ChicagoPunk - User contributions [en]

La Mere Vipere

2007-11-26T23:58:19Z

Ken Ellis: /* Staff */

[[Image:LaMereReunionFlyer.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Flyer for 2007 La Mere reunion]]

'''La Mere Vipere''' was the world's first punk dance club. It began life as a gay bar, a satellite of another gay bar owned by Noe Boudreau named "The Snake Pit". Located at 2132 N. Halsted St, LaMere held its first "Anarchy Night" on May 8th, [[1977]] (Mother's Day), at the suggestion of Mike "Sparkle" Rivers, a LaMere bartender who also worked at Sounds Good Records, one of the few Chicago record stores to carry the latest punk releases from England. A subsequent "Anarchy Night" on May 29th was reportedly delayed so the bar could play the first Sex Pistols single "God Save the Queen". A three-day event called "Punk-O-Rama" featuring punk films, live performances by local bands and a punk fashion show was held in late June, marking the club's transition to a full-time punk bar. The club soon drew a steady barrage of media attention, the hostility of it's neighbors and the police, and an onslaught of gawkers and tourists. The band Chicago was famously turned away at the door because the bar was already too crowded. According to an interview with former LaMere bartender Monica Lynch, NY culture mavens Steve Maas and Anya Phillips visted the club before Maas opened his own punk disco in downtown Manhattan, The Mudd Club. LaMere was destroyed by a fire on April 27th, [[1978]]. The cirumstances surrounding the fire have always been suspicious and many folks at the time said that there was foul play involved. Some say the police had a hand in the fire, but that could never be substantiated. At a Patti Smith concert at Park West just following the demise of the club, Patti responded to the audience's vocal despair over their loss with the advice that they "build a new one". The untimely end of La Mere Vipere could be seen as the close of the first generation/wave of the Chicago punk movement. Noe Boudreau never opened another punk bar, but did later dj at other clubs including Club 950 and Neo's where he sometimes held nights called "One Eon of Eno by Noe at Neo's". Noe later died of AIDS. After LaMere closed down, the scene shifted to [[Oz]] and [[O'Banion's]], the latter opening a couple months after LaMere's demise. An early 80's attempt by promoters to open a membership-only club called LaMere Vipere in a former near north porno theatre never got off the ground. The former site of LaMere re-opened as a liquor store.

== Staff ==

* [[Noe Boudreau]] - Owner and DJ
* [[Monica Lynch]] - Bartender
* [[Taco Ramone]] - Bartender
* [[Tom]] - Co-Owner and Bartender
* [[Luna]] - Bartender
* [["Shirley"]] - Bartender
* [[Mike Rivers|Mike "Sparkle" Rivers]] - DJ
* [[Marna]] - Bartender
* [[Doug Brown|Little Dougie]] - DJ
* [[Rick Faust|Rick "Radio" Faust]] -DJ
* [[Jah Sky]] - Guest DJ
* [[Mark Giangrande]] - Relief DJ for Little Dougie
* [[Bob St. Clair]] - Night Watchman/Hot Dog Vendor
* [[Jimmy Tomasello]] - Bartender
* [[John Molini]] - Doorman
* [[Steve Miglio|Steve "Spin" Miglio]] - Doorman
* [[Daniel Narducy]] - Doorman
* [[Beluga]] - Weekly Performance Artiste
* [[ Mike Glab]]-Doorman
*[[Bobby(Boom-Boom) Larson]]-Doorman
* [[Ken Ellis]]-Doorman
*[[Bob Harper]]-Doorman
*[[Bob Bell]]-Doorman
*[[Terry Davis]]-Doorman
*[[Scott Parrish]]-Doorman

== Notable Shows ==

*Punk-O-Rama on June 26th, 1977, featuring [[Sundog Summit]], [[Chicago Toys]] and [[BB Spin]].

