12 Galaxies

I tried to see extra action marching band here. didnt see much but got all nice and sweaty. i stank real bad.
people are sad it closed, but i have frank chu’s cell phone number so it’s all good.

Last night I went to an incredible show. my friend Trevor blew my mind. My friend Chris blew my mind. And two bands in I knew …
… I was going to miss this place more than I ever knew.
Sorry to see you go guys. You fought the good fight.
You booked incredible acts… you created incredible community.
Thanks for being there for us for so long!
WE WILL MISS YOU. Now find a goddam benefactor and let’s keep it open!

I saw ALO here a couple of years ago and I was pretty impressed with the layout of the club in that it didn’t seem too cramped. There’s an upstairs from where you can see the stage, and I think there’s a second bar up there too that they occaisionally open. The name is awesome as well, especially the reasoning behind it.
I didn’t appreciate having to contend with a huge line for the bathroom with drunk chicks trying to cut in front of me (which will either get you passive-​aggressive loud mutterings or bitchslapped, depends on my mood and how well you succeed, because I have my ways of line-​cutting prevention), and it really didn’t help that the ventilation system was non-​existent — I literally almost passed out a couple of times because of it.
It’s too bad that the place is closing at the end of August though, it became an institution of sorts. Hopefully whoever takes over the lease will do something cool with it and improve the ventilation system.

Great place to see live music, and to possibly run into Frank Chu if you missed him out on the street that day. Love that guy — although have you ever tried to talk to him? Woah. He’ll start making more sense after a drink or two.
Anyways, 12 Galaxies is a great little venue. Small, dark, good bar area (although good luck getting a drink when crowded), great balcony area, and good acoustics. My one complaint — every show I’ve seen here has started late. Not cool when one has work the next morning!
Frank Chu:

First of all, no wonder why my friend had no idea what I was talking about, I think I told everyone 13 Galaxies… whoops, too many pre-​party drinks… But talk about a place to find guys… I mean I’ve never been to 12 galaxies before and it may have been only because it was a Thrasher skate premier… but man were there so many hot guys I did not know what to do with myself! OK drinks, small cups but not extremely expensive. Skate video was GREAT. Mista Fab was horrible, like really bad only sang one of his own songs which was odd.
On top of all the hotties and a few girls, my best friend and partner in crime had this brutal black eye. Which to my surprise was the biggest pick up line ever used on us. Usually it’s you guys look like sisters or I love your glasses. Heard them! No, but tonight was all about Kristen and her beautiful black eye. Maybe it was the fact that they have so many broken arms, bruises and such that they were stoked to see a girl with the same. They would seriously watch her from across the room and then finally have the kahones to come and ask what happened. No, she did not fall off a mountain while doing free hand rock climbing, no she did not get in a brutal chick fight, I wish it was something funny and cool like she went bungie jumping and the rope was too short. But no, it was less athletic than they thought, she was in a car accident and the effing airbag made her face swell up and bruise straight black! She is my little panda and I will continue to punch her in the eye so we get hit on this much all the time!
But did I mention all the hot skater guys???
OOH YEAH!

I went here for the first time after the Carnaval on Sunday, I thought the cover was steep ($ 15) but I got to see 3 good bands Id never heard before.
Cool venue, I liked the longness of it but I didnt go upstairs cos, it looked not so fun.
They were showing old trippy cartoons on the TV.
Lots of good looking girls here but it was dark so I could be wrong.
BAT MAKUMBA — I liked these guys, real mix of stuffs but not opera.
MANICATO — So-​so, I guess if you really like Salsa you will like them.
FUGA — My fave of the 3. I cant find them on the net. They are mysterious
SAMBAMORA DANCE COMPANY — Hotties. Dancing. Fun.

I saw BBQ & Khan play here. That was cool.
My gin and tonic? Not so cool.

Most important: as of 3÷28÷08 they have their liquor license so don’t worry about having a sober night.
The bar is relatively cheap for SF … but plastic cups… really guys? Really? This isn’t a frat party and I didn’t order Natty Piss. Give me a damn pint glass for my Guinness.
Overall the place looks pretty shabby so don’t worry about the dress code. I didn’t meet any asshole security that the other reviewers mentioned so my only guess is that the assholes were hired by the promoter for that particular night. I’d probably come back here on a weeknight. Plenty of parking on the street.

