Lenny Kaye with Patti Smith at E2NY 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

The Continental, which no longer hosts shows, but is still a bar located on 25 3rd Ave in Manhattan, is hosting their Annual Reunion this Sunday (1/15). The lineup includes The Waldos (with Walter lure), Lenny Kaye (of Patti Smith Group), CJ Ramone, Murphy's Law (who are headlining the afternoon matinee portion), Electric Frankenstein, The Independents, Heap, and more. The full lineup with set times is listed below...

Continue reading "Continental reunion show this Sunday"

"One top-floor resident said he was fixing a window in his apartment about 5:30 p.m. when he looked outside and saw people on the sidewalk pointing toward the roof.

The man, who identified himself only as a bar owner named Trigger, said he ran out into the hall and saw the doorway leading to the roof consumed by flames. There are about four other apartments on the top floor.

"I was pounding on the doors," he said. "I don't know what I lost, but I'm just happy to be alive."" [NY TIMES]

Continue reading "Trigger (and everyone) safe after East Village fire"

"The city cracks down on things, just to give bars fines--that's what kills the new businesses," said Joi Brozek, former co-owner of the Lucky Cat rock club in Williamsburg. "If you're barely making rent and then you're slapped with a $1,500 fine, you're almost doomed to fail, especially when you're dealing with music because then everyone comes out of the fucking cracks like cockroaches."....

...."The reality of it is, live music isn't much of a moneymaker," she said. "If it was up to me, and somebody said, 'What would be your ideal business?' I would say, a straight-up bar, and that's it, because, really, live music is a ton of headaches." [The NY Observer]

HR & JESSE MALIN @ CONTINENTAL, NYC | SEPT 14, 2006 (CRED & MORE)

The above photo is HR of Bad Brains playing with Jesse Malin at the Continental's 4th-to-last show ever (Thursday, September 14th, 2006). Jesse came back on Friday the 15th to play with Trigger too. Carla wrote in...

the show Friday was great. it was fucking packed! we were there till close to the end- we missed the last band. It was pretty cool because there's this whole crew of rock bands (Drag Citizen, Honor Among Thieves, Banana Fish Zero, Joker Five Speed, Slunt, the Sex Slaves) that used to play together all the time at the Continental, Rock Candy at Don Hills, Trash, etc. and it was really nice for a lot of them to get together at the Continental one last time. There's still really a cool community of hard rockers in this town-- pretty much under the radar, but it's still going on. Trigger played with a bunch of guys form the bar (Bingo the door guy on bass and this dude Joe) and Jesse Malin. They were great. Appropriately, they played I Wanna be sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop. I took some pictures that didn't come out because someone was throwing beer in the crowd. It was dirty, loud, and smelly-- the de rigueur Continental experience.

Murphy's Law played there on the 16th. Were you there on the 17th (the final night)? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

----

HR will be rejoining Bad Brains for two CBGB gigs in October. Jesse Malin is playing two shows at the Living Room during CMJ.

Murphy's Law @ Continental - September 16, 2006
by Klaus Kinski

The Continental's second to last show ever was as close to the early 90's hardcore shows I used to go as you can get. Having taken down all of the famous framed pictures and other decorations that used to be present and also having removed all of those clumsy booths, the Continental was transformed into a dingy hardocre venue of days long gone. What also authenticized the atmosphere was the complete lack of air conditioning and the fact that the guys at the door completely overfilled the place with chain smoking skinheads, punks, Hells Angels, and college kids. The heat, claustrophobia and second hand smoke made me wonder how I ever did this weekend after weekend when I was a wee bit younger.

Continue reading "Murphy's Law - The Continental's Second to Last Show (review)"

Its either the horrible weather, or just general exhaustion that keeps me missing so many shows I mean to go to lately. One such show was "Jesse Malin (who just announced a new album) + special guests" last night at Continental. Were you there? If so, wWhat happened? I just found this:

...jesse was awesome, his keyboard player / harmony vocalist rocks. we saw a bit of his d generation bandmate's set, and saw one song with a guy from bad brains, but we got tired and took off... i'm sure the show went till 3am with tons of special-er guests..." [Myspace Blog]

And speaking of extinct clubs and Bad Brains, this is coming to CD and DVD:

Bad Brains – Live CBGB 1982 displays why Bad Brains became one of the most important bands in the history of American Hardcore. On Christmas Eve 1982, Bad Brains began their three-day stint at a Hardcore Festival hosted by legendary CBGB. This DVD represents the very best of these shows, culled from over 4 hours of footage. Their live performances were legendary, their visual recordings were impossible to find. Now, for the first time on DVD, that powerful performance is revisited in extraordinary fashion.

There's a $3.00 screening at at Southpaw in Brooklyn on Tuesday, September 19th at 9pm. There's a preview clip on YouTube. All screenings everywhere, and more CD/DVD info, below....

