The Origin Of Psychedelic Rock Culture In San Francisco

By Author: Otto Oddtoes
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Haight-Ashbury, a small neighborhood in San Francisco became the birthplace of psychedelic culture in the mid-1960s. The rock groups performing there at the time were the most visible form of this creativity. What happened then and how, read on to know.

There have been hundreds of books written on the psychedelic culture but it is hard to fix the cause behind the cultural uprising in the mid-1960s. This was the time a small neighborhood in San Francisco called the Haight-Ashbury district saw a burst of cultural energy. This rebellious culture was reflected the most in the exploratory rock music played by several artists and bands residing in the area. A few top names worth mentioning here are- the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish. These bands played at either of the two venues- the Avalon Ballroom (run by the Family Dog) and the Fillmore Auditorium (run by Bill Graham).

These rock concerts experimented with new ways of audience interaction. There were elaborate experimental light shows and the stars themselves were dressed in bold costumes (a pull off from ...
... a historic event). Every weekend for a period of three to four stolen hours, these concerts happened. Sometimes, a touring artist from out of town (including the legends Jimi Hendrix, Roland Kirk and Miles Davis, Albert King and Buddy Guy) also played here, and crowds gathered to listen to them.

But the organizers had quite a task on their hands when these concerts were to be organized. The people and fans needed to be informed about the concert and information on the band; day and venue had to be distributed on the streets. For this purpose the promoters chose the all-time favorite method of advertising- posters. Posters of artists and their show dates were printed and the streets of San Francisco Ashbury area were lined with them. There were no radio spots or newspaper ads for promotion. The only way to spread the word was by posters.

The designs of these posters became a culture themselves. They were designed by artists who believed in the psychedelic rebellious culture, and mixed that belief with their creativity and visual talent to create these posters. Community ideas and spirit were reflected in these posters, and made them stand apart from other posters. In fact many artists saw their posters as an extension of their music. The posters were not simple words announcing the concert details but they were visual descriptions of what the artists liked and played.

The creative yet psychedelic in nature posters designed by famous artists were basically distributed as advertisements all over the city. They were hung on telephone poles and store windows and walls. However, it was Bill Graham who discovered their value as collectibles, when he noticed that people liked to rip off posters and take them home as a memory of their good time at the concert or as homage to their music God. Soon, Bill Graham and the Family Dog set up poster divisions. They printed extra posters each week and starting selling them in local shops to serve the public demand.

The concert posters have become highly precious memorabilia to collect and music lovers are now turning to the internet to look for concert posters for sale. The psychedelic culture is a part of history now, but the concert posters remain popular as a constant reminder of the golden days.

The writer is associated with Oddtoes, the leading online retailer of music memorabilia including punk posters, vintage posters and punk T-shirts.