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Music: Phoenix Rising
Petaluma punk emporium moshes its way out of the ashes once again...

by Greg Cahill

It's the last legitimate rock venue in the North Bay. Not a posh theater with comfy seat cushions and a platinum-card ZIP code. Not a bar where adults suck down libations and stake their claim in the local meat market. But an honest-to-God, rough around the edges, punk emporium where waifish teens with angsty expressions, tattoos and drooping ear gauges rule the mosh pit.

The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma reeks of the same authenticity that permeated those stifling San Francisco nights at Winterland and the seedy Mabuhay Gardens when that long-defunct punk club resounded among the strip clubs and adult video stores that line Broadway in North Beach.

Built in 1905, the Phoenix Theater was originally an opera house. It featured Harry Houdini, Enrico Caruso and Lillie Langtry. It's burned down twice. For a while it was a movie house. But since the '80s, rock has reigned supreme. The venue struggled for financial solvency and stayed alive through the sheer willpower of local cabbie Tom Gaffey, who has helped manage the venue.

Over the years, the Phoenix has served as a steppingstone for Green Day, Primus, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More and many others.

The Ramones played there.

So did L.A. punk legends X.

In 2000, just before the big tech-stock bust, three local dot-com millionaires saved the hall from the dustbin of history.

To look at the Phoenix today—part concert hall, part teen center, part sanctuary—you might think that the inmates run the asylum. In the afternoons, carefree kids tumble from skateboard ramps set up in a cavernous hall that is as well-worn as the tattered jeans that adorn the teens. Others slump on beat-up couches in the lobby; or slam their bodies against an old foosball table.

But this historic landmark is staging yet another comeback.

Within the dank walls, all tagged and covered in graffiti, is a burgeoning self-sufficient community service center that offers affordable art and music classes. Dozens of teens, who can barely stay awake during classes at the local public schools, line up enthusiastically to get independent-study credit for instruction at the Phoenix.

This is a nonprofit arts organization with a hip, young artistic director (Gio Benedetti of bass-and-drum duo Toast Machine), a highly motivated board of directors and a vision to create a safe and well-managed place for teens. And it's hosting a series of benefits this month to raise funds for a long-overdue renovation.

The events include a giveaway of 20 Gibson guitars donated by the guitar manufacturer and painted with custom artwork by filmmakers George Lucas and John Lasseter, Marvel Comics magnate Stan Lee, actor Seth Green of Robot Chicken, Primus head honcho Les Claypool and New Wave pioneers Devo, among others.

The guitars are on display at local businesses throughout the month.

In addition, Motown singer Chris Clark—a 6-foot tall platinum blonde who was an Oscar nominee for her screenplay of the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues—will perform her hits "Do Right Baby, Do Right" and "Love's Gone Bad" at a special Valentine's Day fundraiser at the Pelican Art Gallery. Tickets are $50.

On Feb. 28, the theater will host a benefit Carnaval and Guitar Gala, featuring food, cocktails, a silent auction of rock memorabilia (including guitars autographed by Les Paul, Santana and B.B. King) and appearances by some of the contributing artists involved in the guitar giveaway. Tickets are $30 for individuals or $50 per couple.

COMING SOON

The Phoenix Theater is located at 201 Washington St., Petaluma. To learn more about the Valentine's Day show, call 707/773-3393. For Carnaval and Guitar Gala ticket info, visit phoenixguitargala.com .