Can I get a HELL YEAH!?! the revival of the Santa Cruz house show.

As of late a good majority of young hip kids that are able to rent houses with the help student loans or minimum wage jobs are doing their part to fill a void that has plagued us for years.
These fine ladies and gentlemen have been kind enough to let strangers into their homes and host shows for your entertainment. For the past couple of years a noise ordinance has been strangling the Santa Cruz music scene with a what could only be described as complete and total overkill. It went from your neighbors calling in a complaint, cop shows up, you get a warning and worst case scenario
you end up with a $32 fine if it happens again in 24 hours, to you get a warning then if it happens once more in a 12 month period, $250 fines for you and your housemates and your landlord. To make it even better the fines start doubling if it happens again. But, it seems they have finally let up and people are taking full advantage of it.

Before the noise ordinance most of the shows in Santa Cruz were house shows. I could go on and on talking about the good old days when you could throw a metal show in your kitchen but i don’t think that’s where we want to go with this article. The editing manager has informed me this is not really “a place to talk about how drunk we used to get at house shows that happened four years ago” but rather “ an article to inform readers about how drunk they can get at house shows now.” Now that the house show is becoming more and more frequent with a much lower probability of failure it’s time to start stepping up and supporting your new neighborhood venues. Here are some pretty basic guidelines to follow when attending one of these events.

-Don’t be a dick! You’re in someones home so be fucking courteous.

-If the tenants of the house/warehouse/apt/decrepit old building tell you to leave or do anything else listen to them, they are in charge.

-Do not steal or break shit. That just sucks.

-If there is a donation for the bands, beer, or house throw in some cash.

-Bring some booze, it’s never a bad idea.

-Bring your friends!

Now if you are thinking about hosting a show in your house here are a few suggestions.

-Make sure everyone you live with knows it’s happening. You do have to live with these people and i find it’s best no to piss them off. THEY KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP!

-Sometimes it’s a good idea let your neighbors know but on the other hand sometimes it’s not. Use your own judgment.

-End it early, avoiding tickets is an under appreciated art form that is very difficult but very possible.

-If things are going poorly and no one seems to be having any fun, add beer. It works like a charm.

-IF SOMEONE IS BEING A DICK KICK THEM OUT! you have every right to and you should.

-Have fun.

Now that the guidelines are set it’s time to set the stage and do as Andrew WK so gracefully said, “YOU’D BETTER GET READY TO DIE!”. Wait, I’m mixing up my WK quotes, “PARTY HARD!”
there we go. Let’s take back the music scene, one house at a time.

Hiram Coffee