New York City Music Clubs and Venues
This page was once rigorously updated. Because the arts were banned in this city for so long, followed by insane and constantly changing restrictions on entry to venues, this list has become more of a worksheet. If you use the information here, make sure you call the club before you go unless you know for a fact that there are no restrictions. There are links to almost all the venues on this page.
Venues booked by Live Nation are not included here, since this isn’t a blog for corporate music, bait-and-switch ticket scams, or spaces which are complicit in New Abnormal lethal injection schemes. Venues which still require proof of lethal injection for admission are not linked and are on the shitlist at the very bottom of this page.
From now on, this page will be updated regarding closures. Venues which close will not be deleted as in the past.
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Alphaville
140 Wilson Ave. (Stuydam/Willoughby), Bushwick
J/M to Central Ave.
Refreshingly laid-back beer bar with pub grub and a repurposed former bodega backroom for music, comparable sizewise and soundwise to Gold Sounds. Music here ran the gamut from loud and noisy to retro and garagey; some surprisingly popular national touring acts showed up here from time to time. Cover was cheap, usually no more than $10. Sad to lose what was a welcome alternative to the more trendoid-infested venues in the neighborhood.
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***RATED BEST MANHATTAN VENUE 2016***
American Folk Art Museum
Columbus Ave. at 66th St.
1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center
The more or less weekly free Friday evening acoustic and global music shows hosted by crystalline-voiced Americana singer Lara Ewen were consistently excellent, a mix of front-porch folk, acoustic songwriters, string bands and sounds from the Balkans to the Mediterranean. Performances, in the museum’s echoey, high-ceilinged first-floor atrium, have not resumed since the lockdown. Museum admission is also free. The sound here was better and more cathedral-like than what you would expect; the seats would fill up fast with a mixed crowd of neighborhood folks and tourists. The exhibits here remain very interesting and feature unknown and undeservedly obscure treasures from across the decades.
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The Americas Society
680 Park Ave at 70th St.
6 to 68th St.
Through March of 2020, there were occasional concerts with a mix of new music, classical and jazz from across Latin America in the cozy second-floor auditorium of this former Gilded Age mansion. Many events were free; some required a rsvp since space can be tight. The staff are friendly. No music scheduled Sept 2022
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The Apollo Theatre
253 West 125th Street
between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd & Frederick Douglass Blvd.
A/B/C to 125th St.
The dingy, multi-tiered interior is actually nowhere as big as the tv cameras would have you believe, in fact smaller than the Beacon. The sound isn’t bad but it isn’t pristine either. But this place is a landmark where pretty much everybody who was anybody, from the 30s through the 60s played at one time or another. Compared to the personnel at the other big theatres, the Apollo’s staff seem considerably brighter, more friendly and competent. In the late teens, the theatre opened a pricy upstairs cafe with a considerably smaller stage, stupefyingly bad sound and the occasional hip-hop, soul or corporate performer. Being booked by the odious Live Nation with restrictions Sept 2022
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The Arete Gallery OUT OF BUSINESS
67 West St., Greenpoint
G to Greenpoint Ave or about a 20-minute walk from the Bedford Ave. L station
The first casualty of the lockdown, permanently closed in March 2020. When the lockdown is over, the owners plan to move any scheduled shows to the Mise-En Space in Greenpoint.
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Arlene Grocery
Stanton between Orchard and Ludlow, south side of the street
F to 2nd Ave.
Discrimination against cash customers – A taste of Bleecker Street on the Lower East. Arlene’s was ground zero for edgy NYC rock back in the 90s, but by the end of the teens had decayed to a Jersey mallternative room comparable to the Bitter End, even if the sound is better – and it isn’t always, more a fault of the personnel rather than the PA. Cover has risen to the $15 mark – and cash customers are being ripped off because the venue is now giving a discount on online tickets. Before the lockdown, Monday nights, with cover bands and karaoke, were sometimes free. Over the years, the segues between bands here became laughably jarring: singer-songwriter, hip-hop, death metal back-to-back without a thought of how much more money they’d make at the bar if everybody had something in common. Drinks remain on the pricy side although they have shot-and-shitbeer specials, and the bartenders are nice. Potential hassles at the door depend on who’s working: literally everything here has tended to run hot and cold.
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Arthur’s Tavern
57 Grove St. just west of 7th Ave. South
1 to Christopher St. or any train to W 4th St., walk west on Waverly
Oldschool west village jazz dive with long-running weekly residencies, which bit the dust when the landlord sold the building in the early days of the lockdown. RIP.
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The Asia Society
725 Park Ave. at 70th St.
6 to 68th St.
