▼ Music Punk Never Dies Legendary Phoenix label Placebo Records plots a new history with a downtown archive and concert venue. BY CHRIS COPLAN of the East Bay,” about the seminal Opera- tion Ivy, with “Started in ’87 / Ended in ’89.” A 46 Phoenix’s own ‘80s punk scene was marked by similar here-and-gone clubs, artists, and other artifacts, chief among them Placebo Records. Running from 1981 to circa 1990, the label of Tony “Tony Victor” Beram existed at the scene’s epi- center, promoting shows at Mad Gardens, releasing music by the likes of JFA and Sun City Girls, and shaping Phoenix’s diverse, dynamic music scene over the last 40 years. “All that stuff that was coming online, that wouldn’t have happened without short, but brilliant career is a singularly punk rock ex- pression. Why else would Rancid begin the second verse of “Journey to the End Placebo,” says JFA’s Michael Cornelius. “Sun City Girls and JFA and Mighty Sphincter wouldn’t have springboarded into more broad, international attention.” Then what better way to commemorate Placebo’s place in local history than with its own “museum “ of sorts? The planned Club Placebo represents a year-plus of work from Beram, Cornelius, and other artists, fans, and historians to preserve the label’s history. With a building near down- town Phoenix, the proposed project prom- ises to serve as a “gallery, performance/ panel discussion [space], and living archive documenting all things Placebo Records and beyond.” Beram says most of the work on the building is done, and they could open sometime in March. A benefit show last weekend featuring bands like French Girls, Father Figures, and JJCnV helped Beram and company gain volunteers, promote the space, and drum up future funding. Jim Louvau (They’ve also begun registering as a non- profit, Beram says.) Club Placebo’s primary goal is to house Beram’s insane archive, from flyers and old zines to band pics and pressings. “We’re taking the existing stuff out of storage and getting it sorted and pro- tected,” Beram says. “But at the same time, we’re trying to collect more stuff that’s out there that might also be in danger of not being preserved.” Beram even tapped a for- mer employee to live on-site to help “safe- guard” the archive. However, the club exists as a very spe- cific educational and entertainment op- tion. “We’ll have a live panel discussion with some artists that worked with Placebo Records or [Beram’s] Mersey Produc- tions,” he says. “Then once the panel dis- cussions are over, you clear out some of the lights and let those participants do a per- formance. So you have a way of document- ing the past but still doing something that’s in the present.” Beram says he never returned to Placebo because he didn’t want to “flog the horse or that kind of thing,” and has even avoided anniversary reissues as the label recently turned 40. But Beram’s done plenty of reminiscing in recent years, spurred on by recent tragedies. Placebo Records founder Tony “Tony Victor” Deram. “The guitarist from Mighty Sphincter, Doug Clark, passed away, either right after the shutdown or a few weeks later,” he says. “And he was the same age as me. If you look at the first comp we did, it’s kind of an inordinate amount of people to have passed away at such a young age. When things are actually happening, you appreci- ate it less when you’re in the middle of it.” He also has a complicated idea of Place- bo’s legacy, adding that he shuttered the la- bel in part because “there was always a lot of negativity thrown my way,” adding, “when you’re working that hard, and you’re not making money, eventually it all takes its toll on you.” Working on Club Placebo, then, has fur- ther helped Beram in coming to terms with Placebo’s past. “Over the last 10 years or so, people have come up to me with massive praise and love,” Beram says. “So I think it took some time for it to evolve into a place where I could feel good about even thinking about stepping back into any of it.” Good feelings aside, there have been some challenges. For instance, Beram’s mostly been alone in preserving a lot of this stuff given the carefree >> p 48 JAN 13TH– JAN 19TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