== External Links ==

* [http://www.chicagopunkpix.com/LaMere Miscellaneous items available for online viewing]

* [http://www.myspace.com/anarchyatlamerevipere La Mere Vipere MySpace page]

* [http://homepage.mac.com/graham.hick/.Music/La%20Mere%20REVISED.mp3 Graham Hick's audio clip about La Mere]

[[Category:1970s]]
[[Category:Venues]]

PunkDatabase:About

2007-11-26T23:12:43Z

Ken Ellis: /* Scope */

In case you haven't guessed, this is a site about the history of the Chicago punk scene. Anyone can create, edit or change any page on this site. It's by the people for the people of the Chicago punk scene.

== Scope ==

I really want this site to focus on the earlier part of the scene, most of the emphasis should be the 1980s & some info on the early 1990s. I really don't want any information on the mid-to-late 90s scene at all, there is already enough information out there.

Though it's an open debate, I think [[Naked Raygun]]'s breakup in [[1992]] is a fine stopping point for this site. That really ushered in a new era and a kind of changing of the Chicago punk guard.

You are looking for a place to stop! Punk is not a sound or look it's a attitude- it never stops if you are into it all the early (pre 1980) was about attitude. Having worked at many of the early venues
( La Mere Vipere-O'Bannion's & Neo) I can state once again it's all attitude & fun-like fuck it I'm having a good time

== How to edit ==

People should not be afraid to post any and all information they can. If you have any questions, just ask. A quick rundown:

Every single page has an "edit" tab which shows the page's full content, which can be added or amended till your heart's content. If you make a mistake, every page has a "history" tab that lists the complete editing history of that page. So it's easy to go back or revert an error...

If you want to start a new page, simply search for an item. If there is no page, you'll get an option to create it. You can also "link" to any other page by putting brackets around the text. So if you're writing a page about a member of Naked Raygun, simply write it as <nowiki>[[Naked Raygun]]</nowiki> and their page will link back to the Naked Raygun.

If you are more of a casual browser than an editor, no problem. The pages of interest for you are the search area, the random page and recent changes. Recent changes will show all the edits on the pages in the last few weeks, it's also a great way to keep track of pages you are working on.

Right now, what we need most is content. The more people adding/editing pages, the better the pages become and the more useful of a reference the site is. I'm doing everything I can, but I am just one person and my knowledge of the scene is VERY limited compared to most of you fine folks.

OK, I doubt anyone is reading by this point but feel free to ask any questions or request a page to be added. Thanks again - Gantry (gantry at dee-nee.com)

O'Banion's

2007-11-26T21:31:57Z

Ken Ellis: /* Employees */

'''O'Banion's''' was one of the oldest and longest running of the original punk clubs. Located on Clark St. and Erie, O'Banion's opened its doors in June of [[1978]]. From time of its opening until its closing on February 3rd [[1982]], the time during O'Banions operation was often considered to be the zenith of the original Chicago punk movement. After O'Banions closing, the scene transformed to larger venues, more people and less of a close-knit community.

Every year, the members of the original O'Banion's scene have a reunion weekend in honor of their fallen venue. In [[2005]], the reunion took place at [[Club Foot]] and the musical portion was at [[The Note]] - acts such as the [[The Swingers]], [[Tu Tu & The Pirates]] and [[Bonemen of Barumba]] played reunion shows.

(Note: Contrary to popular belief, O'Banion's was not the former location of Irish gangster Dion O'Banion's flower shop. O'Banion was a part owner of Schofield’s Flower Shop, located at 738 North State, directly across the street from Holy Name Cathedral. That was also the location of the Al Capone ordered hit that ended O'Banion's life.