Occasional folk, jazz and classical shows in the sonically excellent lower-level auditorium here. Adventurous programming has included both traditional and cutting-edge artists from across Asia, from Iran to China. In the past, ticket prices have been reasonable – in the $25 range, and some events have been free. The staff are nice and the rotating art exhibits are often very edgy as well. No music Sept 2022
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The Austrian Cultural Center
11 E 52nd St. (5th/Madison)
E or F to 53rd St.
For years, there were frequent, free classical, jazz and sometimes even rock shows in the cozy third-floor auditorium. A RSVP has typically been required for most of them. The sound is best up in the balcony, accessible by the stairs to the left at the front of the room. Very adventurous and cross-genre programming here.No music Sept 2022.
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Baby’s All Right
146 Broadway south of Bedford, S Williamsburg
J/M to Marcy Ave.
Baby’s All Right was famous for having the best air conditioning of any Brooklyn venue, a big industrial unit up on the ceiling. It was akin to a South Williamsburg version of Bowery Electric. Big stage in the back, a little oversize for the space, and surprisingly good sound for a former Hasidic furniture store space. The acts who played here were a mix of the lamer bands from the now-shuttered Glasslands and Death By Audio, along with occasional punk, psychedelic and garage rock. After a rocky start, there was some turnover and the staff mellowed out. Drinks were pricy. Too bad that some of the shows here gouged customers who opt for paying cash rather than buying online with a credit card.
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Bar Bayeux
1066 Nostrand Ave, (Lefferts/Lincoln), Prospect Lefferts Gardens
2 to Sterling St.
Pricy gentrifier microbrew bar with often exceptionally good, pass-the-hat jazz shows on the little stage in the back, with a couple of couches and chairs. You can see acts here for free that would cost you fifty bucks at a Manhattan jazz club. The staff are chill, the beer selection is good but it’s only drafts, no cheap cans or bottles. Gotta love that name (check the street address).
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Bar Chord OUT OF BUSINESS
1008 Cortelyou Rd. (Stratford/Coney Island Ave.), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
Q to Cortelyou Road
Expensive gentrifier bar with Americana music that did double duty as vintage guitar store and didn’t survive the lockdown.
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Bar Freda
801 Seneca Ave. at Putnam, Ridgewood
M to Seneca Ave
Frequent rock shows in the downstairs space, some of them quite good. Fairly cheap cover.
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Bar Lunatico
486 Halsey St., corner of Lewis Ave., Bed-Stuy
C to Kingston/Throop Ave.
After taking a shot at being a shi-shi Jersey folkie joint, they became an elite jazz spot, the Jazz Standard of Brooklyn. Many acts far too popular for a Manhattan room this small played here and are returning since it reopened. It’s a charming little boite, the smell of spices wafting through the room (they serve crostinis and paninis and such), comparable sizewise with the back room at Pete’s. The staff are friendly; drinks are on the pricy side (although coffee and food is a good value), and the sound is fantastic. A perennial contender for best Brooklyn venue.
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The Bar Next Door
129 MacDougal between W 3rd and Washington Square South, right around the corner from the Blue Note
Any train to W 4th St.
A cynic would tell people thinking of going to the Blue Note to go here instead. Too bad it hasn’t reopened as a jazz venue. Better known as la Lanterna (the upstairs restaurant, which runs this little walk-down joint), it’s been a great place to see A-list talent for D-list prices. The restaurant also has good food (pizzas and pastas are consistently excellent). Small ensembles – usually trios, a mix of traditional and more adventurous jazz styles, played in the corner by the fireplace, heavy on the guitarists since the purist Peter Mazza was in charge of booking the place. The audience was pretty much on top of the band. Service is refreshingly oldschool West Village and laid back. Sets were at 8:30/10 Sun-Thurs.; 7, 9 and 11 on weekends; no cover for the early shows, $12 otherwise. Reopened but with no music.
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Bargemusic
Fulton Ferry Landing, Dumbo, Brooklyn
F to York St.; A to High St. and walk to the water
Chamber music inside a renovated barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, Super pricy.
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Berlin
25 Ave. A at 2nd St. under 2A, enter thru the door on 2nd St.
F to 2nd Ave.
Small basement space with loud sound and weird sightlines which has reopened, reputedly with restrictions and with a discriminatory policy against cash customers (they gouge you extra if you didn’t buy tickets online). The little stage is situated so it’s hard to see unless you’re at one of the tables around the corner from the sound booth, or clustered up on the left between the stage and bar. Cover has recently risen; the staff were annoying in the early going but have since turned over and prior to the lockdown were a pretty friendly bunch. Drinks are pricy as you would expect. Too bad the venue doesn’t have a website and has never done anything to promote the bands, a mix of punk, retro rock and garage acts who play here along with the usual parade of twee indie posers and Beyonce wannabes.
