New Music Venues in New York

It feels like venues in New York are closing down all the time. In the last year alone, Webster Hall and B.B. King Blues Club both shut their doors and there are countless smaller venues that met much the same fate. But for every venue that closes, another one opens, as we are also getting a lot of fascinating new places to catch bands this year.

Last week, news of a new Rooftop Concert Series at South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 was announced with a stunning line-up of artists kicking things off. This is just the latest in a handful of newly announced and opened venues popping up around the city, as well as Long Island.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the new venues that have opened up in New York this year, as well as ones that are slated to open soon. Here are nine set to become part of New York music history.

1.       The Rooftop at Pier 17: As stated above, a new concert venue is coming to the South Street Seaport this summer. Housed in the new building where the mall used to be, The Rooftop at Pier 17 is being booked by LiveNation and will be able to hold 2,400 (seated) to 3,400 (standing) patrons per show. Last week, Amy Schumer and Kings of Leon were announced as the venue’s inaugural performers, playing August 1 and August 2 & 3, respectively. The rest of their line-up was announced yesterday, which includes shows from Jon Batiste with The Dap-Kings (which is a free show to launch the venue on July 28), Bebe Rexha (8/9), Trever Noah (8/12), Dashboard Confessional and All Time Low (8/19), Michael McDonald (8/21), Hunter Hayes (8/24), Gladys Knight and The O’Jays (8/25), Ziggy Marley (7/7), deadmau5 (7/8) and more. Tickets for all of these shows go on sale Friday.

2.       Coney Island Baby: Originally Brownies then HiFi Bar, Coney Island Baby is the new East Village venue from D Generation’s Jesse Malin. The 200-capacity venue hosted its first shows earlier this month and has a fantastic line-up of bands coming up, including two sold-out shows from Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s side project The Longshot (5/22 & 5/23) and The Waldos, which features Walter Lure from Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers.

3.       Elsewhere: Opened this past November by former Glasslands owner PopGun, Elsewhere is a multi-purpose arts and performance space in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Its main hall holds about 675 patrons, while its smaller Zone One room holds about 200. A third, rooftop room will be opening this Memorial Day. The new spot holds 500 people and will serve as a space for art installations and film screenings, as well as musical performances. A full listing of summer rooftop parties has already been announced.

4.       Sony Hall: Located in the heart of Times Square in the iconic Paramount Hotel, Sony Hall opened in March with a free MGMT show. The 500 (seated) to 1,000 (standing)-capacity venue is owned by Blue Note Entertainment, who also own the Highline Ballroom and the former B.B. King Blues Club (many of that venue’s previously booked shows will now be held at Sony Hall) and uses Sony’s proprietary multi-dimensional audio technology in an effort to “deliver enhanced entertainment experiences to fans.” The venue also boasts an eclectic mix of artists and genres, a full slate of which can be found here.

5.       Opry City Stage: A slice of Nashville in the heart of New York City, Opry City Stage opened in December. The space has four floors and two stages to bring local and up-and-coming country artists to the big city. The second floor stage offers “a broad range of great country music talent to accompany guests’ drinks and meals,” as well as live streams of Grand Ole Opry performances, while the Studio at Opry Stage hosts staged events by country “hit-makers, emerging artists and songwriters.” There is even a series styled after the famed Bluebird Cafe, which spotlights new artists from around the country. Check out their schedule here.

6.       The Stone: Less of a new venue and more of a switch in location, The Stone was a jazz club in the East Village run by John Zorn where one could witness curated line-ups that would produce opportunities for once-in-a-lifetime performances. Zorn had to give up his space earlier this year, but has moved it into The New School’s Glass Box Performance venue, which will provide even more opportunities for even more amazing shows. Much of these shows are jazz, though Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore will be holding a residency this December.

7.       The Shed: Not just a venue, The Shed is a nonprofit arts space in Manhattan that will cater to all types of artists. According to their mission, the space will be the “first multi-arts center designed to commission, produce, and present all types of performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture.” It continues, “From hip hop to classical music, visual art to literature, film to theater and dance, with collaborations across these disciplines and others, we will bring together leading artists from all art forms under one roof.” The Shed won’t open until 2019, though there are a handful of pre-opening projects that will be going on right now.

8.       My Father’s Place: Originally open from 1971 until 1987, My Father’s Place was venue in Roslyn that hosted some of the era’s biggest bands before they were big, especially in the reggae and punk spheres. Now after 30 years, the venue has found a new home at the Roslyn Hotel. Beginning this June, the venue will pick up where it left off with shows from Buster Poindexter (6/29), Livingston Taylor (6/30), Brand X (7/6), Zebra (7/20), The Blasters (8/11), Howie Day (8/16), Peter Yarrow (12/9) and more.