661 N. Clark was, however, the former site of McGovern's Liberty Inn. The website for The Kerryman Bar and Restaurant, the current establishment at that address, quotes unnamed sources to the effect that "O'Banion wowed patrons with his beautiful Irish tenor voice at McGovern's Liberty Inn, where he worked as a singing waiter; later, he and his pals would rob drunken customers of their wallets and mug others outside")

== General Info ==

[[Image:ob1.jpg]]

* '''Address''' - 661 N. Clark
* '''Phone #''' - (312) 664-8585
* '''Hours''' - Open from 7am to 4am

== History ==

Despite the swankiness of its current River North location, the area at the time of O'Banion's was something far different. Previous to it's incarnation as Chicago's #1 punk venue, O'Banion's building occupied a wide array of seedy businesses.

* The McGovern Saloon
* The Liberty Inn (Chicago's largest strip club in the 1950s)
* A lesbian bar
* A "rough" gay bar named PQs

== Employees ==

* Roseann - Bar
* Nancy Rapchak - DJ
* Everett - Manager
* Phil
* Ken Ellis-Doorman
* Bob Bell-Doorman
* Bob Larson-Doorman
* Terry Fox-
* Rocky - Doorman

== Trvia ==

* The bartender would play Sham69's ''Sunday Morning Nightmare'' to let the patrons know that the crowd is shifting from a gay clientèle to a punk clientèle.
* [[Santiago Durango]] and [[Marko Pezzati]] first met at O'Banions - later forming [[Naked Raygun]]

== 2007 Reunion ==

The 2007 O'Bainion's reunion took place on June 9th at [[Club Foot]] and had a better than usual turnout (though it's always packed there). The reunion doubled as a impromptu gather for many members of the [[ChicagoPunkPix]] message board.

ChicagoPunkPix webmaster [[Marie Kanger Born]] took photos of the event and has a great writeup [http://chicagopunkpix.com/CPP/?p=11 in her online zine].

== Notable Shows ==

* October 31,[[1978]] - [[ Nodes]]
* October 5, [[1980]] - [[Strike Under]], [[Six Feet Under]]
* February 23, [[1981]] - Naked Raygun, [[Silver Abuse]]
* June 24, [[1981]] - The Fix, [[The Subverts]], Red Squad
* June 29, 1981 - [[Naked Raygun]]
* July 1, 1981 - Strike Under
* July 23, 1981 - Naked Raygun
* August 3, 1981 - Minor Threat, Youth Brigade, Necros
* August 5, 1981 - Husker Du
* August 29, 1981 - [[Effigies]]
* September 5, 1981 - Strike Under
* September 19, 1981 - The Dead Kennedys
* October 1, 1981 - Husker Du, Six Feet Under
* October 16-17, 1981 - Strike Under, [[Trouts]], [[Direct Drive]], [[Tense Experts]]
* October 29, 1981 - [[Direct Drive]], T.S.O.L.
* October 31, 1981 - T.S.O.L., Naked Raygun, The Subverts
* November 1, 1981 - T.S.O.L., Direct Drive
* December 5, 1981 - Effigies
* December 12, 1981 - Direct Drive
* December 31, 1981 - [[Naked Raygun]], [[Trial by Fire]]
* January 8, 1982 - The Subverts, Direct Drive
* January 22, [[1982]] - Toxic Reasons, [[Articles of Faith]]
* January 23, [[1982]] - Toxic Reasons

== External Links ==

* [http://home.comcast.net/~angel_fox/ O'Banion's reunion home page]
* [http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Memoriam/O'Banion's/O'Banion's.htm O'Banion's in Memoriam by Sean Parnell]
* [http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/06/12/obanions-reunion-night/ MXV reviews 2005 O'Banion's reunion]
* [http://www.thekerrymanchicago.com/history.php O'Banion's history on the current bar's (the Kerryman) web page]
* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/obanion/shop_6.html Info about Dion O'Banion's flower shop]
* [http://chicagopunkpix.com/forum/index.php?topic=659.0 CPP thread on the infamous O'Banions bathroom]

[[Category:1970s]]
[[Category:Venues]]

La Mere Vipere

2007-11-26T21:24:28Z

Ken Ellis: /* Staff */

[[Image:LaMereReunionFlyer.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Flyer for 2007 La Mere reunion]]

