"While groups such as the Strokes and the White Stripes get most of the credit for spearheading the garage rock revival movement of the early 21st century, there were several similarly styled bands of the mid- to late- '90s that preceded the aforementioned acts (with far less commercial success and press), such as D Generation. Formed during 1991 in New York City, the band automatically turned a blind eye towards the burgeoning Seattle movement, as their look and sound was straight out of NYC circa the early '70s, when trashy glam bands like the New York Dolls ruled the scene, and such punk bands as the Ramones and the Dead Boys were about to crash the party. Originally comprised of Jesse Malin (vocals), Richard "The Atomic Elf" Bacchus (guitar), Georgie Seville (guitar), Howie Pyro (bass), and Belvy K (drums), both Seville and aK would exit soon after -- replaced with Danny Sage and Michael Wildwood, respectively." -[allmusic]

Jesse Malin meanwhile is on tour with Alejandro Escovedo. Tickets are still on sale for their April 30th show at the Bell House and May 6th show at Maxwell's.

Though broken up since 1999, D Generation did reunite previously, in 2008 for a 3-song set at the John Varvatos store opening. A video from that, and others, below...

Continue reading "D Generation reuniting for NYC & LA shows"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

ZZ Top

While many designers tagged trendier (see younger) performers to appear at their Fashion Week soirees, many of which happened the day before for Fashion's Night Out, John Varvatos and show curator/drummer Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, Guns N' Roses) stayed true to the spirit of the Bowery store located where CBGB once stood, picking a lineup that would make Wayne and Garth tremble with a lack of self worth (Mike Meyers sitting on the side of the stage with a giddy grin would seem to confirm that).

Alejandro Escovedo performed first on Saturday night (9/11), churning out garage crunch with no less than 4 guitarists blazing on the Varvatos store's small stage. Ian Hunter (lead singer of Mott the Hopple) followed and was joined by Escovedo for a performance of glam cornerstone anthem "All The Young Dudes."

To break up the boys club, former Runaways singer Cherie Currie, one of rock's more underappreciated female frontwomen, came on next. Currie performed "Cherry Bomb," the Runaways' ode to young female rebellion, with a still palpable sense of angst, proving at the same time you're never too old to stop flaunting sex appeal (and to fit into leather corsets).

The Darling Stilettos

Taking a cue from the icon that preceded them, the night's youngest performers, The Darling Stilettos (think rock's answer to the Pussycat Dolls), danced and felt each other up in all the right places while screaming classic rock covers (and one original tune) like over-sexualized banshees.

There were new groups from established rockers as well. New York icon Jessie Malin performed with his latest musical collective The St. Marks Social, and recently formed rock super group Black Country Communion, consisting of former Deep Purple frontman/bassist Glenn Hughes, blues guitar god Joe Bonamassa, and prodigal son Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) gave a sneak preview of some of the heavy tracks from their upcoming self-titled debut.

After a brief pause, Los Angeles superstar cover band Camp Freddy settled in as the house band for the remainder of the show, welcoming on stage a revolving door of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alumni as the evening catapulted upward in intensity. Some played covers, like ZZ Top (who were in town to play two nights at Beacon Theatre) evoking the spirit of Hendrix with "Foxy Lady" and Perry Farrell aggressively launching into the audience during "Sympathy for the Devil." Others did their own songs, like MC5's outspoken guitarist Wayne Kramer urging the crowd on during "Kick Out the Jams" with help from Handsome Dick Manitoba, or Alice Cooper being diabolically stylish while performing "I'm 18" and "School's Out."

By the time Farrell ended the night with Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song," the Varvatos store crowd had finally reached the feverish level of turbulence one would expect for such a night. In fact the performers throughout the night consistently displayed more energy than the predominantly younger audience. For an event full of aging rockers, it really just felt like a riotous gathering of all the young dudes.

The crowd was full of familiar faces as well. Chris Brown, Jimmy Kimmel, Rachael Ray, and Matt Pinfield were among those getting their picture taken on the red carpet and mingling with the fashioned-out crowd. Iggy Pop (who played Don Hill's the night before) and Robert Plant (who played Bowery Ballroom the next day) were nowhere in sight though. More pictures and some videos from the whole night below...

Continue reading "ZZ Top, Perry Farrell, Alice Cooper & many more played John Varvatos' 10th Anniversary @ the Bowery store (pics & video) "

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played the Fashion Week party at Don Hill's on Thursday. Iggy Pop and The Stooges played there Friday, and according to the above Tweet by Eli Mizrahi, Courtney Love is playing there tonight.

