BURNT RAMEN CLOSING !
Well its true. Burnt Ramen's venue is effectively shut down. Burnt Ramen shows are nada mas! The Fire Marshall inspected us on wed afternoon and last night the pigs showed up and made it clear the intentions of the city/fire Marshall/pigs that they want Burnt Ramen shut down or forced to fit into a business mold. I refuse to compromise my artistic vision in order to keep the Ramen operating. I live by the code of NO RULES, NO SIGNS, and NO RESTRICTIONS and so therefore will not try to make Burnt Ramen a business that's up to code and respected by the mainstream money minded morons .
The recording studio is still in full operation and we are encouraging outside producers to utilize the place. We still have rehearsal space for bands, we just can't do shows anymore. We probably could meet the fire code and probably could have shows as long as people weren't out on the street, during and in between bands, painting graffiti and throwing their trash around. But in order to do that we would have to put up signs, have security, and then if cops did come to check us out and if we weren't ID ing people and if we weren't stopping people from smoking, they would still shut us down. The reason Burnt Ramen was great was because it provided a space where musicians could relax and be themselves because there were no rules they had to conform to. So even if we met the regulations and jumped through their hoops the Ramen would never be the same, we would be beating a dead horse and that is not my style.
When I first came here I thought I might be able to run shows here for about 8 months before getting shut down. Then after a few months I thought I might be able to keep it going for 1 1/2 years at the most. But hey we ran an illegal underground club for almost 3 years without compromise. To me that is really successful! I have never gotten away with booking an illegal situation like this for this long. And we recorded and archived everything!
How did we do it for so long??? Well, there were many factors involved, first we owned the building, we kept the cost per show low, we relentlessly cleaned up after each show (very important factor), We created a non business atmosphere (didn't sell anything or try to capitalize on the scene) The non business atmosphere creates a situation where the audience feels like they want to respect the club rather than feeling pissed off at it. People never felt screwed over (as far as I can tell anyway) at least that was our intention. We didn't have shows during the day so as not to raise too much attention. We also had a location close to public transportation and in a really bad neighborhood next to the train tracks (which is louder than the music) .Those are some of the main factors that kept us going for so long. And are important factors to consider if you are going to set up an underground venue yerselves. We also operated unlike most clubs by not controlling the bills (line ups for shows) We gave the contacts and control to the local bands. So anyone that ever booked a show here still retains there contacts and have learned the skills necessary to run their own venues. Often when venues close the scene really takes it hard. This doesn't have to happen with Burnt Ramen closing, because we made sure bands networked with bands and not the venue. Those contacts will always remain (unless yer band breaks up and ya go to college er something). If anyone wants to start a club and wants some advice /support, please feel free to contact me and I'll be available to assist anyone who is willing to do it.
Not sure what else to say.......I don't really want to end this message cause it really will be the end then and I'm still feeling attached to what was. Soon we will update the website and now I'll have more time available to build the record label and be able to make available the last 3 years of live recordings. So check back periodically at http://www.burntramen.com
Thanks to everyone who has participated with making Burnt Ramen a great place to play and to see live bands. Thanks to all the touring bands that have come through and enjoyed the Ramen. Myk and I are looking for another place to do it all over again. We likely won't be buying a new building er anything but perhaps will be able to create another situation with similar factors. Any suggestions ? email us and we'll check it out . Now I'm going to email all the organizers that have shows booked and inform them of the news. Thanks to everyone for everything. peace,
John the Baker
Here's Mike Oppressed Logic's response to my post that Burnt Ramen is closing its venue:
Hey John and all the readers... That's very well written, it's a shame it's over, but I am very surprised it lasted 3 years, PUNK FUCKIN' ROCK!! All good things come to a end sometime. Once I heard that the fire marshall was going to be paying the Ramen a visit, I knew it was over. Same thing happened when I was booking shows at the Hof Brau in '95, no permit, F.M shut down the place for shows! I think this is just the beginning of our scene throughout the world being fucked over. I read some other email about how the government wants to Bann live entertainment, promoters and music that's a threat. That sure the fuck won't surprise me with the way this countries going. So action needs to be taken now against that crap.
