Documentary celebrates, laments beloved SF indie shop Aquarius Records
SAN FRANCISCO -- A feature documentary that looks back on the rich history of San Francisco's Aquarius Records sees its premiere screening Friday night at the Mission's Roxie Theatre as part of the SF Documentary Festival.
An adventurous independent music shop that helped shape the tastes of Bay Area residents and beyond for nearly a half a century, Aquarius closed its Valencia Street location in 2016 after establishing itself as one of the greatest champions of underground, fringe and experimental sounds. Filmed over six years, It Came From Aquarius takes an in-depth look at the heartbreak of shuttering the beloved store amid the Mission District's wave of gentrification and traces its long history of influencing music and culture in the city.
From its early years after moving to the Castro in 1970, promoting the motorik beat of krautrock bands like Kraftwerk and Neu through becoming on of SF's epicenters of punk music and culture -- early owner Chris Knab co-hosted one of the first punk shows on American radio with future Reprise Records president Howie Klein, while the shop hosted in-store appearances by the Damned, Blondie and the Ramones -- Aquarius Records became an outpost and a beacon for music fanatics.
The documentary follows the shop's through a series of SF locations and owners (ending with final partners Andee Connors and Allan Horrocks), exploring how Aquarius managed to maintain its core aesthetic as enthusiastic curators of esoteric and unusual music throughout as it built an international audience during the '90s through its reputation and its legendary bi-weekly email list of new releases complete with lengthy, detailed reviews.
In addition to interviews with many of the people built and ran the store, the film talks to a number of notable fans and supporters of Aquarius, including creator of "The Simpsons" Matt Groening, Flaming Lips frontman and founder Wayne Coyne, Liz Harris of SF experimental act Grouper, garage-rock hero Ty Segall as well as a number of other less well known musicians, record shop owners and label operators who found inspiration in Aquarius.
For this SF Doc Fest screening at the Roxie, the theatre will be hosting a post-film discussion with director Kenneth Thomas and Aquarius records owners Windy Chien, Andee Connors and Allan Horrocks. There will also be an after party held at nearby Mission District bar the Sycamore. The film is also available for streaming through SF Doc Fest.
It Came From Aquarius
Friday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. $15
Roxie Theatre