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This Godfather of California’s Punk Scene Founded Goldenvoice Before Going to Prison For Smuggling Weed

In the early 80s, Gary Tovar named Goldenvoice after he smoked a strain of Thai weed. He threw the biggest punk shows in the country, filling up spaces like The Grand Olympic Auditorium with 5,000 punks. Decades later, Tovar still plays a part by consulting and helping to formulate some of the biggest punk shows today.

12:16 PM PDT on June 6, 2024

Photo via Gary Tovar/Facebook.

Photo via Gary Tovar/Facebook.

One day in 1981, Gary Tovar was standing on a veranda in Santa Barbara's Riviera neighborhood and had a thought that changed his life, as well as the trajectory of the punk rock scene in California.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna shake this town up,'" Tovar tells L.A. TACO over the phone. "'This town needs a good shaking up. This town needs some action.'"

Tovar had been itching to do something with punk rock after watching the Sex Pistols in 1978, but the idea eluded him for years. Then, on December 4, 1981, the Huntington Beach native shook the town of Santa Barbara—where he lived at the time—by throwing a punk rock show at Casa de la Raza featuring T.S.O.L., Shattered Faith, and Rhino 39.