« Steve Earle - 2008 Tour Dates, Judson Church, presale | Main | final call for 200 guitarists »
Posted in music | venues on June 12, 2008
Lach stepping down from the Sidewalk Cafe

Antifolk founder Lach steps down from the Sidewalk Cafe after 15 years!The final Antihoot will be held on June 30th!
Lach himself will be performing a full set at Sidewalk Cafe on June 28th at 10pm!
In a surprising move, Antifolk founder Lach will be leaving his long-standing position as manager/booker of the Sidewalk Cafe (94 Avenue A, NYC, 212-473-7373) and host of one of the city's longest-running shows, the Antihoot. Lach led the the open mic known as the Antihoot for 15 years, and it was at the Sidewalk Cafe that he nurtured such acts as the Moldy Peaches, Regina Spektor, and Nellie Mckay. Lach is moving on to pursue other musical options, particularly supporting his newest LP, The Calm Before, in the wake of Antifolk's astonishing recent success (Juno, Adam Green, Regina Spektor). The Calm Before is his finest release to date: it's heartfelt, intelligent, good-humored, and expertly constructed songwriting played with the irreverent attitude that has become the hallmark of the Antifolk aesthetic.
Lach will be performing a full set on June 28th at the Sidewalk Cafe at 10pm and hosting the final Antihoot on June 30th.
In 1983, a club booker at Folk City, located in Greenwich Village, turned down Lach, a young singer songwriter. His reason? Lach's style of folk was too punk. Lach then opened up his own club on the Lower East Side called the Fort; which hosted its first event the same week as the New York Folk Festival. His event was called the New York Antifolk Festival, which is still held annually at the aforementioned Sidewalk Cafe.
Lach is credited with coining the phrase 'Antifolk', which has served as a launching pad for musicians like Beck, Michelle Shocked, the Moldy Peaches, and Regina Spektor. His music is influenced by his conflicting love of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, versus his love of The Jam, Sex Pistols, and The Clash. He has released five albums in twenty years, each one receiving rave reviews from everywhere from Billboard to Mojo to the NY Times.
Posted on June 12, 2008 1:29 PM
Leave a comment
Powered by Ajax Comments
« Steve Earle - 2008 Tour Dates, Judson Church, presale | Main | final call for 200 guitarists »
Comments (9)
sidewalk cafe has roaches in the kitchen
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2008 1:33 PM
so does every other estaurant in new york
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2008 1:41 PM
i love lach because i love adam green
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2008 2:05 PM
He's a great guy. He spoke at my college back in 2002 and he ended up guesting on my late night radio show...it turned into a 4 hour shift with him playing many of his songs and some covers.
Wish I still had the tape of it.
Posted by D.D.D.Dave | June 12, 2008 3:39 PM
June 28th is a good night
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2008 4:09 PM
good riddance to 2 of the the lamest ass attributes of NYC music: 'antifolk' and 'antihoot' - best wishes-------------SIDEWALK SUCKS
Posted by passiveagressor | June 12, 2008 4:40 PM
Harsh. I for one will be sad to see him go.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2008 9:36 PM
Lach has been a curious character all these years, for sure. By turns, and for no apparent reason, he could one day be your biggest champion and on the next, treat you like dirt. There was no predicting his mood, his values or his behavior, as one moment he could be kind and humble, and the next, sarcastic, egocentric and cutting.
One thing is for certain: the scene he created cultivated a lot of songwriters in an environment that was always supportive, and more often than not, just downright fun.
It's the end of an era, for sure.
Posted by anonymous | June 26, 2008 6:11 PM
I used to play at Sophie's on 5th street ~1986 or so
. Many happy memories there. Good luck Lach!
Posted by Anonymous | September 17, 2008 5:00 PM