O'Cayz Corral explained

O'Cayz Corral was a bar and music venue in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, that primarily featured local and national punk, rock, and grunge musical acts.

History

Located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, O'Cayz Corral was originally named Don's Shell (Owned by Don & Cay Millard) and later renamed Millard's Bar.^[1] Catherine "Cay" Millard became sole owner of the tavern in 1980 and changed the name to O'Cayz Corral, a country-western themed bar with a legal capacity of 150. Sometime in the early 80's Cay began to ask local musicians such as Pat MacDonald (who later formed Timbuk 3) if they would like to play at the venue, but it was not until The Replacements were booked for two back-to-back shows that the venue became well known for live music. It was operated by "Cay" until her death in 1990.

Four of the children (Mike, Mary, Pat, Don) formed a corporation "Cayz Corp" and continued the business. They then leased the club to Cathy Dethmers from 1994 until 2001.^[2] Referred to in the press as "iconic" and the "CBGB's of the Midwest,"^[3] O'Cayz featured many underground punk, grunge, and rock bands that later became major contributors to pop culture.

Indeed, at one time many touring bands had O'Cayz Corral on their bucket list of places to play. Some famous bands such as Nirvana, Soul Asylum and Living Colour only played there once. Other famous bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins only played there a couple of times or so, while bands like L7 graced the venue twice a year for several years—even after they were selling out stadiums elsewhere.

People best remember two events at O'Cayz, aside from the many fine performances there. A drunk truck driver smashed into and destroyed the front facade of the building, also killing a 22-year-old University of Wisconsin student and destroying the band Surgery's ambulance filled with their equipment. On another occasion, the floor caved in on the dance floor during a Royal Crescent Mob performance.^[4]

O'Cayz was destroyed by a fire that began in the 'Cay's Comic-Strip', a neighborhood bar at 502 East Wilson St., also owned by the family of Cay Millard, on January 1, 2001. Dethmers reopened nearby in 2004 as the High Noon Saloon.

Location

O'Cayz Corral was located on the isthmus of Madison's near east side, a short walk from the state capitol, marking a transitional space between the capitol and the fashionable Jenifer-Spaight historic district. Despite the many up-and-coming, on the cusp of breaking-through musicians who played at O'Cayz before—and sometimes after—finding success, the physical plant was very small. The primary section of the L-shaped space spanned only about 20 feet in width and 70 feet in depth, and accommodated a bar and several tables.

Featured artists

Some^[5] of the bands that played at O'Cayz Corral between 1985 and 2001 (listed alphabetically with reference to any live recordings released of the show):