'''La Mere Vipere''' was the world's first punk dance club. It began life as a gay bar, a satellite of another gay bar owned by Noe Boudreau named "The Snake Pit". Located at 2132 N. Halsted St, LaMere held its first "Anarchy Night" on May 8th, [[1977]] (Mother's Day), at the suggestion of Mike "Sparkle" Rivers, a LaMere bartender who also worked at Sounds Good Records, one of the few Chicago record stores to carry the latest punk releases from England. A subsequent "Anarchy Night" on May 29th was reportedly delayed so the bar could play the first Sex Pistols single "God Save the Queen". A three-day event called "Punk-O-Rama" featuring punk films, live performances by local bands and a punk fashion show was held in late June, marking the club's transition to a full-time punk bar. The club soon drew a steady barrage of media attention, the hostility of it's neighbors and the police, and an onslaught of gawkers and tourists. The band Chicago was famously turned away at the door because the bar was already too crowded. According to an interview with former LaMere bartender Monica Lynch, NY culture mavens Steve Maas and Anya Phillips visted the club before Maas opened his own punk disco in downtown Manhattan, The Mudd Club. LaMere was destroyed by a fire on April 27th, [[1978]]. The cirumstances surrounding the fire have always been suspicious and many folks at the time said that there was foul play involved. Some say the police had a hand in the fire, but that could never be substantiated. At a Patti Smith concert at Park West just following the demise of the club, Patti responded to the audience's vocal despair over their loss with the advice that they "build a new one". The untimely end of La Mere Vipere could be seen as the close of the first generation/wave of the Chicago punk movement. Noe Boudreau never opened another punk bar, but did later dj at other clubs including Club 950 and Neo's where he sometimes held nights called "One Eon of Eno by Noe at Neo's". Noe later died of AIDS. After LaMere closed down, the scene shifted to [[Oz]] and [[O'Banion's]], the latter opening a couple months after LaMere's demise. An early 80's attempt by promoters to open a membership-only club called LaMere Vipere in a former near north porno theatre never got off the ground. The former site of LaMere re-opened as a liquor store.

== Staff ==

* [[Noe Boudreau]] - Owner and DJ
* [[Monica Lynch]] - Bartender
* [[Taco Ramone]] - Bartender
* [[Tom]] - Co-Owner and Bartender
* [[Luna]] - Bartender
* [["Shirley"]] - Bartender
* [[Mike Rivers|Mike "Sparkle" Rivers]] - DJ
* [[Marna]] - Bartender
* [[Doug Brown|Little Dougie]] - DJ
* [[Rick Faust|Rick "Radio" Faust]] -DJ
* [[Jah Sky]] - Guest DJ
* [[Mark Giangrande]] - Relief DJ for Little Dougie
* [[Bob St. Clair]] - Night Watchman/Hot Dog Vendor
* [[Jimmy Tomasello]] - Bartender
* [[John Molini]] - Doorman
* [[Steve Miglio|Steve "Spin" Miglio]] - Doorman
* [[Daniel Narducy]] - Doorman
* [[Beluga]] - Weekly Performance Artiste
*[[Bobby(Boom-Boom) Larson]]-Doorman
* [[Ken Ellis]]-Doorman
*[[Bob Harper]]-Doorman
*[[Bob Bell]]-Doorman
*[[Terry Davis]]-Doorman
*[[Scott Parrish]]-Doorman

== Notable Shows ==

*Punk-O-Rama on June 26th, 1977, featuring [[Sundog Summit]], [[Chicago Toys]] and [[BB Spin]].

== External Links ==

* [http://www.chicagopunkpix.com/LaMere Miscellaneous items available for online viewing]

* [http://www.myspace.com/anarchyatlamerevipere La Mere Vipere MySpace page]

* [http://homepage.mac.com/graham.hick/.Music/La%20Mere%20REVISED.mp3 Graham Hick's audio clip about La Mere]

[[Category:1970s]]
[[Category:Venues]]