I’ve been to a wedding here.
The little lesbians were getting married, so after Bay To Breakers vodka induced nap, I scraped the drool off my face and made my way to the Mission to see the gals get hitched.
I loved the look on some of our co-​workers faces on when it dawned on them that they were at a wedding at a bar.
My actual first Bar Wedding was in New Orleans though. My friends and I were invited on the street by two homely looking hippies to their wedding later on that evening. We had no idea who they were, but who doesn’t love a wedding?
There are many things that rock about this place.
#1– The balcony. Or the mezzanine. Or whatever you want to call it. It’s awesome. You can stand right above the stage and watch from above as the band kicks around set lists and throws shit. With good aim, you could drop things from above into their drinks if you wanted to do so.
#2 — The fact that shows, yoga classes and weddings are all held within the same spot.
#3 — The fact that Frank Chu came first and the bar came second… and named in his honor.
#4 — The low douchebag factor. IMO.

i dig the variety of music choices you can find here. I saw a friends folk pop group but know Arnocorp has played.
Props for pulling off kids shows on weekend afternoons as well!

The most inefficient entry ever. The guestlist was merged with the willcall with the general admission line, and somehow I got in some clusterf*ck which was the performers’ entourage line. No ventilation whatsoever. Liquor license revoked the day before the party, so everybody inside was angry, especially people who prepaid for willcall. Every 5 minutes security would shine a flashlight in your face. Audio/​visual effects were minimal.
One of the bouncers stopped me from going upstairs because he didn’t think I «belonged» there. He asked me if I was sure I was «with» my friends and double checked my wristband, and he almost had me go downstairs and recheck the guestlist. WTF! SORRY I DON’T LOOK LIKE A FOREVER 21 HOOCHIE MAMA BUT DAAAMN LET ME THROUGH!
Lame. I never in a million years thought I’d say this but, I’d rather go to City Nights.

Now listen to the truth,
This is in response to yesuum y. Yeah I did lean up against wet paint at 12 Gs. (and It was not a blazer but a pea coat that I just got the day before on my B-​Day) It was not completely obvious unless maybe your Michelangelo. You could only tell by looking at the wall at a certain angle.
I did not blame the bartender/​owner as much as I wanted to bring it to his attention that maybe a sign should be posted. (which magically appeared after my complaint) The owner voluntarily gave me $ 20.00 for the cleaning bill, I found that to be fair. Considering that it was $ 150.00 jacket and would probably not come clean.
I was not even that mad and I even stayed and paid for another drink. When I was approached by your average no style having fixed gear bike riding Hipster girl that looked more like a man than a woman. She rambled on not knowing what she was talking about for a few minutes and finished off by calling me a YUPPIE. Hence my new nick name (thanks) Yuppie3000. Just because I choose not to conform to the terrible style of your average Missioner. Does not give some beastly Hipster girl (who most likely is not even from SF) the right to open her big mouth. Next time I recommend you mind your own business. You should move back to your farm in Montana where they appreciate a burly manish sow of a woman like yourself.
Anyhow I still rate this place 2 stars for the owners mature attitude in handling the situation. The crowd of regulars should be kept on a leash like the rest of the dogs running wild in the place. The Photo should also be updated as 12 G’s looks nothing like the place pictured. Also the exorbitant cover of $ 14.00 on a Monday night should more than cover the &20.00 the owner gave me.
I am updating this after reading that 12 G’s lost their liquor license. Thank God maybe now they will go out of business and something new can fill the space. Karma is a bitch huh!
Thanks

I first went to 12 Galaxies when Yoga Mob was holding some classes here. There’s something about doing yoga next to a pool table in a bar that is so unconventionally wonderful.
But returning to 12 Galaxies for a comedy show was even better. The good comedy lineup helped (yes, I’m related to the host that put it together). Overall the vibe is casual and unpretentious. Quality drink options with Newcastle on tap. And a very cool name (Google it if you don’t get it). In general, 12 Galaxies is a place you’d want to return… especially if it’s for Sean K.‘s comedy show (shameless plug for family member).

The venue is a rockin music hall. A little small, but there is plenty of room upstairs to spectate. They also have a pool table upstairs. The girls and I had a lot of fun here. They make it way to easy to order a beverage. For that reason, I had a few too many… :)
If Elliot Randall plays here again, I’ll be back. Otherwise it is too far from home to make it out there.
The bar tender was cool, the door man yawned at me, and the music was hoppin.
Cheers!

