Annie’s Social Club on Folsom near 5th in San Francisco is the latest club to buckle to the recession, having announced that it’s last show will be on New Year’s Eve.
Annie’s was never strong in booking twang, though it has hosted Hank III and most recently John Doe and the Sadies, but the club has always been a force in rock and punk with a booking policy that welcomed new and touring bands. Annie’s has also been a consistent supporter of counter-culture performance art including poets, story tellers, guerrilla theater, burlesque and almost anything remotely artsy that people could dream up for its back room.
The club was determined to keep its cover charges and drink prices affordable as it struggled to pay its bills, but according to club management, quoted in the SF Bay Guardian, the recession took its toll. The future is uncertain, but this club has had different owners and names (Cherry, Covered Wagon). It’s also been closed for extended periods yet it has re-emerged each time.
I used to book country and rockabilly shows when Annie’s was the Covered Wagon in the early 90s as well as doing a country music night where I just spun records. It never really took off – the crowd was always more rock and punk (which is fine, I like that, too). Hope the club re-emerges again – it’s a good space with a lot of history….