the latest from cbgb:

Subject: We're not dead yet
Body:

"Our lease expired but we're not going anywhere.
Our landlord has refused to negotiate a new lease with us and has mislead the media suggesting we have not paid our rent. Perhaps our landlord did not read the court ruling where it was not only shown that we do not owe any back rent, but that the landlord may have intentionally acted improperly in the way they billed us.

Our landlord says we take money from the homeless. The rent we pay actually pays the rent for the entire building, our space and theirs. The city pays them millions each year to run their homeless outreach programs. They have a surplus of money. We are taking nothing from them.

We owe no money.
We have no violations.
The neighborhood wants us to stay.
Over 50,000 signed petitioners want us to stay.
The city council wants us to stay.
The mayor wants us to stay.
So why does the landlord want us out?

We will fight this in court.

The show will go on."

whatever
cbgb was a great place..years ago...the same bands play there over and over...and they say its the best place for upcoming bands..bullshit..if you are from the area and don't bring enough drinking buddies to audition night they don't care about you...fuck cbgbs...the rally was shit..pointless, horrible, poorly run, and full of crappy bands.who cares about public enemy?
and what is the deal with punk...how can all these "punk" bands claim the ramones influenced them? i refuse to believe a bubblegum punk band like the ramones influenced a shitty wanna be tough "hardcore" band...good charlotte is more of a punk band than the rest of these wanna bes.
let cbgbs die.
there are only so many times the same shitty bands can play there.
yeah they ran some good benefit shows...but most of the bands just played for the media attention..even if cbgbs stays open its not like you are going to be seeing the offspring play there again.
just let it die before it gets worse and our memories get tainted even more.

Yes, yes, please let CB's die already. All this time and energy should be going in to Katrina relief efforts.

poor timing for sure, but for the record, Public Enemy especially talked about the Hurricane.

I dont feel like I've seen much attention brought to the fact that cbgb's is being evicted to benefit a homeless shelter. No matter how cool these gorilla biscuits and public enemy reunions are... how can you argue this? the "power" being fought here is a charity!

but the fact is also that they were one off shows.
its not like the bands will keep playing there.
from going to some of the benefits and going to cbs over the years and the rally..i don't think hilly even wants it open still..thats why he doesn't want to relocate..he isn't even speaking up that much..
if it wasn't for little steven being annoying the place could have gone in peace..
but now its this big anti-climactic pointless effort

All you tepid wussies need to get a spine and learn how to stand up for things.

We should start a campaign to boycott the sponsors of the BRC. If the BRC can't afford to do business in lower manhattan, then maybe it's a sign it's time for them to move.

its not about being a wuss..its about being willing to fight for something that is actually worth it.
and there are plenty of places for bands to still play if cbgbs closes down.
arlene's piano's sin-e...continental..if people are going to complain they can't get shows at these places its just because they suck too much to deserve it..cbs will let anyone play as long as they have enough buddies who drink..plain and simple.

What crazy tenant would want to spend 40,000 a month to be next to a homeless shelter?! SAY NO TO THE BRC!

if you are going to boycott the people that provide money for the BRC you in fact will need to boycot cbgbs..and also your jobs since your tax money goes there.

That's not true, the BRC has a list of donors that keep them plush w/ money:

$150,000 Plus
Citigroup Foundation
Seedco

$100,000 - $149,999
Altman Foundation
The Starr Foundation

$50,000 - $99,999
American Express Foundation
Booth Ferris Foundation
Frances L. & Edwin L. Cummings
Memorial Fund
New York Community Trust
Isaac H. Tuttle Fund
van Ameringen Foundation

$25,000 - $49,999
Anonymous
Independence Community
Foundation
JP Morgan Chase Foundation
United Way of NYC

$10,000 - $24,999
Lily Auchincloss Foundation
Rose M. Badgeley Trust
Corporation for Supportive
Housing
Jean and Louis Dreyfus
Foundation
Max and Victoria Dreyfus
Foundation
The Hyde & Watson Foundation
Mizuho USA Foundation
New York Times Company
Foundation
Richard Salomon Family
Foundation
Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels
Foundation
TIAA-CREF
Verizon Foundation

$1,000 - $9,999
Altria Employee Fund
Anonymous (2)
Edith C. Blum Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of
New York
Kenneth Cole Foundation
The Cowles Charitable Trust
Fischer Enterprises Inc.
FJC – A Foundation of Donor Advised Funds
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and
Jacobson LLP
Jewish Communal Fund
Law and Order
Levine Family Fund
Page and Otto Marx Foundation
Metzger-Price Fund
Mouse King Foundation
Mufson Family Foundation
Mulligan Security Corporation
NYU Community Fund
The Overbrook Foundation
The Christopher D. Smithers
Foundation
Turner Construction Company
Aber D. Unger Foundation

To $999
FM Rocks Production Agency
Kings Tribeca Pharmacy
Loyola School
New Vision Program
Newsweek Matching Gift
Program
Thacher Associates
Trustcompany Bank of
New Jersey
UBS Matching Gift Program
Warner Brothers

haha ok i wanna see you guys boycott all of that
but what i was saying was they also get money from cbs and taxes..
sooo good luck doing it without being a hypocrite

wise up..punks dead...get the fuck over it

it is incredibly expensive to run a non-profit, especially one that provides social services. The BRC is lucky to own a building, an entreprenurial venture that can be used to run their organization when the their donors die. People like the ones who are complaining about the the BRC "screwing" over a man who makes quite a bit of money licensing the CBGB brand to mall stores such as Hot Topic so that the suburban midwest kids can own a piece of "punk rock" are not future donors. Why does the owner of CBGBs deserve a rent break, why the complaints re: a non-profit dedicated to helping the homeless charging "market" rent? CBGB's is not relevant anymore other than as a destination for tourists to buy a $7 beer and say they have been there.

Whoever made that comment is a stupid idiot. That's like saying Ellis Island is irrelevant because it's just for tourists. Or old people are irrelevant because all they do is sit there. Someone should push you into traffic.

And again... 40,000 isn't market value for a space next to a stinking homeless shelter. Can you imagine a sidewalk cafe there? A side of AIDS with every sandwich.

BV, delete this trolls shit. and my response to it. AIDS sandwich? that's just foul.

CBGBs is on the way out, and Kristal is playing the meda perfectly to get his brand name out there before it's all over. Cool benefit concerts though.