Continue reading "Jesse Malin & "a guy from bad brains" @ Continental + 'Live at CBGB 1982' Screenings"

15 AMAZING YEARS!!! THANKS TO MY STAFF, THE BANDS, AND ALL OF
YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET.

YOU'RE ON THE LIST PLUS 1.
THANK YOU, TRIGGER

THIS WEEK'S VOICE

The last four nights of shows at Continental are upon us. Richard Bienstock, whose band Drag Citizen is playing there Friday night, wrote an article called "Downer at the Rock and Roll Club" for the Village Voice.

But the act whose history is perhaps most intertwined with that of the Continental's is the now defunct glam-punk outfit D Generation.

"We signed our record deal with EMI in the Continental's bathrooms," says the band's former singer, Jesse Malin, who was also a partner in the late Coney Island High on St. Marks Place and is currently co-owner of the Avenue A bar Niagara. "Television had CBGB, and the Velvet Underground had Max's, but for my little punk rock group it was this room on the corner of Third Avenue. It was our home, and it's where we made our name."

TONIGHT'S LINEUP - Thursday, September 14
Jesse Malin (w/ Special Guests)
Richard Bacchus (ex D-Generation
DJ Howie Pyro (ex D-Generation)
A.P.P.L.E. (reunion show)
+ REALLY SPECIAL GUESTS

Hmmm, that's three of the five original D-Generation members explicitly listed right on the bill. "Special guests" are listed twice. One of them is "Really". Strangely/sadly/obviously (depending on how you look at it) tickets are still available. Enquiring minds will also want to know:

** Jesse Malin also played bass for a time with the NYC punk band A.P.P.L.E., who as you can see above, are also on the evening's bill. It'll be their A.P.P.L.E.'s first gig in 18 years. Their second one will be opening for Agent Orange and Reagan Youth at CBGB later this month.

** Original D-Generation guitarist and New Yorker Georgie Seville (he was replaced by Danny Sage) is doing well as part-owner of the Motherf*cker franchine along with Johnny T, Justine D, and Michael T.

** Jesse's friend Ryan Adams is often his "special guest" (not a reason to go to this show though - just a possible bonus).

** Jesse is also playing Tuesday at the Union Square Barnes & Noble

The rest of the schedule.....

Friday, September 15
1:30 NEUF NEUF NINE
12:45 BANANA FISH ZERO (reunion)
12:15 TRIGGER’S ALL STARS
11:30 PRINCE HAL’S NEW BAND THE RABBITS
10:45 DEEK JENKINS
10 HONOR AMONG THIEVES
9:15 DRAG CITIZEN

Saturday, September 16
12 MURPHY’S LAW
11 TWO MAN ADVANTAGE
10:15 TURBO AC’S
9:30 SUICIDE KING
8:45 THREADS
8 THE BASICKS
7:15 GUNS ON THE RUN

Sunday, September 17 (THE LAST NIGHT)
11 CJ RAMONE AND DANIEL REY PLAYING A FULL RAMONES SET w/ WALTER LURE and more
10 HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA’S BAND (The almost-Dictators reunion)
9 LENNY KAYE AND FRIENDS
8 THE BULLYS
7:15 CHARM SCHOOL

Tickets are actually still on sale for all four shows.

So Trigger will now try to court a different crowd. In mid October, he will relaunch the Continental as a dive bar. He'll retain the name and most of the staff, but the stage will be ripped out and replaced by extra seating and a flat-screen television showing "the Yankees, Knicks, and old kung fu movies." Draft beer taps will be installed behind the bar, and the downstairs greenroom—his favorite spot in the club—will get a pool table. "But I'm not going to touch a sticker or piece of graffiti in there, because of all the memories and history and energy," he says. "So hopefully when the bands come back to drink they'll be happy to see the place where they spent so many hours tuning their instruments and passing out to be more or less intact." [also from the Voice]

Previously
almost-all-THE DICTATORS reunion @ CBGB & Continental
Continental adds their real last show PLUS Lenny Kaye @ CBGB
Trigger Presents: last 3 shows @ Continental - On Sale
The last 3 days @ Continental (schedule) | Help George Tabb
Jesse Malin playing third to last show @ Continental | Tix
Murphy's Law playing last show EVER at the Continental
Last Continental show now September 16th
Continental to close on August 26th?
The Continental will stop having live music

"Former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss will help 'close down' two legendary New York City venues this fall. For two special shows fans will get to see an almost-all-THE DICTATORS reunion (and/or MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM) with living legends:

Handsome Dick Manitoba (THE DICTATORS, MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM)
Ross The Boss (THE DICTATORS, MANOWAR, MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM, THUNDERBOSS)
JP Thunderbolt Patterson (THE DICTATORS, MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM, THUNDERBOSS)
Dean Rispler (MURPHY'S LAW, THUNDERBOSS)

THE DATES
Sep. 17 - New York City, NY @ The Continental (the last show ever)
Oct. 06 - New York City, NY @ CBGB (the last show we know about @ CBGB as of this post)

(via Blabbermouth)

UNCLE MONK

The last surviving founding member of the Ramones Tommy Ramone plays bluegrass with Claudia Tienan of the Simplistics. They call themselves Uncle Monk.