I remember the first show I put on at Burnt Ramen on March 18, 2000 w/ MOLOTOV COCKTAIL, OPPRESSED LOGIC, 46 SHORT, THE PROCESS, and RETOX. That place was a mad house, people smashing tables, pissing on the ground, falling over couches that were in there and chairs being thrown on stage while we where playing, it was nuts. I remember seeing Myk Ramens face, thinking to myself, this ain't gonna last... haha... I had no idea there was no one who worked the door, so it became a free show. Oh yeah, someone even got shot up the street, mayhem, complete mayhem!!! Fucking eh, then a month or so later John The Baker come's along, rebuilds the stage, fixes up the place and it's fucking on!! I thought the end of Ramen was going to be when Bill BORN/DEAD put on his Knuckle Express benefit in the afternoon April 2001 and THROAT OYSTER kids threw rocks at the Bart train and show got stopped, close call, but no doughnut! Good thing, Damn kids!! haha..
Two weeks later was CHAOS UK, OPPRESSED LOGIC, 46 SHORT and INTREPID AAF!! But even before that show in Novemeber 2000 was DAYGLO ABORTIONS w/ O.L., IDIOTS, & PORTRAIT OF POVERTY, and then later that month was THE LEWD w/ SMD, ect... Dec. 1st 2001, M.D.C. blew the doors off of that place!! 2002 Burnt Ramen was starting to get really recognized, lot's of awesome touring bands, local bands, and people came threw and were amazed, some never seen such a place. UGZ put on some packed shows and was a big part of helping out Burnt Ramen, as well as the bands that I booked and others who booked shows and played there and loved the place like DEADFALL, BORN/DEAD, STFU, LOWLIFE, RESILIENCE, REMNANTS, AMERICAN TERRORISTS, FRACAS, STRYCHNINE, THE OOZZIES, VICIOUS UGLY PUNX, THE BULEMICS, EDDIE HASKELLS, RETOX, THE CLIFTONS, DEFACE, MONSTER SQUAD, NUTS AND BOLTS, STRUNG UP, ZERO BULL SHIT, STREET TRASH, HOLLYWOOD HATE, A GLOBAL THREAT, TOXIC NARCOTIC, OPPRESSED LOGIC, MDC, DAYGLO ABORTIONS, MOLOTOV COCKTAIL, THRETNING VERSE, THE SHITGIVEITS, BIG BUBBA, RF7, DOOMSDAY DEVICE, THE ROUGHNECKS, BLOWN TO BITS, ANGRY FOR LIFE, TROUBLE MAKER, HOT PLATE, DESOLATION, CIRIL, EXIT WOUND, CHEAPSKATE, STATCH AND THE RAPES, RESISTOLEROS, UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS, and many, many, many more! Well now exactly 3 years went by, now Burnt Ramen will go back to what it started out originally as, A RECORDING STUDIO!! 1994 Myk Ramen recorded his first band ever as a guinee pig project, OPPRESSED LOGIC in the basement of his house in S.F., then moved his studio to Emeryville in 1995 and recorded a fuckload of bands. 2000 he inherieted the place that made history in Richmond!!! Cheers to everyone that helped out in one form or another, attending shows, laughing at drunk 12 year old kids puking during their first beer, playing and promoting a dive in a fucked up hood!! The Ramen even supported the neighborhood kids, gave them a place to hang out, spray paint, see music that they would not hear or witness otherwise, now what?? Well that's my 2 cents, Thanks Jay UGZ for recognizing in your post! CHEERS TO BURNT RAMEN!! Myk (who hardly ever get's credit) and John the Baker!! Don't worry the booking WON'T end!!! later, Mike Avilez Cyco Loco Booking / Oppressed Logic / Strung Up / Hot Plate !! SUPPORT THE FUCKING LOCAL UNDERGROUND!!!