7 Seconds
7 Year Bitch
24-7 Spyz^[6]
60 Cycle Hum
311
The Afghan Wigs
Agent Orange
Alex Chilton
Adrenalin O.D.
American Music Club
Animated Violence
Appliances-SFB
Archers of Loaf
Arson Garden
Art Paul Schlosser
Asphalt Ballet
At The Drive-In^[7]
The Atomic Bitchwax
Aunt Beaph Video on YouTube of 11/13/98 show
Babes in Toyland
Bad Brains
Bash & Pop
Bazooka
The BellRays
Better Off Airport
Beyond Possession
Big Black^[8]
Big Hat
Blanche Mobile
The Blue Meanies
Bongzilla^[9] Gestation, recorded February 7, 1998, was included on the Twin Threat To Your Sanity compilation released on 7", 7", and All Media by Bad People Records, Riotous Assembly, and Selfish Fucker Records in 2001. Trinity and Witch Weed were included on the He's No Good To Me Dead compilation released on Game Two Records in 1999
Booty Fruit
Boss Hog
The Bottles
Brass Tacks
Brian Ritchie
Buffalo Tom
Bugatti Type 35
Bullet Head
The Burning Ernies
Buttress Available on YouTube: 1992
Calexico with Neko Case
Cattleprod
Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Chadbourne
The Celibate Rifles
Cherubs
Charlie Pickett
Chemlab
The Chesterfieldu Kings
Chokebore
Citizen King
Clip The Daisies
Clutch
Clyde Stubblefield
Coat of Arms
Cop Shoot Cop^[10] Available on YouTube: 10/19/93
Cosmic Psychos
Couch Flambeau
Coven Of Thieves
Corpuscle
The Cows^[11]
The Crossbones
Cradle of Thorns^[12]
Cruel
- Cub Dazzling Killmen^[13]
D.O.A.^[14]
Damn The Machine
Danger Prone Daphne Betty Page, recorded in January 1995, was included on Postpunkprelowfiposthifi, self-released in 1999 on CD
Dash Rip Rock
The dB's
The Dead Milkmen
Deerhoof
Descendents
Dick Dale
The Didjits
Die Kreuzen
Dinosaur Jr
Doctors' Mob
D.R.I. aka Dirty Rotten Imbeciles^[15] ^[16]
Drug Induced Nightmare #4
Dumptruck
Droids Attack
The Dwarves
E*I*E*I*O
Ed Hall
Electric Hellfire Club
Elephant Lips
El Duce
Elliott Smith
Ethyl Meatplow
Eugene Chadbourne
Ex-Action Figures The 18 minute-long live recording of The Mirror, Marina appears on the band's self-titled album, released on Mafia Money in 1996
Exene Cervenka
The Exotics
Fat Tuesday
Facing Mecca
Festering Rinyanyons Swimmin' Hole 7" on Train Wreck Entertainment, 1993 included the live track It's Awlright!
Fetchin' Bones
Fear
The Feelies
Flat Duo Jets
Flywheel
Fire Town
Firehose
The Flaming Lips
The Fleshtones
For Christ's Sake
Foreskin 500
Freakshow
Fred Pepper
Frightwig
The Frogs Tour De Gay '88 was self-released on cassette in 1989
Fu Manchu^[17]
Fudge
The Funeral Party
Funland
Fuzzdolly
Gel-tones
Geraldine Fibbers^[18]
GG Allin^[19] The first three songs on Insult & Injury Volume 2: The Bloody Years were recorded at O'Cayz Corral 8/7/86; however these songs were later attributed by GG Allin in another release as being 11/14/86. Teacher's Pet was released again on YouTube in 2023
Glass Eye
God and Texas
God Bullies
The Gomers
Government Issue
Green
Green Day (Note: There are many media citations but no actual evidence of any show or even a date)
Guzzard
Half Japanese
Hammerhead
Hand Over Head
Helios Creed
Helmet
Hole
Homo Erectus
The Honeymoon Killers The Honeymoon Killers Live! was recorded at O'Cayz and CBGB's. It was released in 1991 as a 7" on Munster Records
Horny Genius
House of Large Sizes
Hum Machine
Hüsker Dü
Idaho
Imminent Attack
Impaler
The Infants
Inspector 12
Iowa Beef Experience
Ivory Library
The Jayhawks
The Jazz Butcher
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
The Jesus Lizard^[20]
Joan Wildman Trio Under The Silver Globe cassette was self released in 1989
Johnny Thunders of New York Dolls
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jonathan Fire*Eater
Jonathan Richman
Killbilly
Killdozer Available on YouTube: 10/6/89
The Kissers On a Monday Night live CD released in 2001 on the Skeptic Rock label after the club burned down.
Kyuss
Ladybeard
L.A. Guns^[21]
Lemon Debby
L7 The She Devils CD on Bullseye Records was a bootleg of the July 1, 1992 show; released the same year. L7's Suzi Gardner brought her red mid '50s Fender Stratocaster with gold hardware to Smart Studios to record their breakout album Bricks Are Heavy, and then brought it to their O'Cayz show afterwards in December 1991. It floated around the club unclaimed for weeks. By the time the band realized the guitar had been left behind it had disappeared. It was never recovered.
Last Crack
Laughing Hyenas
Legendary Pink Dots
Less Than Jake 'The "Less Than Jake / Boris The Sprinkler / Sonic Dolls / Mulligan Stu compilation of the same bands were all recorded 10/6/96 and released on 8" flexi-disc the same year by Rhetoric Records and Fueled By Ramen
Letters to Cleo
Libido Boyz
Life Sentence
Little Blue Crunchy Things
Live Skull^[22]
Living Colour
Loomis Available on YouTube: (Date Unknown)
Love Battery
Lunachicks
Lyres
