Historic local bands come together at Petaluma’s Phoenix

A generation of the North Bay’s underground music scene was reborn Saturday, when a lineup of punk, grunge and indie rock bands took the stage at Petaluma’s Phoenix Theater for a once-a-year concert, dubbed Nostalgia Fest.

Seven bands, many of which have been broken up for 10 years or more, rocked out for hundreds of people to raise money for the all-ages, nonprofit venue. Organizers said the bands, formed during the 1980s, ’90s and 2000s, reuniting for one night creates a draw for people from Sonoma County whose bands debuted at the historic Petaluma theater, and for people who as teens found a home at the Phoenix.

“These guys all grew up here,” said Tom Gaffey, who runs the Phoenix. “It’s where I grew up - it’s our refuge.”

Santa Rosa resident Michael Houghton started Nostalgia Fest in 2009, with the original name “Nostalgia Fest for Sad Old Geezers.” Today, the annual Christmas-time show draws between 300 and 500 people each year.

Houghton said he planned the show on the Saturday before Christmas to increase the chances of band members coming back to the North Bay during the holiday season.

“The first time we did our reunion show, it was incredibly beautiful, and several bands told me it was nice to have their last party - so many had fallen apart over the years and were never able to play that last show,” Houghton said. “Then we decided to do another, and we just started calling a bunch of old bands.”

Houghton said The Phoenix - from the late 1970s to today - has created a breeding ground for young bands and artists largely because it’s all-ages. Young people and bands just getting started found a home there, organizers said.

“We’re sort of making fun of ourselves for the idea of bringing back that time period of our teenage years,” he said. “But it’s also a lot more than that nostalgic factor. It brings people together.”

Larry Boothroyd from the punk band The Skirt Boys, formed in 1983, came out Saturday as one of the show’s headliners.

“We never ever thought this band would be playing together again, since we all splintered off in four different directions 30 years ago,” Boothroyd said, surrounded by other band members back stage. “I’m just trying to digest all of this.”

Other musicians who grew up playing the Phoenix recalled playing the stage as kids.

“That place was magical,” said Ryan Gan, frontman for the band the Librarians, a power pop band that formed in 1999 and played shows at The Phoenix. “We were part of this group that grew up playing there, and something about it just made us all feel accepted.”

Gan, who is now an actual librarian in Orange County, credited his early days at The Phoenix with setting his career path.

“It sort of helped me figure out what to do with my life,” Gan said.

Though Nostalgia Fest took a hiatus last year, organizers plan to continue gathering old school bands in the future.

“This is better than a high school reunion, because these are all of our friends we actually spent time with,” said Eddie Walsh of Rohnert Park, who came out to see the band Chomp Hard. “A lot of us haven’t seen each other in 20 years.”

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.