Raw Fish, Raw Music
Ten out of ten mathematicians agree: the sushi + the rock + free = yay.
By Erik Fong

“It’s a catch-22. You can’t get gigs unless you’re well known, and you can’t get well-known unless you get gigs. We’re trying to re-energize people to come out and see live music. That’s why it’s free. There’s no disadvantage – you can stop in, and if you see someone you like, maybe you’ll pay to see them again at the Bottom of the Hill or Slim’s, and maybe then you’ll buy a CD or a t-shirt.” – Ace Annese

After 40 years as a San Francisco resident, what trend in the local rock scene sticks out the most in musician Tony Guerrero's mind?

"The downfall. The problem is, it’s not a huge moneymaking gig unless you’ve got national acts coming through town."

Alas, it's the truth. It's nothing personal towards young bands, it's just business. The problem with the scene isn't the lack of talent – it's in the lack of opportunity. But instead of sitting in front of a computer and crying about it like Perfect Pitch Online does, Tony has taken action.

In the spirit of a once-successful weekly event of the same name, Tony has resurrected Sushi Sundays, a seven-hour event at Club Milk on Haight Street that hosts five local bands every Sunday afternoon. And as one of the few Bay Area lifers who’s been around long enough to witness firsthand the tumultuous peaks and valleys in the local scene, Tony is just trying to find a way to rejuvenate San Francisco’s once-proud music community. And the best part is, he doesn’t even want your money for it.

“It’s free,” explains Tony. “No cover charge. The bar pays out the soundperson, and I’m really hoping it will be self-sufficient once it’s set up. I always want it to be free – the important thing is that bands get exposure and that we give new bands an opportunity to play, and give them a decent venue with good foot traffic. We can’t pay the bands since we don’t charge at the door, but they get fed sushi, plus they get a couple of free drink tickets.”

Tony’s able to create an event that doesn’t cost any money because he has an alternate source of income: Audiobox Studios, a brand new 32-room rehearsal studio that, well, costs money. But Tony felt that the presence of a reputable rehearsal studio in a central location within the city limits – especially following the ungracious ousting of Downtown Rehearsal Studios, which housed hundreds of local and national bands – was vital to the spirit of the local scene. "A lot of it had to do with location," says Tony. "When I used to rehearse at Downtown, it was a madhouse. There were a lot of people there in the middle of the time, and the area wasn’t that great. This place is safe, we’ve got a parking lot, and I screened a lot of the bands.

"[When I first got the space], it was just an empty shell. I was looking around for about six months, and I wanted to build something bigger, but we just took advantage of the square footage. As soon as we opened our doors, we were full. We tried to set the precedent that the guy at Downtown had – we have no graffiti at all. It’s totally clean, we have regular janitorial services, and we have more bathrooms per capita than any other rehearsal studio."

Ace Annese, founder of Reality Check TV – a local rock n' roll television show on public access stations across the greater Bay Area – also contributes to the growth and success of Sushi Sundays as the official booker. If you're a band member hoping to get an opportunity to play on an upcoming Sunday evening, you'll get a chance – someday. But you're shit out of luck until mid-December, as Ace and Tony are booked solid until then.

The original Sushi Sundays event, which ended about eight years ago, was held at Nitebreak – now the Rockin' Java Coffee House – right across the street from Club Milk. Much like the new Sushi Sundays, the original event gave opportunities to up and coming bands, and even occasionally hosted established artists like Jane's Addiction and Chris Isaak. Currently, Tony and Ace don't have any national surprises in store, but Tony is optimistic about some of the event's underground talent eventually excelling to greatness: "Who knows, maybe one of these bands will go on to be mega stars and we can say, 'Hey, they played Sushi Sunday.'"

Thanks to a sponsorship from Sam Adato's Drum Shop, the backline is provided every week – so all that the bands need to bring are their guitars and pedals. This presents an outstanding advantage to the performers, Tony says, "because they don’t have to lug all their gear."

Despite the fact that a weekly live music event that caters to young bands in a real club – and is free to the public, to boot – is about as common as a crack-smoking giraffe, Tony remains modest about his contribution to the city.

"I’m just doing what I can to keep live music going."

And thanks to Sushi Sundays, bands have the opportunity to do what they can to keep live music going as well. So find a niche where you can contribute to the prestige of what was once an abundant scene, and do what you can to fill it. If you need us, we'll be here in our niche, sitting behind our computers and crying.