Matthew Katz the first manager of Jefferson Airplane also put on shows at the Ark, at one time he managed the Airplane, Moby Grape, It's A Beautiful Day, & a handful of early hippie bands under his company name 'San Francisco Sound' , I still have some free drink tokens from the Ark when it was a concert venue. Katz is remembered as the guy who copyrighted 'Jefferson Airplane' & after several lawsuits & mangement change the band re-named itself 'Jefferson Starship', that stunt along with others, made him one of the more despised figures in local music. As far as I know Jean Varda lived on the old ferry 'Vallejo' which sits at the end of Varda Landing, off Gate 5 Road, I worked for the owner in the 1980's & he told me the history & showed some of the relics of Varda he owned.
Good Call! Although I was too young to have attended any of these shows, I was aware they were happening. As I got a bit older, I began to collect rock posters (still have a decent collection), and I got my hands on a couple from that venue. They are both of the "boxing" style, i.e.: split-fountain silk screen on heavy board, nearly always a photo of the headline act. "Old Fashion" looking, not psychedelic at all. One is for the Grateful Dead and one is for (get this!) Carol Doda! That one has an "action shot" of Carol, looking to be about 20 yr.s old, wearing a Batman T shirt. How's that for a "Dynamic Duo"!
Another mostly forgotten rock venue was one of the many incarnations of the Charles Van Damme. Retired ferry boat, sitting the mud in Sausalito. For awhile, the father of a girl I dated many years later, ran it as "The Ark". I've got a few posters from that too. There has been a handful of references to that boat here in the forum over the past few monthes. Juanita's Gallery and Redlegs parties being memorable ones. I think Alan Watts lived there for awhile and maybe Gene Varda.
Where else in Marin could you catch the Airplane, Janis, the Dead, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Moby Grape, 13th Floor Elevators, and the like?, all for about $2.50. The shows featured a big name band such as the ones mentioned, along with a "band bash", in which about 6-8 Marin high school and college bands would see which one drew the most applause. That band would then be featured at the next show. Some of these bands included The Axons, The Morlocks, The Knaves, Emergency Broadcasting System, Michael's Way, The Friendly Stranger, Morning Glory, The Styx, The Golden Fleece, and many others. The shows ran from about October of 1966 to the spring of 1967, when the top bands started getting the big bucks at the Avalon and the Fillmore and the Pepe Brothers, who ran the Armory, couldn't compete. Great while it lasted...
Here's a link to the posters which advertised those shows.. http://vintageconcertposters.com/_main/Index.cfm?page=api/gallery/gallery.cfm&id=12