Eli's Tweet also reminds us that tonight is the John Varvatos's 10th Anniversary party in the store previously known as CBGB. There will be a concert from: 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Supposedly confirmed performers include Alejandro Escovedo, Alice Cooper, Wayne Kramer, Ian Hunter, ZZ Top, Black Country Communion, Camp Freddy, Cherie Currie, Darling Stillettos, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social, and Perry Farrell . Rumored performers include Iggy Pop and (thanks John) Robert Plant (who plays Bowery Ballroom Sunday).

Who else is playing fashion week parties tonight?

No word yet on whether Iggy Pop will definitely be there, but Mick Rock will take your picture Friday at the Varvatos store, though there's a catch. Second half of the flyer below...

Continue reading "Mick Rock will take your picture @ the Varvatos store * "

photos by Keith Marlowe

Iggy Pop & friends @ ATP NY Friday

"Big brands seem determined to top last year's appearance by Courtney Love at Alexander Wang's gas station-housed Fashion Week after party, and Tommy Hilfiger has lured some big guns: The Strokes. We hear they'll appear at Hilfiger's bash following his 25th anniversary show at Lincoln Center, on Sunday, Sept. 12. Invitations haven't yet been dispatched, but the event already has a surefire guest: 17-year-old model Atlanta de Cadenet, the stepdaughter of Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi, who makes her first Vogue appearance in the September 2010 issue.

Meanwhile, rumors have surfaced that Iggy Pop, who took the stage for [a sunglasses company] in May, will perform at John Varvatos's annual party in his Bowery boutique (the former site of legendary Manhattan punk club CBGB)."-[Fashionologie (actually post from NY Magazine?)]

Iggy & The Stooges played ATP NY on Friday (9/3) along with the Scientists, Mudhoney, and Sleep. We posted a few pictures and commentary about that already. A second set of pictures from that show (our first of the Scientists who played Blood Red River in its entirety) continues below...

Continue reading "Iggy Pop (and The Strokes) playing Fashion Week?, played ATP w/ the Scientists, Mudhoney & Sleep (more pics) "

Legendary rock and roll photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep last night. He was 74. Marshall is best known for his iconic shots of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at Monterey Pop, The Who greeting the sunrise at Woodstock and Johnny Cash flipping the bird at San Quentin. He was chief photographer at Woodstock and was the only photographer allowed backstage at The Beatles' final concert. Marshall had a special affinity with rock and roll artists, as he said himself, "I see the music."

Jim Marshall had just published "Match Prints" (a new book by Jim Marshall and fellow photographer Timothy White) and was due to appear at a media event for the book tonight in New York City. [Gibson]

Continue reading "rock photographer Jim Marshall, RIP (new book out, was scheduled to appear at the John Varvatos store TONIGHT) "

"Been waiting outside the Varvatos Bowery store for six hours now. This party better be fun :(" - Nat Thomson

photos by Nate "Igor" Smith

Alberta Cross did in fact play the fashion week party at the Varvatos Store on Thursday night, but it ended up that they were only the opener for a much larger band. That band was Axl Rose and friends aka "Guns n Roses". Packed when it started, people waited for hours for the headliner to appear in the store that used to be CBGB. Over 90 minutes later, after Axl and band had finished a set of seventeen songs to the lucky (and fashionable) people in attendance (like Sebastian Bach and Kevin Bacon), the room was less than half full. People apparently couldn't stay awake - not because of the performance, but because of the (type of crowd it was and the) long wait time followed by the late ending. The show ended around 2:45am.

More pictures, a video and the full setlist below....

Continue reading "Guns n Roses played the Varvatos store (pics, video, setlist)"

"There's nothing "normal" about New York Fashion Week, but if the incoming flood of models, designers, and celebs isn't cool enough, this might just make you gasp:

For LnA's first presentation in New York City, they're going all out, showcasing their trademark streetwear (including the famous, best-selling, NYLON approved Dani legging), while bringing along some special guests.

Besides a performance by Metric, LnA will have a special guest at their afterparty - Patti Smith. The singer, poet, artist, author, icon, fill-in-the-blank will appear onstage at Milk Studios during LnA's big Manhattan bash." [NYLON]

NYC band Preacher and the Knife have been "chosen to perform at famed designer Cynthia Rowley's runway show during NY Fashion Week, next Friday, February 12th at Gotham Hall. The band will also be performing on February 14th at the Cake Shop for'"Panache & Cake Shop's V-Day Love In.'"

Alberta Cross are performing Thursday in the John Varvatos store.

You can catch Amanda Blank, Ebony Bones & Daniel Merriweather at Hudson Hotel on 2/10.