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Birdland
315 W 44th St. (8th/9th Aves)
closest train is the A/C/E to Port Authority
Pricy split-level midtown jazz club open again with no restrictions.
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The Bitter End
Bleecker between LaGuardia and Thompson
A/C/E/B/D/F to West 4th St., take the exit on the south side
Discrimination against cash customers – The prototypical Bleecker Street hellhole: cheap, cheesy and recently reopened with ridiculously high admission prices, considering the endless parade of Long Island and Jersey amateurs who play here. This place is so cheap that if the band wants to put somebody on the guest list, that comes out of their earnings at the door. Cheesiness is reflected in the Pearl Jam, Dashboard Confessional and Ani DiFranco wannabes onstage, lost in the 90s and cluelessly hoping for a big record label to discover them and make them famous. The sound has always been iffy, crowd Long Island and Jersey touristy, drinks expensive, with a minimum if you want to sit. And the staff are obnoxious – waitresses are always trying to round up people standing against the wall so as to extort money from them at the tables). And they gouge cash customers extra at the door now. Strictly a venue of last resort for acts who can’t get a gig anywhere else. With so many other places to see music in NYC, we definitely don’t need the Bitter End.
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Blackthorn 51 OUT OF BUSINESS
80-12 51st Ave., Elmhurst, Queens
R to Grand Ave, walk west on Queens Blvd
Queens’ home to heavy sounds, both metal and punk. In the months leading up to the lockdown, shows here were limited to only a handful a month.
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The Blue Note
W 3rd just east of Sixth Ave.
A/C/E/B/D/F to W 4th, take the southside exit
This place was a great jazz club, most likely before you were born, and vestiges of that remain: the sound is superb. But the prices are intimidating, the food is lousy and prices just keep going up. “Bar seating” has is the best deal here – it may get pretty crowded, but just stand in the crowd and you can beat the drink minimum issue. Booking here is a mixed bag, with Pan-American or European performers and the occasional jazz legend interspersed among Lite FM-style elevator jazz acts. Occasionally they’ll have a rock act. On Friday and Saturdays nights after the main acts are done, or for Sunday brunch, they have funk and fusion at reduced prices, but they discriminate against cash customers.
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Bowery Ballroom
Delancey St. just east of Bowery
J to Bowery or F to 2nd Ave., walk south and west
Live Nation bait-and-switch ticket scammers – This former Yiddish vaudeville theatre’s slow, sad decline from New York’s best-sounding midsize venue to corporate tourist trap mirrored the decline of the city as a whole. By the late teens, Jersey tourists and parents apparently had stopped worrying about about getting mugged on the Lower East. Meanwhile, a turnover in booking meant the end of a long and storied parade of national touring rock and Americana acts, displaced by Disney autotune pop and its imitators from outside the country along with frequent gay meat market nights, cover bands and “comedy.” Back in the day, the door crew here were chill and didn’t hassle you, and ticket prices were more reasonable than at competing venues. Scheduled to reopen in September 2021, harsh restrictions may apply: it’s not clear if the needle of death will be required for entry.
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Branded Saloon
603 Vanderbilt Ave. at Bergen St., Brooklyn
2 to Bergen St., walk uphill 2 blocks
Expensive gay bar with a western theme, pricy diner food, and these days, infrequent acoustic music in the scruffy back room. Beyond the menu, the cowboy theme doesn’t really make itself apparent. Mellow staff, drink prices about average for the neighborhood, but it can be as much of a strain to watch here as it is to play. In quieter moments, the blare of the tv, or the bartender’s phone plugged into the PA in the front room, can drown out the band. Very little music here anymore Sept 2022
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The Broadway
1272 Broadway, Bushwick
J to Gates Ave and walk back toward Williamsburg
The old Gateway space in summer 2021 had a mix of trendoid bands and some cool psychedelic and punk acts.
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Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn Heights
The closest train is actually the G to Fulton St.; BAM is only half a block away. Otherwise take any train to Atlantic Ave.
Ironically, BAM has mostly movies these days, reopened in June 2021 with nasty restrictions (lasers to zap your pineal gland, and muzzle requirements). The free Friday night shows at the upstairs cafe are long gone. The big, main space with tiered seating, the black-box theatre on Hanson Place and the smaller theatre across the street and down the block all have excellent sound, high ticket prices (advance tix from the BAM box office are a must) and programming that runs the gamut from the avant garde to global sounds, opera and Madonna – who sold out the moment tix went onsale. Open again in Sept 2022 without restrictions.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn
2/3/4 to Eastern Parkway
Cherry trees! Greenery as far as the eye can see! More oxygen than anywhere else in town, and occasional outdoor concerts along with the annual chile pepper festival which is always a lot of fun. The 2019 special was free admission on Tuesdays starting at 6 PM; be aware that one the weekend, you may need to use the 455 Flatbush Ave. entrance around the corner. Reopened without restrictions but not with much music
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Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Ave. between N 11th and N 12th., Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn’s worst music venue, hands down, at least before the lockdown. These people treated customers like a criminal the moment you approached the door. Violent searches by a sadistic crew of ex-cons hell-bent on feeling you up in the most private places…whether you were a girl or a guy. And a meticulous search via metal detector, ticketholders forced to empty out their backpacks, purses, and pockets! Those who made it past the gauntlet at the door had to contend with a crowd of drunken tourists whooping it up at the bowling lanes. Bands played in the far corner past the lanes, meaning that in quieter moments the music could be inaudible. Booking stoner music – jambands, reggae, Afrobeat and funk – seemed to be a ploy to increase income for this hellhole’s ridiculously overpriced faux-southern-themed kitchen.
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Brooklyn Bridge Park
At the water in Dumbo; closest train is actually the A/C to High St. although it’s also a short walk from the F at York St. and the 2/3 at Clark St.
Occasional free concerts on the little stage, hidden in a terraced enclave in the middle of the park, beyond the peninsula with the rollerskating rink.
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Not a venue but a rising star in the NYC music world connecting the past and future of Middle Eastern music. They started with a low-key monthly Monday series of shows at Sisters Brooklyn in Fort Greene and then started book events all over the borough. Some were pass-the-hat, some with a cover charge; either way, it was a mix of hometown talent from across the Arabic-speaking world along with rare appearances by artists from the Middle East and North Africa. SOLO LIVESTREAM PAGE
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Brooklyn Public Library
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
2/4 to Grand Army Plaza
How to describe? Well, it’s full of books. You can see the big, massive old edifice from the subway. Free summer concerts here, outside on the steps, have returned, but the classical and jazz series in one of the small public rooms on the second floor has not. Be aware that many shows require an online RSVP and will sell out. Their site also lists events at the many local BPL branches.
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***RATED BEST MANHATTAN VENUE 2018***
Bryant Park
On 42nd St. between 5th and 6th Ave
Any train to 42nd St.
The frequent early evening and lunchtime concerts that were a staple here before the lockdown – brass bands, classical, salsa and jazz – have been replaced by frequent solo piano performances at half past noon on weekdays on the back terrace behind the library. Carnegie Hall is also booking a series of evening concerts there, although there are apartheid restrictions (full access for those who’ve taken the deadly needle, punitive measures for those with the brains not to). The main attraction annual attraction here in recent years has been the the accordion festival, a fall series programmed by the irrepressible Ariana Hellerman (founder of the indispensable free events guide Ariana’s List), featuring acts and styles all over the globe, situated just far enough from each other throughout the park so that there’s no sonic competition between them.
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Bushwick Public House
1288 Myrtle Ave. just past Central Ave
M to Central Ave
Airy, roughhewn gentrifier coffeehouse upstairs; comfortable bodega basement-type space downstairs. A few ratty old recliners and a handful of tables and a railing along the left side of the space. STATUS UNKNOWN – PRESUMED CLOSED
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Cafe Wha
115 MacDougal St. between Bleecker and W 3rd St.
A/B/C/D/E/F to W 4th St.
Talk about living off your reputation: Hendrix played here frequently before he went to England and got famous. And Van Halen played here once. Apparently the club owners also own the building, because the place is still here. Not that it needs to be: this stuffy little tourist bar has made a living off an out-of-town crowd, and late at night and on the weekends, an unsophisticated black clientele for whom rap apparently never happened. Expensive drinks, overzealous door crew, clueless bar staff, overly loud, generic funk and cover bands phoning it in on the little stage. Reopened – restriction situation unknown.
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Carnegie Hall
57th St/7th Ave
The N/Q to 57th St. is closet
Yeah, it’s open again, October 2022. No restrictions. Even higher prices.
