< UNDISCLOSED EXPOSURE >

The Dec. 14th, 2005 issue of the S.F. Bay Guardian ran a short article about "An Undisclosed Location", entitled "Palme Pilots", in Kimberly Chun's Sonic Reducer column. Interviewed for the piece were Cole Palme and John Whitehead. Below is an excerpted version of the story.

>> To read the article in its entirety go to -> http://www.sfbg.com

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY

Dec. 14 - Dec. 20, 2005 • Vol. 40, No. 11

Palme pilots

"...focus on the past – of SF bohemian bonhomie – as it manifests in Visitacion Valley, where former Factrix founder and Master Moth man Cole Palme hosted a mighty fun show Dec. 3 for Dutchboy-ed, sailor-suited, and heavily rouged and hiccupping Dutchman Harry Merry (supported by Sic Alps and Wealthy Whore Entertainment) at "An Undisclosed Location."

Full disclosure regarding Undisclosed: You have to be willing to get lost, you must have wheels, you have to brave the web of narrow streets – but damn if it ain't worth the jaunt. We got hopelessly muddled on Bayshore, on the way there, but were glad when we finally traipsed through the twisted metal gates of homeowner and artist John Whitehead's studio, lined from floor to ceiling with paintings (the bathroom likewise papered with '70s SF punk posters), and headed down the narrow stairs to what resembles a small Japanese rock club or thoroughly righteous rec room. The cavelike spot is outfitted with a small stage, a bar, benches, and a wee dance floor crammed with folks, who that night were – shocking – actually dancing to WWE's trashed-up, cello-enriched glam. 'Twas more a house party for a trusted few on Palme's e-mail list than a standard show – "An Undisclosed Location" is the kind of locale you want to look out for, in all senses (especially after the shutdowns of the warehouse spaces like French Fry Factory, in Oakland). Strangers chat each other up, and familiar faces from T.I.T.S., Erase Errata, and Fuckwolf make themselves at home.

That's just the way Whitehead wanted it when he decided to re-create '80s East Village bohemia in the house he bought back in 1978 while he was attending the SF Art Institute. Wanting to foster a new scene, he pulled out the old ovens in the basement of the former bakery, despite memories of SFAI punk parties back in the day: The artist, for instance, remembers going downstairs at four in the morning at one point to find someone playing one of his guitars with a nail. "I saw various peaks and valleys in bohemian life, so I thought it would be a good thing to create another peak, wallow around in the trough," he later says good-naturedly, over the phone.

Palme recalls the joint as maintaining an identity as a "punk rock/art house" (members of the Mutants, the Sleepers, and Frightwig have been residents) since Whitehead moved in: "There was always an interesting mix of older and younger bohemian-type artists, writers, musicians, little kids, and dogs running around. So yeah, raw basement jams, potluck smoke-out barbecues, kids' birthday parties, after-hours magic tea parties – good times!" Impressed that newer bands like Wolf Eyes have paid their respect to Factrix, and inspired by an event at the Weegs/Curse of the Birthmark house, Palme started to put on shows about a year and a half ago at "AUL," which, he writes in an e-mail, "brings out the best raw essence in all who perform there." Black Ice, Cold War, Death by Doll, and Death Sentence: Panda! have bunkered down at "AUL," and its LA "sister club" – Club Screwball, organized by Don Bolles of the Germs and burlesque performer Miss Darcey Leonard – has brought its party up twice. To get in the act (Whitehead also hopes to host nights featuring non-rock/punk music and performance), visit anundisclosedlocation-sf.com.

"I do feel obligated to keep the freakadelic 'lectric candlelight lit," Palme writes. So shine on, you crazy hosts with the most.

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THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY	Dec. 14 - Dec. 20, 2005 • Vol. 40, No. 11

Palme pilots "...focus on the past – of SF bohemian bonhomie – as it manifests in Visitacion Valley, where former Factrix founder and Master Moth man Cole Palme hosted a mighty fun show Dec. 3 for Dutchboy-ed, sailor-suited, and heavily rouged and hiccupping Dutchman Harry Merry (supported by Sic Alps and Wealthy Whore Entertainment) at "An Undisclosed Location." Full disclosure regarding Undisclosed: You have to be willing to get lost, you must have wheels, you have to brave the web of narrow streets – but damn if it ain't worth the jaunt. We got hopelessly muddled on Bayshore, on the way there, but were glad when we finally traipsed through the twisted metal gates of homeowner and artist John Whitehead's studio, lined from floor to ceiling with paintings (the bathroom likewise papered with '70s SF punk posters), and headed down the narrow stairs to what resembles a small Japanese rock club or thoroughly righteous rec room. The cavelike spot is outfitted with a small stage, a bar, benches, and a wee dance floor crammed with folks, who that night were – shocking – actually dancing to WWE's trashed-up, cello-enriched glam. 'Twas more a house party for a trusted few on Palme's e-mail list than a standard show – "An Undisclosed Location" is the kind of locale you want to look out for, in all senses (especially after the shutdowns of the warehouse spaces like French Fry Factory, in Oakland). Strangers chat each other up, and familiar faces from T.I.T.S., Erase Errata, and Fuckwolf make themselves at home. That's just the way Whitehead wanted it when he decided to re-create '80s East Village bohemia in the house he bought back in 1978 while he was attending the SF Art Institute. Wanting to foster a new scene, he pulled out the old ovens in the basement of the former bakery, despite memories of SFAI punk parties back in the day: The artist, for instance, remembers going downstairs at four in the morning at one point to find someone playing one of his guitars with a nail. "I saw various peaks and valleys in bohemian life, so I thought it would be a good thing to create another peak, wallow around in the trough," he later says good-naturedly, over the phone. Palme recalls the joint as maintaining an identity as a "punk rock/art house" (members of the Mutants, the Sleepers, and Frightwig have been residents) since Whitehead moved in: "There was always an interesting mix of older and younger bohemian-type artists, writers, musicians, little kids, and dogs running around. So yeah, raw basement jams, potluck smoke-out barbecues, kids' birthday parties, after-hours magic tea parties – good times!" Impressed that newer bands like Wolf Eyes have paid their respect to Factrix, and inspired by an event at the Weegs/Curse of the Birthmark house, Palme started to put on shows about a year and a half ago at "AUL," which, he writes in an e-mail, "brings out the best raw essence in all who perform there." Black Ice, Cold War, Death by Doll, and Death Sentence: Panda! have bunkered down at "AUL," and its LA "sister club" – Club Screwball, organized by Don Bolles of the Germs and burlesque performer Miss Darcey Leonard – has brought its party up twice. To get in the act (Whitehead also hopes to host nights featuring non-rock/punk music and performance), visit anundisclosedlocation-sf.com. "I do feel obligated to keep the freakadelic 'lectric candlelight lit," Palme writes. So shine on, you crazy hosts with the most.