Tickets are on sale for Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief Haiti at The Tents at Bryant Park (2/12).

What else?

Continue reading "NY Fashion Week kicks off (music events include Metric, Patti Smith, Nina Persson, Alberta Cross & more)"

"John Varvatos is hosting a benefit concert on January 7, 2010, for the non-profit organization Road Recovery with a one-time performance given by Grammy-Award Winning Artist Peter Frampton and FX's Emmy nominated Rescue Me star and comedian Denis Leary, along with his band The Enablers. The evening's concert will take place at John Varvatos' Bowery NYC store as part of Varvatos' Thursday Nite Live Concert Series held at the space that formerly housed the seminal underground music club CBGB's. This special concert will be sponsored by WRXP Radio 101.9-FM, and have spirited headliner Matt Pinfield, and his radio partner Leslie Fram, as emcee." [Tickes are on sale]

Flyer below...

Continue reading "Peter Frampton & Dennis Leary playing a benefit in the John Varvatos Store (aka CBGB)"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

Like the store that one of the "hosts" of the evening owns, CBGBs it wasn't. A jerky stroll along downtown New York's dark and decrepit memory lane, it might have been. A show of stormy brilliance from a largely unsung legend still brimming with ability and art-punk attitude? Absolutely.

Try as it might, Richard Lloyd's show with Hey Battlefield last Thursday at the Studio at Webster Hall wasn't the-larger-than-life punk tribute it hoped to be. Rock photo legend Bob Gruen was in attendance, I'm sure 'co-writer of I Slept with Joey Ramone' (as he was introduced in publicity material) scenester Legs McNeil was there too. Neither served as hosts (as advertised) by any means however, more just like colorful wallflowers set amongst the spattering of younger fans and Mudd Club veterans that showed up for the under-attended performance. It was fortunate that it never felt like a prehistoric echo of remembrance though; instead it was just a high-caliber rock show with some gooey bits of nostalgia tucked inside for Television faithful.

continued below...

Continue reading "Richard Lloyd played Television & Hendrix @ the Studio - pics"

"When I saw Tom Verlaine play for the first time, I realized he had 'it,' and all my life I've looked to try and teach people 'it' and usually come away with great despair," Lloyd said. "You can teach harmony, but you can't teach melody. You can show someone the craftsmanship of songwriting, but they're the ones who have to put out the antenna and wait for the universe to send them a song.

"The actual creative process is not one over which human being have control. I always thought that; otherwise I wouldn't have picked Tom. I'm the one who made the decision and suggested to our first manager, Terry Ork, that he put Tom and I together as a guitar-playing team." [Richard Lloyd to the Daily Times]

Speaking of CBGB and Richard Lloyd, his old friend Patti Smith (who played the final show at the club with Lloyd in 2006) has a trio of end-of-year shows around the corner from CBGB, at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still available for all of them.

Patti, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Jackie Gleason, Woody Allen, Allen Ginsberg and 395 others, was just named one of the New York City 400 by the Museum of the City of New York. It's the "first-ever list of New York City's 400 ultimate movers and shakers since the city's founding in 1609".

A flyer for the Studio show and a pair of videos from Lloyd's show with the Sufi-Monkey Trio at LPR in September are below...

Continue reading "Television's Richard Lloyd playing The Studio, Patti Smith part of the New York City 400"

"Morrison Hotel, the legitimately rock-historical art gallery that shares the former home of CBGBs with John Varvatos, is moving out. The gallery has several other locations, but the Bowery one is their largest. When it moved in over a year ago, we rejoiced that it wasn't "something completely soul-crushing," but will the space get another chance? The broker for the site tells us he's talked to "a lot of retailers, restaurateurs and bar operators," but nothing's been concluded yet." [Racked]

photos by Tim Griffin

""Oh, this is beautiful!" said singer David Johansen, who emerged before a wall-to-wall crowd in a snug black blazer and skin-tight jeans, with a silky leopard print scarf draped around his neck, and who, along with guitarist Syl Sylvain, is one of the band's two surviving original members. (Guitarist Johnny Thunders died a mysterious, drug-related death in 1991, and bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away from leukemia just weeks after the British singer Morrissey reunited the Dolls for a concert in London in June 2004.)

"This is beyond my wildest dreams," the rail-thin Mr. Johansen continued a few songs later. "Did you hear that shit? That was good. Let's dance to this next one!"

