The sound system forever went silent Monday night at a famed Greenwich Village club that had provided a stage to struggling artists and superstar musicians over a storied [45] years.

Adoring fans had packed Kenny's Castaways on Bleecker Street to hear singer-songwriter Willie Nile and garage rockers The Smithereens blister through a pair of last sets inside the closing music Mecca.

"We started playing here in July of 1980. We were just starting out," said Jim Babjak, lead guitarist for The Smithereens. "A lot of people wanted you to play cover songs. This was one of the few places that let us play our own stuff."

Former neighborhood resident Steve Simels was in awe seeing his idols play one last time at the club.

"I used to live across the street and this was my clubhouse. Willie Nile and The Smithereens were like gods to us," said Simels. [NY Post]

A few videos from the show, below...

Continue reading "The Smithereens & Willie Nile shut down Kenny's Castaways (video)"

As we mentioned, legendary West Village music club Kenny's Castaways is closing its doors forever, and their final show is going down TONIGHT (10/1/2012). It's a free show starting at 8pm and will feature sets by Willie Nile and The Smithereens, as the NY Times also points out:

In the early 1970s, Willie Nile, a singer and songwriter who had recently moved to New York, went uptown to check out Kenny's. He said he recognized a young man with a scruffy beard sitting at the bar: Bruce Springsteen, who had just released his first record, "Greetings From Asbury Park," played some of his first New York shows at Kenny's.

"When you walk in there, you can feel the years, you can feel the presence of all these wanderers, visionaries and dreamers who came in there," said Mr. Nile, who was signed to Arista Records in 1980 after impressing the record executive Clive Davis with a set at Kenny's. Mr. Nile, along with the Smithereens, will be on the club's farewell bill on Monday night.

by Bill Pearis

photo via Kenny's Castaways

Greenwich Village music scene landmark Kenny's Castaways will close "on or about" September 30 after 45 years in business. Though it's glory days were long gone, the club has played host to New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith among many more, was the location of Phish's first NYC show and the supposed location where Joey Ramone met Dee Dee. They occasionally still got a notable show -- Allo Darlin' played there during CMJ 2010 -- but, like much of the Bleecker St. scene of old, Kenny's days as a rock destination have been over for a while. Still, it's sad to see a bit of history go.

After Kenny's closes, it will become a new restaurant/music venue reportedly called Carroll Place, which is what that block of Bleecker used to be known as in the 1800's and that address has been a pub of some sort since around that time. So if you near there in the next six weeks, maybe stop in, have a beer, check out the memorabilia on the walls and say goodbye.

By Andrew Frisicano

Jenny Scheinman & Jason Moran @ Winter Jazz Fest @ LPR

Winter Jazz Fest 2010 brought a diverse lineup of contemporary jazz to six Greenwich Village venues on Friday, January 8th and Saturday, Jan. 9th. The sheer number of compelling acts in one place made the fest a great primer for anyone interested the current state of the scene (a topic many of the reviews have addressed). By all accounts it was a big success, with an engaged and diverse crowd turning out. The gigs I went to were all well-attended, mostly-standing affairs (NY Times reports 2,500 attendees at the fest's sold-out Saturday night). The tight schedule (short 40-minute sets) and the closeness of the venues gave a definite festival atmosphere to the shows (like the LES during CMJ). Though some venues had lines waiting to get in (like the cozy Zinc Bar), it was still totally possible to see who you wanted to with a little planning. At each show I managed to find spots close to the stage as the previous crowd shuffled to their next destination.

On Saturday I got a late start and still caught six sets: Jenny Scheinman & Jason Moran at LPR, Claudia Quintet with Gary Versace at the Bitter End, Vijay Iyer Trio at LPR, and Mary Halvorson, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Tyshawn Sorey's bands, all trios, at Kenny's Castaways.

Tonight (1/19) you can catch Vijay Iyer and some of the other Winter Jazz Fest names (Lionel Loueke, Dr. Lonnie Smith) at (Le) Poisson Rouge's jazz-based Haiti benefit concert. The lineup (with special guests TBA) includes organizers Groove Collective, DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell, Roy Hargrove, Yatande Bwakaiman Vodou Drums and Swiss Chris, plus Loueke with Richard Bona, Smith and Iyer. Tickets are on sale. Proceeds go to Haiti Action, Hands Together, The Lambi Fund of Haiti and Grassroots International.

Benefits are also happening this month at City Winery and The Bell House.

Pictures of the above-mentioned WJF acts, videos and more words about the music are below...

Continue reading "Winter Jazz Fest 2010 in pics & words ++ LPR jazz Haiti Benefit (with some of the same people) tonight"

Pete Best @ Kenny's - October 2005 (CRED)

Not the most popular venue obviously, but there's some history there, and I for one count myself as one of those with at least a few memories of going to see friends' bands play at Kenny's Castaways. Opinions of the venue aside for a second, what do you think of the lineups (listed below) of the 40th anniversary shows so far?

Continue reading "Kenny's Castaways 40th Anniversary lineup"

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!

Continue reading "Kenny's Castaways 40th Anniversary"