9.       Stereo Garden: Stereo Garden opened in November at the site of The Emporium, which closed down last May. Now a 1,000-capacity venue with an updated audio, video and lighting system, as well as a restaurant and beer garden, it will feature mostly rock and country acts. Some of the upcoming shows include New Life Crisis (6/1), The Chris Robinson Brotherhood (7/27) and Neck Deep (9/21).  

Though it may be easy to dwell on the venues that have been shutting their doors, there are still many new ones opening up to take their place. Offering up an array of choices in terms of genre and size, these new venues prove that live music in New York is and will continue to be as strong as ever through the coming years.

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Find music from your favorite live artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in a wide range of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Webster Hall Closing for Renovations – A Brief History of One of the City’s Last Iconic Venues

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a look back at Webster Hall’s impact on the NYC music scene

 

Webster Hall. Taken April 23, 2017 by Elise Yablon

News broke Monday that the legendary Webster Hall venue and nightclub would be closing its doors in August for renovations. The venue was recently purchased by AEG and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, who have decided to demolish and renovate the space, which would have it closed for an “undisclosed period of time.”

There are two reasons people are freaking out over Webster Hall’s closing. One is this “undisclosed period of time” language. The venue has been around for more than 100 years and to see it shut its doors for any period of time seems like blasphemy. The other reason, and the one being discussed in this article, is that by shutting down and demolishing the venue, another piece of New York’s history will be gone as well, regardless of whether a new venue is placed there or not.

Webster Hall was first built in 1886 and was originally used as a forum, holding meetings by anarchist groups, labor unions and other left-leaning political factions. The space took on more of an entertainment tone in the 1920s when it first started holding masquerade balls and eventually became a speakeasy during prohibition. In the 1950s, Webster Hall got into live music, first becoming a hot spot for Latin and folk music, then opening up as a recording studio for RCA where numerous Broadway cast recordings, as well as tracks from Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and many more, were put on tape. It wasn’t until the 1980s that live music really took a hold of the space, changing its name to The Ritz and becoming one of the city’s biggest rock venues. A who’s who of artists played early shows there, including Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys, U2, Iggy Pop, Frank Zappa and many, many more. Even after its sale and renovation by the Ballinger Brothers (who held on to the space until with was sold to AEG last year) in 1989, the venue continued its legacy of popular club nights and legendary live shows. Since changing its name back to Webster Hall in 1992, the likes of Green Day, Metallica, Buzzcocks, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, John Mayer and more have graced the venue’s stages.

As it stands today, Webster Hall was and is a staple of New York’s music and party scenes. With three stages of various capacities, the venue has given bands both established and up-and-coming a place to get their music heard. Late-night revelers have had one of the longest-running, wildest and weirdest parties to look forward to every weekend. When Webster Hall closes down next month, it will be going out on the top of its game as one of the best clubs and venues in the city.

The venue’s legendary status was recognized in 2007 when the building was declared a landmark by the state’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Many people consider Webster Hall to be one of (if not THE) last remnants of the city’s historic music scene. Venues like Max’s Kansas City, The Fillmore East and the Palladium all closed down decades ago. CBGB, which closed in 2006, is now a John Varvatos clothing store. The places that housed the city’s rich music scene of the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s have been disappearing little by little over the years. Whether that’s due to gentrification or money issues, these changes can be a shock to the system, a sign that an era has come to a close.

Webster Hall’s final show will take place on August 9 with Marateck, Grid and Kraus in the Studio. Club goers say their goodbyes four days earlier with the final Gotham nightclub show happening in the Grand Ballroom on August 5. A full listing of the venue’s remaining shows can be found on the Webster Hall website. While it’s too late to do anything about the Webster Hall’s impending close, there is still an effort being made to maintain its legacy. A number of the venue’s stagehands are trying to raise money for a documentary to be made about its final month. Fans of the venue can help fund the project through Kickstarter.

Although Webster Hall has gone through many changes over the last century, its legacy as one of New York City’s most important venues lives on. The venue has been home to historic political rallies, recording sessions, decades of late night parties and countless legendary performances. Ultimately, a new venue will open with new ownership and more great memories to be had. But when Webster Hall shuts its doors on August 9, even though a new chapter for the venue will be starting, it will be the end of an era for New York’s music and club scenes.

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Vinyl Bay 777 is your outlet for everything music. Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia at our store in Plainview, as well as online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.