The famed home of several bluegrass-related music and film businesses since 1976 in El Cerrito may be sold unless the businesses can raise 1.2 million dollars to purchase the property.
The venue is home to the music store Down Home Records (global roots music), the Arhoolie Foundation (some of the archives from the Arhoolie Records music recording and publishing house founded by the late Chris Strachwitz), and Les Blank Films (music-related independent films founded by the late Les Blank as Flower Films).
Strachwitz purchased the building with money earned from the publishing royalties on Country Joe & the Fish’s anti-war rag “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die.”
Harrod Blank, Les Blank’s son, who is continuing his father’s documentary film work, has the first right to purchase the building from the Strachwitz trust at market value, estimated at 2.4 million dollars, half of which still needs to be raised. A Go Fund Me campaign to bring in a portion of the needed funds is currently underway.
