Gothamist: NYC Venues: the Good and the Bad

Sparkles

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:13:54 -0500

What are some good venues in NY for a rock/metal band 2 play? They are 18 year old guys who kno how 2 rock! They already played The loft, crannell and chance in Poughkeepsie.

land

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:25:18 -0500

i'm glad this place is closing!!!!

tankboy

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:58:51 -0500

Word. A post like this really makes me appreciate Chicago all the more. After doing shows myself for over a decade, though, I do have to wonder if these bloggers worked out the money deal (i.e. expenses the club expected to take out of the door money) ahead of time. The quoted post seems to indicate that they hadn't. Either way, it does suck to have a band play a show and then not be able to paay them. I've lost money on a few shows paaying groups out of my own pocket, but it was always because the draw was super low, not because the club intentionally stiffed me. As for the DJing for free thing? She's right on the spot with her thoughts on that, in regards to shows.

ccphtown

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:22:06 -0500

Word to Bklynd!

phreemarket

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:40:52 -0500

Amen, bklynd. I'd be pissed at both the Annex and the band manager. While it was bad that the Annex didn't pay, the person who brought over the band should've taken responsibility. Anyone who's worked for more than five minutes in this business already learned the hard way how to protect themselves and their bands. If a place is offering a screwy deal, then DON'T PERFORM THERE. This is why the quality of CBGB's bands, in general, suck. Knowledgeable, street-wise managers can sniff out rats, so they simply never play there. Only fools unwittingly perform at places that screw musicians, and apparently fools also have little talent.

bklynd

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 13:03:20 -0500

I'm not in the bar-music biz or the blog biz, but I gotta say that I can't understand how anybody can book an event without also taking responsibility for payment. The Underrated guys should have had cash in pocket as a backup plan - just saying "gee, sorry, we feel bad you got screwed" seems inadequate if they were the middleman between bands and venue.

kel

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 12:25:28 -0500

my band played CBGBs last year. we brought in a lot of people. some of my friends watched as the doorman, for their group of 4 people there to see my band, only marked down 2 next to our band name. i assume they were doing this all night. explains why we got paid shit even though we had a big crowd. they suck. pianos is good, money-wise.

GOFY

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:43:28 -0500

"Non-payment, over/double-booking, not following through with promises...these things do not a good venue make." That is Standard Operating Procedure at that shithole CBGBs. I hope that place dies off soon. It has been limping along for years living of the past glories of 30 years ago. All the sentimental bullshit trying to save that place is a joke. If Hilly can't run his crappy business properly and pay his rent he should be booted. CB's would fuck a band in the blink of an eye without a second thought, and continues to do so. Pay your rent Hilly, You have been ripping bands off for years you should have a pile of cash stashed away by now. Hilly you are a bad business man and a Douche Bag. CBGB's is a festering shithole.

holmes

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:33:51 -0500

yeah, i forgot to mention that sin-e and rothko were also very good. on a rainy tues night, rothko was ok with allowing a bill we were on with bravo silva to become a free admission gig, just so we could get people to come out in the rain. that was one of the most decent things i've ever seen a club do in order to help the bands playing that night. but i guess if they're not getting anyone in the door anyways, what could this hurt?

Guy

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:22:57 -0500

Sin-E is very fair (sometimes more than fair), so is Rothko. I have to say, despite the shit that Piano's gets they don't screw any bands over if they've made an agreement (splitting the door for the downstairs space, not sure how the upstairs lounge gigs work). Honestly, all shows should have a head count for each paying person at the door for each band. Usually after x amount of dollars the venue should split the door money with the band. That's why even if a band has an allowance for guest lists, they should have friends pay to get into the show. In the end the band gets a little more money, but more importantly the venue is more likely to book you again if you brought in more customers in the official headcount or at least give you a better time slot. Luna Lounge was great for bands starting out. Too bad.

Jack

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:20:31 -0500

A little advice to those "booking" or promoting shows. Just get the deal in advance from the club. A lot of bloggers, etc. do things independently out of goodwill. You want to think if you bring 50-60 people out to a club, that the club will take care of you. Find out what the club's expenses are (sound, door, ads, etc.) per night and ask for a healthy percentage after that. The only club I don't worry about is Mercury...and the aforementioned and oft-missed Brownie's. Every night is different, every club is different. If you notice, most of the shitholes, booked by coke-fueled 22 year old con men, seem to go away fairly quickly. Hope that helps.

horseman

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:12:54 -0500

welcome to nyc. for most of these crapholes this is the rule, not the exception. it's awful and that's why i say good riddance to CB's.

holmes

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:54:09 -0500

i don't to say anything bad about a club in NYC, so instead i'll mention the good experiences my band, morning theft, has had in NYC. the mercury lounge has (and most likely will always be) the best. everyone who works there is courteous, we got paid fairly, we got treated fairly, etc etc. the old luna lounge was also great. it was booked as a non-paying gig, but if your band did especially well, the bartenders would give you money from their tip cups for bringing in boozing patrons. despite the sound problems, lit lounge was also a pleasant experience. the booker was great and the door people especially nice. the delancey has also treated my band and friends bands incredible well. the knitting factory has always been more than fair, as well.

SAFUKGASFASKDJGF`

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:41:14 -0500

gyped like gypsies

AG

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:40:28 -0500

Brownies was awesome.

Abby

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:35:41 -0500

I had a wonderful time at the show last night. The DJ's and The GoStation are close personal friends of mine, I am horrified that they were treated with so little regard. The Annex and their weird lurpy bouncers can go fuck themselves. I won't be back.

Hector

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:27:23 -0500

Annex is a coke fueled crap hole. The owners only care about how hipster friendly they can be. I am sure this will happen again and again. Also the booking girl shouting is nuts, she once called our band up at 6am to ask about our drum kit. When we didn't answer she just kept calling.

Question?

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:25:20 -0500

What are the best venues in regards to staff/management to play? The folks at fat baby seem cool, though I can't speak for how they pay bands....

scrappy

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:10:49 -0500

i've seen the annex do a couple double bookings, completley bumping bands from bills altogether, (after the bands paid for transportation to the venue, both ways, loaded in, then waited around for hours only to have to call a car service and load back out without playing a note, getting paid a cent). i would never waste my time there if i were a band, patron, or dj.

knowledge

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:08:48 -0500

I want a "Fuck Pianos" shirt, like, ASAP.