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The Cell Theatre
338 W. 23rd St (8/9th Aves)
C/E to 23rd St
By early 2020, music was more and more of a staple at this comfy, gilded-age ground-floor space with a small balcony in the back. Comfy chairs, surprisingly good sound for a place that was primarily used for theatrical events for years. Jazz, avant garde and smaller classical ensembles played on a stage in the window, more or less, backs to the street. Tix were typically in the $15 and under range; beverages or snacks were sometimes available. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Cellar Dog
75 Christopher at 7th Ave. S.
1 train to Christopher St.
Formerly the Fat Cat, a pool hall and sort of minor-league affiliate to Smalls. Drinks were very cheap for a jazz joint, and cover was cheap, usually $3; the staff, like the ambience, were laid back. There was a small listening area close to the stage, with a couple of couches and some chairs; otherwise, jazz fans would jostle for space with people holding big sticks. A lot of the same faces filtered through here on a regular basis, a mix of traditional and modern styles (a lot of the Smalls crowd basically used this place as a rehearsal room).
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Center for Traditional Music and Dance
Not a venue but an advocacy organization similar to the World Music Institute, but more oldschool and grassroots-oriented. Over the years they’ve booked a ton of amazing global musicians into venues all over the five boroughs, with many free concerts. Most recentlly Balkan and Latin American music have been very well represented among the many regions whose music they support. When there is a cover charge, tickets have been typically available at the door as well as online. A good bunch of folks doing good work, lately off and on in public parks.
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Central Park Summerstage
Central Park, 72nd St. entrance, closer to the east side
1/2/3 to 72nd St. or 6 to 66th St.
Reopened in June 2021 as a Live Nation venue with stratospheric ticket prices and the occasional free show: last summer’s lineup was a joke. It’s on this list strictly because the website also lists free shows in public parks across the five boroughs which do not have restrictions.
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Central Synagogue
652 Lexington Ave. at 55th St.
6/F to 53rd St./Citicorp Center
This sonically exquisite historic landmark – beautifully remodeled after a fire back in the zeros – has occasional free lunchtime organ concerts as well as traditional Jewish sounds from around the globe along with lectures, literary and film events. The synagogue’s Moorish-inspired interior decor is a feast for the eyes.
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Ceremony
224 Manhattan Ave (Grand/Maujer), Williamsburg
L to Grand St.
Occasional rock shows with some surprisingly interesting, edgy bands here prior to the lockdown. STATUS UNKNOWN – PRESUMED CLOSED
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Chhandayan Center for Indian Music
4 W 43rd Street #618
Any train to 42nd St.
Tabla lessons and frequent performances of all kinds of Indian classical music here: vocalists, instrumental ensembles and dance performances. Reopened without restrictions and some really good shows Sept 2022
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Chelsea Music Hall
407 W 15th St. (9/10)
A/C/E to 14th St.
Lame “comedy,” corporate urban top 40 acts (and innumerable Miley Cyrus wannabes and such) along with the occasional Caribbean or African band here. It seems expensive and exploitative, as white-owned clubs in places like New Jersey and Alabama that draw minority audiences tend to be. Reopened but not reviewed as of 2021.
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City Vineyard
233 West St at Pier 26, across the highway just south of Hubert, Tribeca
1 or A/C/E to Canal St.
City Winery’s smaller, wraparound-windowed southern annex has had music on and off since opening a couple of years ago and remains closed, with the flagship venue further north scheduled to open in summer 2021 with harsh restrictions. Acts here played on a tiny stage in the southwest corner of the main room. The sound was excellent, drinks and food expensive as at the main space, nice enough people working here. There was also a backyard with picnic tables open during the warmer months (when it must cost a fortune to aircondition this place). Be super careful crossing the highway both ways here – those Jersey and Long Island drivers are insane. Not clear if it reopened, but no more music here Sept 2022
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The expensive, hangar-like flagship of this national chain, owned by one of the founders of the Knitting Factory, became one of the last bastions of singer-songwriter and dentists’ office pop in New York. The venue closed in the summer of 2019 and moved to at Pier 57 at 15th St. in summer 2021 since Disney bought the SoHo building and kicked them out.
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Cleopatra’s Needle OUT OF BUSINESS
2485 Broadway (92/93)
1/2/9 to 96th St.
Suddenly shuttered at the end of January, 2020. Sad to see this neighborhood jazz institution go – sure, prices went up, and they were lackadaisacal about air conditioning, but it was a useful spot for up-and-coming players to get their feet wet in the NYC scene. RIP.
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Club Bonafide OUT OF BUSINESS
212 E 52nd St just east of 3rd Ave.
6/F to 53rd/Lex
In the deadpool of NYC jazz venues, the back-room third-floor former Something Jazz Club space was at the top of the list and was one of the first casualties of the lockdown. In the words of everyone who ever played here, this was the place where nobody ever went. Surprising they lasted as long as they did.
