1 - Operation Ivy and The East bay Punk Scene

My Brain is Hanging Upside Down

Apr 22 2022 • 1 hr 28 mins

Cousins, best friends, and now, co-hosts, Max Murder and Dr Nick discuss one of the most influential bands to come out of Northern California's East Bay Area, producing the LP, "Energy" before breaking up shortly after its release. The amazing and unifying force that was, Operation Ivy! We touch on our the forming of the band within the scene that centered around the community run, infamous, innovative, and progressive all ages Berkeley, CA club, 924 Gilman Street Theater.  We do a deep dive into the only LP the band released and how it was a huge leap in what could be done with a DIY operation under the independent record label, Lookout Records. We mention the US tour that the band embarked on, before recording Energy, that shaped how tour support could be accomplished with a small operation by the scene's logistical genius and awesome human, Kamala Parks. We dive head first into our favorite songs on the album and how some drastically changed the trajectory of our lives. Dr Nick explains how "The Crowd" probably drove him to obtain his PhD in English from an Ivy League college and Max explains how "Sound System" first got him into punk rock. This was one album that changed the course of our lives significantly.

Sources:
Max's rapidly fading memory and experience working at a major record label in another lifetime
"Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk" - Watch it. It's awesome
"Turn it Around!" the compilation put out by Maximumrocknroll
Liner notes from the Energy LP and Hectic EP

You Might Like

The Moth
The Moth
The Moth
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment and PRX
Myths and Legends
Myths and Legends
Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser, Nextpod
99% Invisible
99% Invisible
Roman Mars
Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts
Symphony Space
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Adam Graham Radio Detective Podcasts
LeVar Burton Reads
LeVar Burton Reads
LeVar Burton and Stitcher
Gastropod
Gastropod
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley