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Author: Fab Mab Creative Team

Anthony Arya Band – Live at Broadway Studios in North Beach

Written by Fab Mab Creative Team on . Posted in Events, Live Music.

Saturday, Sept 6 is a night you don’t want to miss in North Beach. The Anthony Arya Band hits the stage at Broadway Studios — the iconic nightclub (known as the Fab Mab) where the Ramones, Dead Kennedys, Patti Smith, Joan Jett, and Metallica tore it up in the ’80s. For the first time in decades, the venue is opening its doors to public shows again. Make history with us.

Pre-Show Open House included with ticket — enjoy light refreshments and a guided tour of the Fab Mab’s hidden nooks and crannies.
Sat, Sept 6 Show 9:00 PM Open House 7:30 PM Tix $10

About Anthony Arya

Anthony Arya is an Americana rock artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He gained national attention at 16 on NBC’s The Voice. Since then he’s released four full-length albums and won national songwriting awards. From soulful lyrics to gritty guitar riffs, Anthony channels the Laurel Canyon folk-rock spirit into a modern California sound. The Anthony Arya Band is one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand live acts, from Monterey to Sonoma.

www.anthonyarya.com

Listen:
Kelley Stoltz White Lightning CO The Boars

Kelley Stoltz, White Lightning Co. & The Boars @ Mabuhay Gardens – Oct 3, 2025

Written by Fab Mab Creative Team on . Posted in Events, Live Music.

San Francisco’s 60’s garage merrymakers THE BOARS deliver thee finest in beer-soaked rave-ups, jangle pop nuggets, fuzzed psych stompers, and Farfisa-fueled frat rawkers. THE BOARS feature former members of The Vulcaneers, Rudiments, and The Fells. Live, they bring their shakin’ rock’n’roll shindig and give it all to the crowd with mayhem, grunts, shouts, and some spillover on the floor n’ out the door! THE BOARS are here to make it Wyld!

After fronting the Austin-based band Blind Pets, Josh Logan began Chief White Lightning in 2017, taking inspiration from legends such as David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Tom Petty, and The Kinks. Following several years on the road as a solo act, Josh recruited well-established Portland musicians Victor Franco, Brian Crace, Joe Benassi, and Tobias Berblinger to create White Lightning Company. Now, with a full band onboard, they’re drawing from collective decades of experience to create an infectious and exciting brand of rock ‘n’ roll.

Kelley Stoltz has released 18 albums since 1999, for Sub Pop, John Dwyer’s Castleface and Third Man Records. He plays most all the instruments on the albums himself, and is a dedicated DIY home recordist, operating out of his Electric Duck Studio in his garage in the Mission District. His most recent LP, La Fleur, was released in 2024.

During the 2010’s Kelley toured as a keyboardist for Rodriguez, and later, as a rhythm guitarist for Echo & the Bunnymen. As the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock’s last two albums. Stoltz has been championed with live appearances on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show, and has performed in concert around the world. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson (formerly of the Oh Sees), and has engineered/produced Bay Area bands including Sonny & the Sunsets, the Mantles, The Fresh & Onlys, Rays, Life Stinks and many others. He is currently the host of KEXP’s Vinelands radio show on 92.7 FM, which focuses on the best of Bay Area music past, present & future.

Kelley Stoltz

Kelley Stoltz

Headliner

White Lightning Co.

White Lightning Co.

Portland, OR

The Boars

The Boars

San Francisco

The Fab Mab Returns: Community Campaign to Resurrect Mabuhay Gardens as a Nonprofit Arts Hub

Written by Fab Mab Creative Team on . Posted in newsroom.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Fab Mab Returns

Community Campaign to Resurrect San Francisco’s Legendary Mabuhay Gardens as a Nonprofit Arts Hub
Where Punk Rock History Meets Future Creative Revolution at 443 Broadway

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — September 2025
The walls of 435–443 Broadway have absorbed the fury of Black Flag, the innovation of Devo, the chaos of the Dead Kennedys, and the defiance of thousands who transformed a Filipino supper club into the epicenter of West Coast punk.
Now, a coalition of artists, neighbors, and community leaders is fighting to ensure these walls continue to echo with creative defiance for generations to come. The campaign to resurrect Mabuhay Gardens — the legendary “Fab Mab” that defined San Francisco’s punk scene from 1976 to 1987 — represents more than nostalgia. It’s a battle for the city’s creative soul at a time when venues are shuttering and artists are being priced out.

A CALL TO ACTION

“We’re going for it; we’re not holding back. Mabuhay Gardens was such an important venue for so many people, and bringing that back as soon as we can is the least we can do for our community here.”

— Tom Watson, Revival Leader
The team has launched an urgent GoFundMe campaign to help acquire the 12,000-square-foot building and transform it into a nonprofit arts and cultural center. The goal: $4.5 million for acquisition, debt resolution, and essential renovations.
This is not corporate entertainment — it is community ownership. Every dollar keeps the space that birthed punk rock in the hands of the people who understand its true value. Donations are fully tax-deductible through fiscal sponsor.

LEGACY & FUTURE

Under legendary promoter Dirk Dirksen — the abrasive, brilliant “Pope of Punk” — the Fab Mab hosted more than 3,600 shows that shaped global music. The Avengers. Patti Smith. The Police. Iggy Pop. A young Metallica in 1982. Robin Williams once joked that hell was “opening for the Ramones at the Mabuhay Gardens.”

The new Fab Mab will honor that legacy while evolving for the future:

  • Dual performance venues on two floors

  • Recording studio and listening lounge

  • Youth workshops and mentorship programs

  • Artist residencies and exhibitions

  • Community-first pricing — access, not exclusivity

FRANCESCA’S VISION LIVES ON

This revival also honors Francesca Valdez (1955–2025), who owned the building from 1989 until her passing in July. A Filipina immigrant who began as a cleaner before buying the property, Francesca fiercely protected the space from commercial interests.

“These buildings tell you what they want to be. It’s not my space — it’s the community’s space.”

— Francesca Valdez

Her legacy lives on through this effort, carried forward by Tom Watson (philanthropist and creative space builder), Michael Sturtz (founder, The Crucible), Bobby Fishkin (community organizer), Joanna Blanche Lioce (nightlife veteran), and a coalition of artists and neighbors.

PROOF OF RETURN: UPCOMING EVENTS

  • September 6, 2025 — Opening show with Anthony Arya
  • October 3, 2025 — The Big Splash: Kelley Stoltz, Federale, The Boars on both Mabuhay and Ballroom stagesand ballroom upstairs)
  • October 2025 — Tech Week co-working activation
  • Grand Opening Party — Date TBD

About Mabuhay Gardens: From 1976–1987, Mabuhay Gardens was the epicenter of West Coast punk rock, hosting legendary acts that defined a generation and launched a global movement.

About Broadway Studios: A coalition of local investors, artists, and community advocates working to preserve and activate cultural spaces in San Francisco through community ownership and creative programming.

Continue reading

San Francisco’s legendary punk club Mabuhay Gardens could make a comeback

Written by Fab Mab Creative Team on . Posted in newsroom.

By Aidin Vaziri · Published Aug 25, 2025
Originally published by San Francisco Chronicle

A group of San Franciscans is rallying to bring back one of the city’s most storied music venues: Mabuhay Gardens. A new GoFundMe campaign aims to raise $4.5 million to purchase 435–443 Broadway — the former nightclub that defined West Coast punk in the 1970s and ’80s — and reopen it as a nonprofit arts and cultural center.

From 1976 to 1987, the “Fab Mab” hosted seminal punk and new wave acts including the Dead Kennedys, Avengers, Ramones, Blondie, and Black Flag under promoter Dirk Dirksen. Its legacy as the beating heart of San Francisco punk continues to resonate nearly four decades after its closure.

The revival effort comes as other beloved independent venues face closure across the city, underscoring the importance of community ownership to preserve cultural history. Organizers envision a multipurpose hub with live performances, workshops, residencies, and youth programming.

Read the full article: San Francisco’s legendary punk club Mabuhay Gardens could make a comeback (SF Chronicle)

Top Image Credit: Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys crowdsurfs at a San Francisco club in 1979. A community group has launched a campaign to bring back Mabuhay Gardens, the legendary North Beach club that defined West Coast punk in the 1970s and ’80s, by reopening it as a nonprofit arts hub.
(Photo: Vici MacDonald / S.F. Chronicle)

Legendary SF Punk Club Mabuhay Gardens Is on the Verge of Reopening

Written by Fab Mab Creative Team on . Posted in newsroom.

By Jessica Lipsky · Published Aug 25, 2025 · Updated Aug 29, 2025
Originally published by KQED Arts

Few institutions in San Francisco are as crucial to punk as Mabuhay Gardens. The legendary venue and Filipino restaurant at 435–443 Broadway was ground zero for the Bay Area’s punk scene in the 1970s and ’80s, hosting acts like the Dead Kennedys, Devo, Iggy Pop, and Blondie until its closure in 1987.

On August 25, a group of local investors, nightlife veterans, and North Beach neighbors launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase and reopen the building as Mabuhay Gardens, this time as a nonprofit arts and culture hub with live music at its core.

The first show is scheduled for September 6 with local artist Anthony Arya, followed by October 3 performances from Kelley Stoltz, Federale, and The Boars. Musicians will perform on both the original downstairs stage and the upstairs ballroom.

Read the full article: Legendary SF Punk Club Mabuhay Gardens Is on the Verge of Reopening (KQED)