The Continental changed their mind about Murphy's Law playing the last show ever at the club. Tickets are now on sale for THE REAL LAST SHOW ("this is it!") on September 17. 2006. Its "a full Ramones set" by Ramones producer Daniel Rey, Ramones bassist (1989-1996) CJ Ramone, Radio host and lead singer of the The Dictators Handsome Dick Manitoba (also own's Manitoba's bar), Walter Lure (Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers), and Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith group). No Tommy Ramone at this one, but then again it does say "special guests". (thx Klaus)

The lineup for the night of September 17th at CBGB has yet to be announced, but speaking of Lenny Kaye - he'll be the special guest at CBGB's Gallery on September 8th. He goes on at 10pm after Carla Rhodes. Mad Juana are on at midnight.

Previously
Trigger Presents: last 3 shows @ Continental - On Sale
Lenny Kaye | You Call it Madness | Mo Pitkens
Lee "Scratch" Perry playing CBGB | tix
Reagan Youth also playing George Tabb benefit @ CBGB's Lounge
The final CBGB (downstairs lounge) Lineup
Reagan Youth playing CBGB with Agent Orange | tix
Hatebreed playing CBGB | free ticket with CD
Fishbone playing CBGB | 2006 Tour Dates

Tickets are now on sale for the last three shows at Continental.

9/11 MADE GEORGE TABB SICK (MORE INFO)

Of course it's cool to close your venue with friends, and I'm sure there will be plenty of guest appearances, but the now-official lineup for Continental's last three days (of shows) just seems pretty boring. Jesse Malin and Murphy's Law play NYC all the time. Banana Fish Zero broke up in 2005....

September 2006 @ CONTINENTAL
13 - ??
14 - Jesse Malin plus special guests
15 - Banana Fish Zero (REUNION), Prince Hal's new band The Rabbits, Derek Jenkins
16 - Murphy's Law, Two Man Advantage, Suicide King

ALSO: There's a benefit for George Tabb (Furious George) at Continental on August 20th. There was one at CBGB on July 15th.

As previously reported, Murphy's Law are playing the final Continental show ever on September 16, 2006 (with Two Man Advantage and others TBA). Jesse Malin ("featuring special guests") is playing on September 14th. Tickets are on sale.

Previously
Ryan Adams joined Jesse Malin on stage at Merc
Jesse Malin vs. Irving Plaza, NYC | pics
Jesse Malin, Ryan Adams & Friends @ Irving Plaza, NYC | pics
Last Continental show now September 16th
The Continental will stop having live music

Continental's last live show has been pushed from August 26, 2006 to September 16, 2006. Murphy's Law are still playing.

Murphy's Law is playing the last live show ever at the Continental on August 26, 2006 (they're also playing there on March 17th). I'm not sure if the last show is just the last show, or the end of the whole club. Also not sure who else is going to be on that bill.

Previously
Murphy's Law - A 3 Hour Tour

I previously reported the Continental was stopping live shows. The rumor now says they'll close completely on August 26th - two months before CBGB even.

Get Underground reports, "...CBGB’s less famous counterpart only a few blocks up the street, The Continental, has let it be known that it will no longer be hosting live music and will become a regular bar with a big screen TV. The Continental hosted some of the best punk rock music ever. It’s where Joey Ramone partied and where Murphy’s Law can be counted on to ring in the New Year and St. Patrick’s Day.....I recently ran into the Continental’s owner, Trigger, at Manitoba’s on Ave. B. 'It breaks my heart, but I’ll be able to pay my rent easier,' he said. He added that when he first opened the club 15 years ago, the East Village was still the East Village. Now I’m surrounded by McDonald’s and Starbucks and K-Mart and I’m paying that level rent.'..."

Catch one more show at The Continental. Check out their schedule.

RIP CBGB
RIP CONTINENTAL
RIP 2ND AVE DELI (not that I could eat anything there)

On a related note, CBGB is supposedly/obviously planning a series of farewell shows leading up to the October 31st closing date.

"...When we entered the Magik Markers were playing - holy shit do they suck. Complete rubbish. My theory is that these are super scenesters that are trying to be avant-garde or some bullshit. This band plays Manhattan alot and people go to see them... I have no idea why. After a few songs(?) they finally stopped. The 45-minute set-up for the Germs followed.... [More pics and review @ Brooklyn Ski Club]

* Get 2 MP3s @ BSC Too

Previously
The Germs & X Reunions, a movie & Juliana Hatfield