The Talking Heads played their first Bay Area shows in the winter of 1977, first playing the Old Waldorf in San Francisco and then doing three nights at the Keystone Berkeley. The leather clad arm and tattooed hand scratching a blackboard has a punk rock sensibility, but Keystone audiences would soon hear the new wave sounds of the Talking Heads and might have been a little confused. Early favorites, like “Psycho Killer” and “Uh-oh, Love Comes to Town” proved that the band was incorporating sounds from multiple styles to create their unique sound. The Talking Heads, like many of the national tour acts in the late 70’s, found the Keystone Berkeley to be a space that was open-minded enough to allow their special music to grow.
The Berkeley Revolution
A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s
The Talking Heads First National Tour Hit the Keystone Berkeley
Date: 12/7/77
Citation:
Flyer, “The Talking Heads at the Keystone Berkeley” (1977), Box B folder 3, Matt Wobensmith Collection. Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.
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1. Where Jerry Garcia Came to Groove (1974-1976)
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Jerry and Merl at the Keystone Berkeley (AUDIO)
–2/16/74–The funky sounds of Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
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Garcia At the Keystone
–2/22/74–Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunder's musical beauty could outshine commercial ugliness
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Waiting for Jerry Garcia
–5/10/74–Sam Silver evoked the bold music on offer at the Keystone Berkeley, and the bold audience that welcomed it
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The Great American String Band from the Keystone Berkeley (AUDIO)
–6/13/1974–Americana on display in this June 13, 1974 Great American String Band set.
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From Country to Jazz—A Snap
–6/14/1974–What was old is new again. The Great American String Band combine styles to make something new at the Keystone Berkeley
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Jerry Garcia Band at the Keystone Berkeley (AUDIO)
–12/22/76–Musical experimentation and appreciation goin' down in 1976
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A Showcase for Garcia’s Styles
–12/23/76–Freedom of musical expression and style was possible for musicians at the Keystone Berkeley
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2. The Sideman Takes Center Stage: Blues and Controversy at the Keystone (1973-1978)
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Johnny Winter Frosted by Nixed Keystone Hype
–8/24/73–A telling battle, over music promotion, between the guitarist Johnny Winter and the Keystone's owner
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Keystone Kangarood
–09/21/73–Freddie explains some of the difficulties associated with running a small nightclub
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Nicky Hopkins Getting Creative
–8/28/78–Versatile piano man Nicky Hopkins
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3. Promoting the Keystone: Susan Brooks's Calendars (1975-1977)
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Keystone Berkeley calendar June 1975
–6/1/1975–A typically wide-ranging lineup of artists
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July 1975
–7/1/75–The James Cotton Blues Band, Roy Ayers, and Graham Central Station made for a funky summer
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August 1975
–8/1/75–Local reggae acts and legendary Blues men at the Keystone in the summer
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September 1975
–9/1/75–Commander Cody one night and John Lee Hooker the next. The Keystone could handle it all.
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April ’76
–4/1/76–Local band heavy in April '76
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June 1976
–6/1/76–Slower summer month with jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Larry Coryell
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October 1976
–10/1/76–Susan Brook's spooky artwork for Halloween was the centerpiece for this local band filled calendar
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November 1976
–11/1/76–The busy fall season at the Keystone
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January 1977
–1/1/77–Herrara used this calendar to advertise the new Keystone in Palo Alto
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April ’77
–4/1/77–Soul, Blues, Country, Rock, Punk- The Keystone Berkeley had you covered in April 1977
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4. A New Mix of Sounds: Punk, Reggae, Thrash Metal, and Beyond at the Keystone Berkeley (1977-1984)
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The Talking Heads First National Tour Hit the Keystone Berkeley
–12/7/77–First time The Talking Heads play Berkeley
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Psycotic Pineapple flyer
–3/11/79–Quirky sounds at the Keystone Berkeley
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Psycotic Pineapple Live at the Keystone Berkeley (VIDEO)
–3/11/79–Psycotic Pineapple play No Hard Feelings
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Flipper play a KALX benefit at Keystone Berkeley (AUDIO)
–6/28/1981–The slow churning sounds of Flipper
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Dead Kennedys Stir Up Trouble At the Keystone (AUDIO)
–6/28/81–The urgent sounds of the Dead Kennedys
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John Seabury’s Pino Jam Extravaganza flyer
–8/10/81–This fun flyer, drawn by Psycotic Pinneapple bassist John Seabury
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Hugh Mundell Live (AUDIO)
–5/30/82–Hear Hugh Mundell at the Keystone Berkeley
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Early Slayer show at the Keystone Berkeley (VIDEO)
–5/23/84–Slayer rips apart the Keystone Berkeley
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