06/05/2026
We want to take a moment to pay tribute to the legend who played a crucial role in shaping San Francisco as a music and nightlife capital of the world. Ira Sandler was taken from us on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. As the owner and creator of 1015 Folsom for just shy of 40 years, Ira was the force behind all those incredible shows where you scanned the flyer, and before you could get to the bottom, you'd be able to bet money it was probably at 1015. From Tiësto to Clams Casino, Madonna, Giorgio Moroder, Doc Martin, Anderson Paak, Joy Orbison, Moodymann, Justice, Carl Cox, among many, many others, these offer a glimpse of the institution Ira devised and delivered. And how could we forget about all of the local DJs and producers who played their biggest show to date, skipping a 200-person crowd to over 2,000.
Ira was a neighbor, a dear friend, mentor, and supporter of f8. Behind the scenes, he was a phone call away from a collaboration or a constructive solution. Of course, this support wasn't limited to us. Ira extended his help across many of the musical endeavors the city has to offer. It's extremely rare to find independently owned nightclubs that aren't owned by the same three or four corporations. Ira never gave into the pressure and went in head first to deliver his mission, creating a space "to reaffirm what was the most important thing in life: just connecting and letting yourself go to the music" (SF Weekly, 2019). To Ira, exposing the city to emerging artists and new renditions of sub genres was more important than always netting a profit.
Thank you, friend. Words will never do your legacy justice, but we can try, and most importantly, we will always remember.
“We don’t put oxygen in the air like Las Vegas,” Sandler says of patrons’ palpable excitement. “We take them on a thrill ride of their lives” (SF Weekly, 2019).
Rest in peace.
📸 Select photos by Leslie Hotchkiss