I’ve seen the good and the bad at 12 Galaxies. And how I feel about the space always follows how I felt about what I just experienced there. It’s a chameleon club, as far as I’m concerned…
Reboot DJ extravaganza thingy? SU-​UCKED! «12 Galaxies is SO LAME! Drinks are crap. Sound is crap. Space is crap. Bathrooms smell like crap. People smell like crap. Let’s go to Molotov’s!
Oh, wait… We’re in the Mission? Hmm… Let’s go to Gestalt Haus! VEGAN SAUSAGE! VEGAN SAUSAGE!!!»
But then I saw Loop! Station with Eric McFadden here this past weekend.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!
First of all, I have the biggest girl crush on Robin Coomer of Loop! Station. I know that has nothing to do with this review, but she is HOT. Seriously sizzlin’. You all know what I mean…
And they are like, SO FABULOUS.
«OMG! They make all that sound, just the two of them? HOW DO THEY DO IT?! OMG!!! Computers are so awesome!!! Wait, I work for an audio company… I KNOW THIS!!! This is so rad. 12 Galaxies is so rad. I LOVE THIS PLACE! The sound is amazing!!! And I’m so DRUNK! Let’s DANCE! And have more DRINKS! And dance some more! MORE DRINKS! Wait… I have to pee. I LOVE THE BATHROOMS HERE! Aw… They’re CLOSING? WTF?! That SUCKS! AGAIN! AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!!! Oh, okay…
POWER EXCHANGE!!!»
(Review to follow. I’m not kidding.)

Maybe I’m a crappy reviewer, but it’s difficult for me to separate the impression of the venue from the impression of the show. For example, if I go to the movies and some jackasses are sitting next to me yakking through the whole thing, my impression of the movie will be lower.
But I’ll try, because I’ve got a sneaky feeling that the performers here are better than the venue. Like a hot female with an unattractive man, something’s amiss. If the man catches wise to this mismatching, he’ll likely do something to even the odds, like working out. But this place seems to thumb its nose at everyone who walks in the door. The staff are surly and inattentive, with the exception of the chick working the door.
The people who suggested staking out an area on the top floor were dead on, because the view on the ground level was as appealing as seeing through a senior-citizen’s undergarments. With a little wising up, 12 Galaxies can up its legitimacy some. It’s got moxie.

I saw a friend’s band here last night and thought the place was OK. I would go back to see a friend or catch a band i knew. Will probably not randomly venture back here though.
positives:
divey (makes rock music better IMO)
cool stage
Great sound (i know previous reviewers thought the sound was bad, but the acoustics were great in front of the stage)
different than other live venue places in SF
club size good
negatives:
door people were a little rough around the edges (i saw one guy grab a girl by the shoulder from behind because he didn’t see her stamp)
the bar itself was dumpy
the bathroom was craptaculously awful
club configuration bad (think long long skinny rectangle)

It’s an average weekday. So you are just finishing work on your painting or perhaps your robot or even in the middle of your burning man project. Oh crap! Look at the time! You are going to be late for your friends performance at the 12 Galaxies! oh you clearly do not even have time to take a shower… hmmm. Think you create genius. Think… look around. what’s this? some sandalwood essence perhaps? What are you waiting for dab a little behind the ears and rush over to 12 galaxies to catch the show.
The above story is my explanation why the place smelled of sandalwood and BO.
Interesting place to catch a performance. Many people were actually sitting on the floor. I was there to see my friends dance troupe Sparkle Motion perform «Eye of the Tiger».
Seems to be a great place of community. Bartenders were OK, If you are a smoker you will have plenty of company outside.
TIP: If you want to see the stage, go upstairs. There are plenty of chairs and a pool table.

Great space with lovely potential for a «totally rocking evening.» Gotta love places with a second floor balcony for people watching. AND they have an old school TRON video game upstairs. TRON! TRON! Might I reiterate… TRON!
But I’m docking a star for the insane pizza prices. Boo.
PS For those curious about Frank Chu, go here:

Saw The Zombies play a few days ago, tho I’d also been here to see Rock School perform all Who songs last year.
The good thing is that it’s a dive bar in the mission. And the bar staff is nice and even when it’s really crowded you get served easily and without attitude. There are usually drink specials (I had a blue hawaiians one night, tho the last one, being sponsored by Rolling Rock and all, consisted of… Rolling Rock for $ 1). They obviously have enough good shows to keep me coming back.
The negatives are the acoustics suck. The sound seems to be better on the first floor and near the front because of the tall thin space. In the back, whether you are on the first or mezzanine, are both worse. The nice thing about the mezanine is you get a good view of the band, as well as a half wall to lean on.
Also, there is only 1 bathroom here and it is upstairs in a corner. On a crowded night that means misery for the weak bladdered.
They sell tickets for their shows on the website, but they charge the ungodly extra fee of $ 3 per ticket. If that ain’t blown chunks, I don’t know what is. They have a monopoly on it because they don’t sell tickets thru ticketweb or virtuous.