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C’Mon Everybody
325 Franklin Ave. (Clifton Pl./Greene Ave), Crown Heights
G to Classon Ave
This gay bar books a mix of urban top 40, indie poser music, and meat market nights. More and more frequently, they gouge cash customers extra for admission. Reopened with not much music but also no restrictions.
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Concerts on the Slope
St. John’s Episcopal Church
139 St. John’s Place downhill from 7th Ave., Park Slope
2/3 to Grand Army Plaza
A frequently adventurous weekend chamber music series featuring small ensembles, lots of premieres and interesting programming: bassoon music, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time and high-profile 20th and 21st century works along with obscurities and up-and-coming artists. Concerts were held in the boomy church confines; there’s a $25 cover now.
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Connolly’s
121 W 45th St. west of 6th Ave
Any train to 42nd St.
The last home New York Irish legends Black 47 had in this city was an upstairs room at the most Times Square adjacent branch of this local chain, about the size of Arlene’s with excellent sound and predictably pricy midtown drinks. The pub grub is good but also not cheap. If only this venue could have gotten some good bands in here! It’s easy to get to, the people who work here are very pleasant and cover was cheap, usually ten bucks or less. Reopened with occasional lame Jersey bands Sept 2022
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Cowgirl Seahorse
259 Front St. in the South St. Seaport
Any train to Fulton St.
Country-themed bar with a weekly Monday night Americana music night series, both cover bands and some excellent original acts. Bands play on the little stage to the left of the bar; no cover charge, decent tacos and pub grub, drinks on the expensive side. Nice people working here, very chill vibe, a welcome alternative to the Wolf of Wall Street atmosphere in this area.
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Culture Lab
5-25 46th Ave, Long Island City, down the block toward the water from LIC Bar
7 to Vernon Blvd.
Frequent weekend daytime and evening concerts in the big parking lot that was home to a flea market for years. Some excellent music passing through here: new classical, jazz, psychedelic rock. The PA is also loud. Food trucks sell tacos and beer; the staff put plastic chairs out for those who want to sit. No restrictions for outdoor shows.
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The Cutting Room
44 E 32nd St. (Madison/Park)
6 to 33rd St.
Beautifully renovated, oldschool New York elegance, often at a price to match, in this sonically superb old Curry Hill theatre space reopened in July 2021 with even more stratospherically high ticket prices. Has-been top 40 acts from the 80s, wannabes from that era and the occasional jazz or rock act play to an older crowd. Be aware of a $20 per person food/drink minimum at the first floor tables in addition to the cover. The smaller second floor balcony to the left of the stage’s large proscenium may or may not be open depending on who’s playing and how sold out the show is. Reopened without restrictions but not much in the way of good music Sept 2022 – and ridiculously overpriced.
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Damrosch Park
out back of Lincoln Center
1/9 to 66th St., or just take the 1/2/3/B/C to Columbus Circle and walk north
This is the park where the the annual Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival’s main events were held for almost fifty years. There were also daily concerts scattered around the Lincoln Center plaza: a sensationally good, eclectic range of A-list Americana artists, jazz and world music acts including many first-rate New York performers. Pharaoh Sanders’ concerts here in the late 90s are the stuff of legend. And if you live in the neighborhood, there are frequent impromptu classical shows there in the early evening.
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The Delancey
It’s on that little service road that runs parallel to Delancey St. on its north side, just east of Clinton.
F/J/M/Z to Delancey or B/D to Grand St. and walk north and east.
The Delancey earned respect for being home to Small Beast, the legendary Monday dark rock night founded by Botanica keyboardist Paul Wallfisch and which ran weekly from 2008 to 2011 until the club finally phased it out. That was upstairs on the little stage across from the bar, where they very seldom have live music anymore. Downstairs in the long, rectangular basement space, there are frequent rock shows. Acts who play here are a mix of oldschool NYC bands who bring an older, scruffy crowd, plus lots of tourist bands from Jersey with more of a fratboy following. The sound downstairs is shockingly good; upstairs, it’s what you would expect. As a bonus, the door staff have been vastly less attitudinous here than at most of the other LES clubs, and the Delancey has the best air conditioning of practically any other club in town. Fairly cheap cover; drink prices are about average for the neighborhood. Be aware that they have New York’s nastiest men’s room: those disgusting troughs make the old Mars Bar seem spotless by comparison. Use the adjacent unisex stalls instead.