Magic Slim and the Teardrops
Man Clam Chow
M.I.A.
Mad Trucker Gone Mad
Madder Rose
The Magnolias
Man or Astro-man?
Martini Gunmen
Material Issue
Meat Puppets^[23]
Mecht Mense
Megaloden
The Mekons
Melt Banana
The Melvins
The Mentors
Mickey Finn
Mike Watt
Moe Tucker
Mojo Nixon
Mondo Generator^[24]
Monks of Doom^[25] One of their O'Cayz Corral shows was released on cassette by Static Attack Records in 1993.
Mount Shasta ^[26]
Moving Targets
Mudhoney^[27]
Mud Wimin^[28]
Muscle Car
Naked Aggression The You Can't Get Me Down/Keep Your Eyes Open 1992 CD on Broken Rekids included four songs recorded live at O'Cayz Corral in May 1992 by Ken Udell. The multitrack recordings were never remixed because the band lost Udell's contact information. Instead they used a live cassette mix down and dubbed it to digital. The CD was re-issued as a cassette on Pop Noise in 1996. In 1998 the band released the Naked Regression CD on Broken Rekids including the same four songs as well as other songs recorded live between 1991 and 1994.
Naked Prey
Naked Raygun
Nashville Pussy
Natural Cause
Nautical Almanac
Nebula^[29]
Negative Trend
Neurosis
New Bomb Turks^[30]
New Duncan Imperials
Nimrod 1992 video of Nimrod with Queen of Noise/erotic actress Mayuko Hino released on YouTube: Part One, Part Two, Part Three
Nine Pound Hammer
Nirvana
Nitro
Nomeansno
Nova Mob
Old Skull^[31]
The Other Kids Video available on YouTube: 1987
Overkill^[32]
Pachinko When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Dirty was recorded at O'Cayz Corral with producer Ken Udell and became the band's debut release on Bovine Records as a 7" EP in 1992. However, the recording was made in the venue during the day, not during an evening show.
Pansy Division^[33]
Phantom Tollbooth
Phil Gnarley and the Tough Guys
Plasticland
Playhouse
Poi Dog Pondering
Poopshovel
Pop Defect
Possum Dixon
Poster Children^[34]
Pound WI ^[35]
Powerwagon
Primus
Psychedelicasi
Queens of The Stone Age^[36] Available on YouTube: Video of You Can't Quit Me Baby 2/5/99 Audio of entire show 2/6/99
Rapeman
Railroad Jerk
Rain Parade
The Reivers
The Replacements
Resin
The Reverend Horton Heat
Richmond Fontaine Whiskey, Painkillers & Speed (Live On The Road) included the songs Madison and Made To Be Broken (a Soul Asylum cover), recorded 10/23/99 and released in 2001
Rifle Sport
Ritual Device
Rockadiles, The
Rollins Band
The Rousers
Roger Miller (from Mission of Burma)
Royal Crescent Mob
Ruins
Run Westy Run
Rusty Crayfish
Salem 66
Savage Republic
Sevendust^[37]
Scissor Girls
Scratch Acid
Scream
Screaming Trees^[38]
Screwtractor
Season to Risk
Seaweed^[39]
The Sequentials
Severin
Shiv
Shockabilly
Shorty
Silkworm
Silverfish
Skatenigs
Skeleton Key
Skin Yard
Skrew
Sleater-Kinney^[40]
Slint Available on YouTube: 8/8/89
The Slow Pedestrians
Sludgeplow
The Smashing Pumpkins^[41] The Rubano Tapes Vol. 1 and The Rubano Tapes Vol. 2 included a total of 5 songs reportedly recorded 1/5/90, 1/30/90 and 3/30/90. In any case, they were released in 2022 on Martha's Music as two sets of double vinyl LPs. More songs are available on YouTube: 3/30/90
Snakefinger
Sometime Sweet Susan
Son Volt^[42]
Soul Asylum
Soundgarden
Southern Culture On The Skids
Space Streakings^[43]
Sparklehorse
Spooner
Steel Pole Bath Tub Recorded by Ken Udell and released on his Static Attack label. A couple songs are also found on the NOISIA-VISION label that were then bootlegged onto a cd that played at High Noon Saloon.
Sugar Shock
Superchunk
The Super Suckers
Surgery
Swamp Thing Available on YouTube: Video Rubber Bands 6/29/92
Tad
Tate's Blues Jam Available on YouTube: Heartstruck Blues
Tar
Tar Babies
Tav Falco
Tension Effect
The Three Amigos
Thelonious Monster
The Tragically Hip
Thee Hypnotics
Thin White Rope
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Thug
Timbuk3
Tiny Lights
Today is the Day^[44] Blue Bloods was recorded at O'Cayz in 1998 and released on the Rage of Achilles label in 2002 on CD and LP
Tool and Die
Tortoise
Tribe 8
True Believers
Twist of Fate
Turbonegro
U.K. Subs
U.S. Maple
U-Men
Unsane
Urban Myth
Urge Overkill
Vampire Lezbos
The Veldt
Venison
Violent Femmes
Voivod^[45]
The Vulgar Boatmen
Walt Mink^[46]
The Waterdogs
The Weeds (WI)
Ween
Wesley Willis
White Available on YouTube: King Fat Sept 1993
The White Sisters
The White Stripes^[47] Video available on YouTube: Dec 2000
White Zombie
Wild Kingdom
The Willies
Willie Wisely The song Go was recorded and is available on YouTube
The Windbreakers
The Woggles^[48]
The Young Fresh Fellows
Xerobot
XXX
Yo La Tengo
Zeni Geva^[49] Three songs digitally recorded 8/9/92 were included on Live In Amerika, a 1993 CD/LP on Nux Organization.

References

43.076°N -89.3768°W

O'Cayz Corral explained

History

Location

Featured artists

References

Notes and References