this image will soon only exist in pictures (and Seinfeld)...

The NY Times reports:

Bleecker Bob's will close its store at 118 West Third Street at the end of April, according to a manager, Chris Wiedener.

"It's kind of disappointing," said Giancarlo Caccamo, 19, a customer at Bleecker Bob's on Thursday evening, upon learning the news. The vinyl records that pack the wooden bins and milk crates in the cluttered, narrow space are an increasingly endangered species, said Mr. Caccamo, who was in search of a record by Mott the Hoople.

The store's closing seemed to sound a death knell for vinyl itself. "I just love the warm fuzz that you get," he said. "There's nothing like that sound."

Javier Medina, 43, who began shopping at Bleecker Bob's in the 1970s and has worked there as a salesman for the last decade, was more concerned about the loss of a piece of history. "This place should be a landmark," he said while chatting with Gary Rookard, 53, who sells glass pipes on a table outside. "Everybody in the world knows it."

BUT NOTE, despite what you may have heard, the NY Times posted an update to their story that reads "While a manager at Bleecker Bob's said it would become a Starbucks, the company says it will not open a store there."

Watch the Beastie Boys video "Open Letter to NY" (Bob's shoutout included), below...

Continue reading "Bleeker Bob's closing (but not becoming a Starbucks)"

HIGHLIGHTS:
* 158 Bleecker btwn Thompson & Sullivan in Greenwich Village
* 800-capacity flexible performance space (250 seated)
* 130-capacity attached, soundproof lounge bar
* 28' x 21' fixed corner stage w/ various staging additions
* 16' dia. portable, trundled round stage
* acoustic engineering by John Storyk/WSDG (Electric Lady Studios, etc)
* 2 cinema-sized screens with Meyer 5.1 Surround Sound
* 23' dia. hardwood sprung dance floor
* 9' Concert Grand piano
* 2 elevated VIP Opera Boxes and 2 private entrances
* full catering kitchen, concert bar menu, and daytime lounge menu
* restrooms in 2 areas at opposite ends of the venue
* furnished green room with en suite bathroom, shower & tour office

(LE) POISSON ROUGE, the awkwardly named new 800-capacity music venue ("multimedia art cabaret") opening where The Village Gate used to be in the West Village has revealed their floor plan. Click HERE for a larger version.

They've also revealed their initial schedule. Damon & Naomi, Baby Dee, Bill Frisell, Doveman, Nico Muhly, Samamidon, and Matmos all have shows coming up there. Tickets are on sale.

"The adjoining lounge will be open during the day as a café, and at night as a secondary bar and event space." The full June schedule is also pasted below....

Continue reading "(Le) Poisson Rouge - new venue's floor plan, initial schedule "

The Village Gate, the historic Bleecker Street club, will reopen next spring. Art D’Lugoff debuted the club in the fifties and closed it in 1993; since then, it’s been leased to tenants. Now, new owners have taken over the space and, with D’Lugoff’s blessing, will revive it as an 800-seat venue called Le Poisson Rouge. (The iconic VILLAGE GATE sign will remain.) “I’m very eager to come back to the Village,” D’Lugoff says. “These kids have got good taste; they’re the right type of people to do what I started years ago—the whole schmear: folk, jazz, blues, everything.” Programmer Ronen Givony, who made his name with the Wordless Music Series, which presents different genres of music on the same bill, wants to do the same thing here. “Everywhere you go, you see an indie-rock band with two or three identical indie-rock bands opening for them,” he says. He plans to offer “African guitar with string quartet one night, a rock band the next.” D’Lugoff likes the sound of that. “This is intelligent stuff,” he says. “It’s not a schlock joint.” [NY Mag]

In other West Village venue news, The Lion's Den was recently renamed Sullivan Hall.

Founded in 1967 by Patrick Kenny, Kenny’s Castaways was a haven for new and up and coming local bands to showcase their songs. From the New York Dolls residency to the debut of a singer named Bruce Springsteen (with the E Street Band) in 1973, Kenny’s Castaways has held it’s own for more than 40 years, alongside CBGB as a downtown staple for groundbreaking bands. Past performers who have graced the stage there include Aerosmith, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, The Smithereens, Phish, Professor Longhair and the list goes on and on….. Kenny’s is still presenting live shows every night of the week and in this day and age where live venues come and go, it’s nice to see that this treasure on Bleecker Street is still on the map and continues to be….

On September 28th & 29th, Kenny’s will begin a celebration of 40 years in music, presented by Maria and Tommy Kenny, in memory of their father. Then again on October 4th, 5th and 6th… There will be more anniversary shows added in November (details forthcoming). Known for it’s all star late night jams, Kenny’s will open and close the event with a variety of musicians, old and new, getting together to bring back the traditional Village atmosphere. The Bleecker Street music scene was the key to opening doors for a variety of live venues over the years and Kenny’s is one of the landmarks that continues on as a great live venue, lasting more than four decades. Kenny’s is the real school of rock!

Continued below....

Continue reading "Kenny's Castaways 40th Anniversary"