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Desmond’s Tavern OUT OF BUSINESS
433 Park Ave. S., Murray Hill
6 to 28th St.
Irish bar/greasepit restaurant which lasted for decades (Veronica Lake reputedly once worked there) with regularly scheduled live music in the back room. Drink prices grew beyond-the-pale expensive – we’re talking ten bucks for a bottle of Bud. The fratboy vibe reflected the presence of Baruch a few blocks away. The sound was pretty bad; it was never really set up to be a music venue. Nice staff, obnoxious door crew: not a great loss to the New York music scene.
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Dixon Place Theatre
161 Chrystie St. north of Delancey
J/M to Bowery or F to 2nd Ave.
Very little music anymore at this comfortable, recently reopened, often unexpectedly expensive black-box space. Before the lockdown there were frequent free singer-songwriter or jazz shows in the small bar/lounge just past the entrance. The sound isn’t much; chairs in back behind the bar and along the wall sometimes, which confounds people who come to see theatre here and can’t figure out where to go. Some but not all events here have ridiculous restrictions.
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Dizzy’s Club
Columbus Circle, 59th/Broadway on the 5th Fl.
Any train to Columbus Circle
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s main space is open again. The midnight shows are three times as expensive as they were before the lockdown.
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The Django
2 6th Ave. north of Canal
A/C/1 to Canal St.
Jazz Wednesday-Saturday in the basement of this eopened, swanky Eurotrash hotel with idiotic restrictions, and prices continuing to climb toward Blue Note extravagancy. Lots of Romany swing, vocalists, postbop and the occasional latin or salsa jazz act. Cover is typically $25. No restrictions on entry.
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Downtown Brooklyn Concerts
Corner of Willoughby and Pearl Sts., or Bond St. and the Fulton Mall
Any train to Borough Hall
Occasional free outdoor concerts series running June through August. Lots of funky, danceable acts, from Balkan brass to soca. This could be something really good by the time we get to 2022.
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Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe St. (Catherine/Market), Chinatown
Downtown like never before, about equidistant from the East Broadway (F train) and Canal St. (6/N/R/Q/M) stations. Comfortably lowlit, dingy, wonderfully eclectic downstairs record store – if the outer fringes of jazz are your thing, it’s next to impossible to walk out of here without buying something. Some of their frequent free early evening Sunday jazz improvisation shows have been moved to Saturdays at 2 at Oliver Coffee at the corner of St. James and Oliver, a few blocks north.
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***RATED BEST MANHATTAN VENUE 2009***
Drom
85 Ave. A between 5th and 6th Sts.
F to 2nd Ave. or J/M to Delancey, walk north.
One of Manhattan’s most romantic dinner spots is now the new Jazz Standard, bolstering its status as arguably New York’s most fearlessly eclectic venue. Among NYC clubs, few rank with these guys for diversity, in terms of booking. Starting in late July 2021, they’re booking A-list jazz, many artists from the now-defunct Jazz Standard stable, along with the club’s usual eclectic, global mix of sounds from the Middle East, to Asia, to Africa, to Latin America. The sound on the big stage in the back of this basement spot is outstanding. You enter through a foyer; down the hall is a long bar to your right, with the big, spacious stage and plenty of standing room to your left. There are also rows of booths in back, and a row of tables along the left wall. Drinks aren’t cheap (no draft beer), although their menu is delicious, and cheaper than you would think considering the lush, lowlit surroundings (the peppered eggplant spread that comes with the mezze plate is to die for). Cover depends on the act onstage: for jazz, it’s on par with or sometimes even cheaper than what it was at the Jazz Standard, with advance tickets at the club’s box office highly recommended for more popular acts. Nice waitstaff, a casual yet romantically old-world vibe, and no restrictions. A perennial contender for best Manhattan venue.
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The Dumbo Archway
Under the Manhattan Bridge, go downhill from the York St. subway exit on Jay St. and follow the sound
F to York St.
Occasional concerts here during the summer and early fall: swing, Americana, latin and even hip-hop has been featured here over the years in the stone space’s echoey sonics. Sometimes there’s a bar here, sometimes not.
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The Ear Inn
Spring St. between Washington St. and the highway, south side of the street
C/E to Spring St.
This place with the butcher paper and the crayons, where everybody draws on the tables, is open again but without much music. You’ve been there. Everyone has. It’s a NYC rite of passage, and this Revolutionary War-era landmarked building is a little oasis of normalcy way over on the west side far from SoHo Eurotrash hell. Beer is fairly cheap, they have decent bar food and live music that used to start late (midnight-ish) and go much later, even during the week. Country, blues, jazz mostly. Acts would play on a tiny stage to the right of the door as you walk in. The PA system is pretty primitive, so the sound is iffy, but this is the kind of place where if you’re still there in the wee hours, pretty much anything starts to sound good. The weekly Sunday hot jazz show hosted by trumpeter Jon Kellso and (usually) guitarist Matt Munisteri, a New York institution, has been moved to 1 PM, outdoors, weather depending.