To the disappointment of some in the audience, almost all the songs played during the roughly 45-minute set were new, save a half-blazing, half reggae-esque version of the iconic Dolls' anthem "Trash" during the encore. But the performance was, after all, a record release party for the band's new disc, 'Cause I Sez So, as well as the launch of Mr. Varvatos' new rock 'n' roll show on Sirius Radio, which was broadcast live. [The New York Observer]

Continue reading "NY Dolls @ the John Varvatos Store (ex-CBGB) in NYC - pics "

NY Dolls @ SXSW 2009 (by Stereocourier)

In support of their new album 'Cause I Sez So' produced by Todd Rundgren, New York Dolls return to US with Summer 2009 dates. MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE NEXT WEEK! [NYDolls.com, April 15th]

NY Doll David Johansen is also appearing at Red Bank, NJ's Count Basie Theatre for its Friday, May 1st Writers in the Raw show. He'll share the stage that night with Rhett Miller (of Old 97's), Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), and Ashton Shepherd for "an informal evening of songs and stories."

A video of the band at SXSW, new album tracklist, and all dates, below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls playing CBGB (Varvatos store) & other places"

last night (April 17, 2008) in NYC....

More than a few special guests (and I don't mean the protesters) showed up to the opening party/benefit inside the John Varvatos store (aka CBGB) on the Bowery last night (April 17, 2008). All photos by Randy Haecker, and there's more where they came from at his Flickr.

A lot of these guys were in town to play a different benefit show the night before.

Reverend Billy & friends outside CBGB last night - April 17, 2008 (jeremoss)

Reverend Billy joined Rebecca Moore & friends at a planned protest outside a party happening inside the new John Varvatos store which happens to be inside the former home of CBGB. George Bush calls Reverend Billy's visit to the Bowery "unbelievable", "a special moment"....

Continue reading "Reverend Billy & friends protested John Varvotos (CBGB)"

inside the John Varvatos store (Hardcore Shutterbug)

this + this =

Continue reading "protest outside CBGB tonight"

some of them anyway....

The VH1 Save The Music benefit party you heard John Varvatos talk about on Fox is now (unfortunately?) sold out.

The cast of characters playing/appearing at this thing make it look like it could have been one of the 2005 'Save CBGB' lineups, or even one of the final shows the venue hosted before being shut down.

I wonder what Jesse Malin thinks of Rebecca Moore's efforts. He probably saw her sitting there on his way over to his new bar.

Continue reading "John Varvatos discussing his CBGB store on Fox news (video)"

Rebecca Moore @ Tonic, NYC - April 14, 2007 (more)

I realize I already wrote that the CBGB protester is Rebecca Moore, and I did think it was weird that she brought up Tonic, but it wasn't until just now that I realized she is REBECCA MOORE Rebecca Moore.

John Varvatos Opens at 315 Bowery (Curbed)

The interior looks dark and a little foreboding, perhaps in homage to the space's gritty past and the punks who once performed here. Red glowing church candles are positioned next to racks of vintage vinyl to the right, and spectacular black and white photographs of rock gods are framed on the left wall of the store. A gigantic Statue of Liberty stands in the left front window--an interesting touch that got the attention of many passers-by. [Racked]

After the John Varvatos boutique officially opened its doors last weekend in the old CBGB space, activist Rebecca Moore held court on the sidewalk. This past Tuesday she sat outside the retail shop in protest with a sign that read: "One small loss of a music space, one large step for pants," and was joined by a few other supporters. Moore says her statement isn't about just one music space (CBGB).... [Gothamist]

The 313 Gallery next door is now a Morrison Hotel.

RIP HILLY

Gothamist interviewed Deborah Harry today....

How do you feel about CBGB being turned into an upscale boutique? [Laughs.] It’s just a building. It’s just a storefront, really, when you get right down to it.

Do you feel though that it’s indicative of broader changes in New York City? Yes, in some ways, but you know when you look at New York City it’s a fast moving, crowded place with layers upon layers of history, with these different buildings and venues that are always changing. You know, I go past the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Third Avenue and that used to be The Five Spot, which was an incredible, very famous jazz club. Max’s Kansas City is now a deli. I mean, this is not the first time I’ve seen this happen. It happens all the time in New York.

What’s your favorite place to hear live music in New York these days? There are a lot places I like, it just depends on who’s playing. I go to the Knitting Factory sometimes; that’s always a good place to go. It’s a comfortable, very intimate size and a fun place to go.

Gossip have new songs streaming at MySpace. Beth Ditto's other two recent appearances on this site were with New Young Pony Club and as part of this year's Out 100.

All tour dates (Gossip & Debbie), and a clip of Deborah Harry expressing love for her ex-tour-mates Gossip, below....

Continue reading "Deborah Harry, The Gossip, CBGB, Knitting Factory"