Tim Armstrong (junior high photo)

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Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar) and Matt Freeman (vocals, bass) of Operation Ivy and Rancid went to high school together at Albany High School. They performed together for the first time at the school variety show, The Cougar Follies, by performing a version of Elvis tune Blue Suede Shoes. They did not win, but kept working together in bands like Noise and Basic Radio, then eventually Operation Ivy and Rancid.

Armstrong was involved in the high school theater, working as lighting technician: “I did the lights for ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Oklahoma!’...Spots, blue gels, everything. I wanted to be involved with the performing arts even before I was playing shows."

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924 Gilman St has operated as a volunteer-run, all-ages independent music venue since December 31, 1986. Primarily a pop-punk and hardcore venue, many other genres have been featured at "The Gilman" in its 25 year history.

Also known as as The Gilman Street Project or Gilman Street, the venue has a strict rule against any band playing there who has ever signed to a major label.

Notably, the bands Operation Ivy, Green Day, and Rancid have been associated with this venue (all from the Bay area). Operation Ivy played their second show here, and their second to last show here (with Green Day opening), and a whole lot of other shows in-between. They also recorded their 7" EP '69 Newport here (named after their tour vehicle).

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In 1977, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager transformed a theater in midtown Manhattan into a nightclub. The club was called Studio 54, and the rise of disco music, use of drugs, and open nature of sexuality at the location helped it become the preeminent den of iniquity that it is so fondly remembered for.

It was a natural meeting place for artists and celebrities, and the interior was constantly changed to match the theatrical setting. The doorman was instructed to "cast a play" among the people clamoring to get in so that "nobodies" could party with celebrities.

The club closed in 1980, with Schrager and Rubell sentenced to 13 months in prison for tax evasion. There is now a bar called Studio 54 in Las Vegas, where everything is fresh and original.

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Etta James (a.k.a Jamesetta Hawkins, a.k.a. Miss Peaches, a.k.a. The he Matriarch of R&B) died of complications related to leukemia at the Riverside Community Hospital on January 20, 2012. She had been diagnosed with the disease in early 2011.

Etta James had received numerous awards throughout her career, including six Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993), the Rockabilly Hall of Fame (2001), and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2003).

Etta James was 73 years old when she died.

The Obamas slow-danced to James' signature song, "At Last," during one of their inaugural balls on January 21, 2009.

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