""I spent a lot of time traveling between weird performance art worlds in the East Bay in search of community," said Plantearium co-founder Kirk Pearson, a New York native who moved to the Bay about 10 years ago. "I found all of these groups of people, several of which were incredibly good performers, but with absolutely no venue that was suited for them to perform. So that's at least part of my excitement [with The Plantarium].""
""By having that openness to variety and all the bands that are having a great time, you'll probably have a good time," Alex said."
""I was just a show rat. I was at everything and talking to everybody, and helping out however I could," said Lexi, a Berkeley educator who grew up in Pleasanton and San Jose. "Ever since I was a kid, my dream was to have a business where I could help foster art communities an"
The Planetarium is a new DIY venue in the East Bay that opened Jan. 2 and has hosted half a dozen events with 32 additional shows scheduled through May, mostly on weekends. The venue is run by three longtime DIYers from 924 Gilman who book as Ragtag Productions and focus on smaller, younger bands, touring acts, and transgressive performance art. Ticket prices are set between $10 and $15 to encourage artistic discovery without a hefty price tag. Founders include Kirk Pearson (composer and sound designer), Botkin (musician, booker, label operator, longtime volunteer), and Lexi Botkin (bass player, merch seller, Berkeley educator). The project builds on deep DIY and punk community roots in the East Bay.
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