn't spoken with Chuck for nearly 9 years. A mutual friend found me and let me know. Chuck was in JCSS with Eric and was one of my oldest friends, having known him since elemtary school. I am still sad that he is gone, he is the main reason I got interested in making films in the first place. Thanks Chuck! Back to Eric. It was really great reconnecting with an old friend, and I am glad that I had the chance to record his version of Flint history, and to just catch up a bit. Thanks Eric!
The first official interview for this production, Aaron is the curator of the Flint Underground Music Archive. With the Capitol Theatre as the backdrop, and the wind gusting, Aaron provided a great interview. It is obvious that he is the right person to manage a growing archive of Flint musical history.
I learned a lot talking with Aaron, and am looking forward to weaving his insight into the documentary.
Dorothy and I went out on a beautiful, cloudless day and drove around the Flint area to shoot some video and photos of some of the key hall show locations as they stand today.
It is kind of funny to me that the majority of the places are just as I remember them (at least from the outside).
First on the list was Siefert's golf barn. The upstairs of the barn was used in the mid to late '80s for a number of hall shows. The rural setting made making a lot of noise, late at night, not a problem for the neighbors (one of which is a landfill). My favorite feature of this rental hall is the bathrooms housed in the silos. I always enjoyed atending shows here.
Next, we headed up the highway and went to the Ukranian Hall. The Ukranian was the spot for big shows like Black Flag, Slayer and others. I had heard somewhere that it was now used as a mosque. Nope, still a rental hall.
Next we headed through the hood, into Downtown Flint. I had been hearing about all of the vacant lots and even blocks, and how the urban was returning to rural so I wanted to see it first hand. Sure enough, there are a lot fewer buildings and houses in the north side neighborhoods. If you are looking for a house for $1,500 I can set you up.
Downtown Flint was the ground zero for a great majority of the hall shows int eh late '80s into the '90s. The Capitol Theatre was the main location. With three separate venues, there was a perfect room for any size show. The Fallout Shelter, housed in the basement was my favorite of the three. The Fallout Shelter epitomized punk rock shows, grungy, dank, and loud. The Lobby was used for smaller shows. For really big shows the main Theatre was opened up. During a number of years that the Capitol was used, you could get a bite to eat over at Capitol Cafe which was open late. Downtown Flint, and all it's grittiness had a price though. One night while attending a show, my car that I parked in the Alley got the window busted out (actually they just went down the line and took out a good number that night). Nothing stolen, just kids breaking glass.
Kiddy corner from the Capitol was a great bar that hosted a number of shows, the Rusty Nail. While not true Hall Shows, the Nail hosted a lot of the big local bands. I was old enough to get in, but not to drink, although I don't think the bar tender really checked much. The Nail was torn down, and is now a parking lot.
Another place in Downtown Flint that held shows (again, not a true hall show location) was the Hot Rock Cafe. This was the first bar I went to as an adult, on my 18th birthday. Originally the Hot Rock was predominantly a dance club, but in the late '80s a few punk shows were held there. It was later named Metropolis.
Heading south out of Flint this journey ends at the first place I attended a Hall Show, the Kishma Grotto Hall in Burton. The Kishma Grotto is a pretty small place, offering everything you would expect in a punk rock venue, an open room with a place for a band to play and a place for people to stand/slamdance.
Here are some pictures from this trip down memory lane
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Field Notes
I am so glad I had the chance to cruise around some of the spots of the old scene with Tanya. The highlight of the afternoon for me was when we were wrapping things up at the Ukranian Hall, sitting in the parking lot - reflecting on many of the great shows that happened there. A lady walked up and asked if we were needing anything. We described that we were doing an interview for the Hall Show Documentary, she said she owned the hall. I asked if we could possibly go into the hall to look around, she said sure! The old Ukranian Hall still looks the same, with a fresh coat of paint. The floor right in front of the stage is totally void of varnish, more than likely scraped off by mosh pit activity.
When it comes to knowledge about the Flint Punk Rock scene, there is no one who has a greater overall knowledge than Joel Rash. Joel was thrown into an integral role building the Flint scene as a dare by members of the Guilty Bystanders to book and promote a show. Well, Joel did just that, and never turned back. While others like Phill Hines and Tanya Narhi (We Love You Too Productions) were bringing in bigger nationally touring acts, there was a gap in the scene for Flint and Michigan bands, so Joel filled that gap, and started promoting Hall Shows from that angle. Well, that's where it started for Joel.
Eric and I went to Grand Blanc High School together. He graduated a year before me in 1984. With the exception of running into him at a few hall shows in the mid 80s, I really haven't seen him in over 20 years. I reconnected with him a few years ago through social networking, and learned that he is in Ann Arbor. We sat in a park south of Ann Arbor, and taked about the good old days. Eric is a chef, has been for over 25 years. It is something that he loves to do. We didn't sit around and talk cooking though, we were in the park to talk punk rock, specifically Flint punk rock. Eric was involved in the Hall Show scene in a few bands like The Thrash, Shocking Grasp, Dark Reality, and Jesus Christ and the Superstars. The first three bands were really progressions of the same band with different names and a few different characters. Eric would call the style hardcore punk, I would agree. Standard power chord punk with angry screaming and lots of energy. JC&theSS was more noise/jam metal/who knows what. The JCSS days for Eric were mostly a blur, and memory is foggy at best for him. I know I remember seeing JCSS many times, Eric doesn't remember seeing me at these events, or in the scene much at all. We were both there, really. Our conversation rambled on, touching on how the Flint scene really was a cool scene. How it differed from the bigger scenes like Detroit. There really was a community that was built around the hall shows, and many friends were made as a result of this common thread in our lives. Whereas larger scenes like Detroit really just pulled in larger acts, so the crowd was there to see them, and not really find much common ground in the appreciation of the scene as a whole. Our close friend Chuck Taylor was discussed, mainly about his death in 1999. Eric told me that he learned of Chuck's death nearly a year after it happened. I, for some strange reason, found out the same week - yet I hadn't spoken with Chuck for nearly 9 years. A mutual friend found me and let me know. Chuck was in JCSS with Eric and was one of my oldest friends, having known him since elemtary school. I am still sad that he is gone, he is the main reason I got interested in making films in the first place. Thanks Chuck! Back to Eric. It was really great reconnecting with an old friend, and I am glad that I had the chance to record his version of Flint history, and to just catch up a bit. Thanks Eric!
The first official interview for this production, Aaron is the curator of the 