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East Berlin
169 Ave. A (10th/11th Sts.)
L to 14th St.
The former Brownies and Hifi Bar space is now on its third name in as many years. Part of the Bowery Electric/Berlin axis, they discriminate against cash customers, gouging you extra at the door if you don’t buy tickets online. Tickets to a place this small – you really have to laugh,
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El Cortez OUT OF BUSINESS
17 Ingraham St (Bogart/Morgan), Bushwick
L to Morgan Ave
Mexican restaurant with a backroom and lots of different styles: punk, Americana, and the usual indie garbage, on and off – every time it seems they were going out of business, they started booking bands again. The lockdown killed them off for good.
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11th St. Bar
510 E 11th St. between Ave. A and B
L to 1st Ave.., or take the M14A bus which goes south on A.
Popular Midtown-style Irish bar in a strange location, a back street in the East Village. Drinks aren’t cheap, as you can expect, although the staff are very laid-back. Absolutely no hassles at the door, a pleasant change considering the neighborhood. Music is slowly returning here: before the lockdown, Tuesday through Thursday, singer-songwriters and bands would play through a recently much improved PA system in the back with the tables. The weekly Monday latin jam and Sunday Irish jam have also returned.
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Empty Circle Concerts DISCONTINUED
499 3rd Ave at 11th St, Gowanus
F/R to 4th Ave/9th St
Once a fairly regular series of jazz improvisation and other lively styles from across the folk music spectrum, and around the world. Not reviewed as of 2021. Seems to be out of business Sept 2022
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55 Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
55 Christopher St. between 6th and 7th Ave.
1 train to Christopher St. or A/B/C/D/E/F to W 4th St. and walk west
The small, low-ceilinged basement space where Jack Kerouac used to hold court sixty years ago was devastated by the lockdown; reopening with restrictions in 2021 didn’t help. Shuttered in 2022. RIP.
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Footlight Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
465 Seneca Ave (Himrod/Harmon), Ridgewood, Queens
L to Jefferson St.
Scruffy gentrifier bar with pricy microbrews and a big, cavernous, boomy back room where a mix of trendoid bands, free jazz acts and miscellaneous fauxhemians performed on the weekends. On one hand, it was cool that they’d book an afternoon-long program of jazz improvisation; on the other, it was hard to get to.
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***RATED BEST BROOKLYN VENUE 2014***
Freddy’s
627 5th Ave. at 17th Street, Park Slope/Sunset Park, Brooklyn
R to Prospect Ave. or F to 7th Ave and a ten-minute walk.
The bar that fought the good fight and finally lost to sleazeball developer Bruce Ratner’s land grab reopened in a new location, earned a lifetime achievement award for all they had to endure and overcome, and survive the lockdown. No music indoors at present (June 2021) but they have occasional impromptu performances outdoors. They brought the actual bar countertop from the old Pacific Yards space and reinstalled it here. The front room is somewhat nicer than at the old location, and Donald’s crazy, psychedelic video mashups still play on the tv over the bar. The back room is about the same size as at Pete’s and is more suited to acoustic acts than the loud rock that they used to have in the old downstairs room. As at the old location, there was music – which ran the gamut from Americana, jazz, the occasional Balkan band, rock, funk and singer-songwriters – although a lot of that was displaced by comedy and open mic nights. Same nice people, different place: stop in and enjoy a rare asshole-free oldschool NYC atmosphere with cheap beer, generous portions of diner food and maybe someday, some good tunes.
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Fridman Gallery
169 Bowery north of Delancey
J/M to Bowery
Occasional jazz, avant garde and ambient music. Cover usually $25 or considerably less. Lots of intriguing art here as well.
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Gallery MC
549 W 52nd St, 8th Floor (between 10th and 11th Ave)
C to 50th St.
Frequent edgy art and the occasional concert – jazz and Balkan music, mostly – at this 8th floor walk-up Macedonian arts center. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Gantry Plaza State Park
48th Ave. and the river, Long Island City
7 to Vernon-Jackson, take 48th Ave. straight to the river, or G to 21st/Van Alst, take 45th Ave. as far toward the water as you can and then make a left.
Surprisingly easy to get to, this little amphitheatre-like park is situated between the old crane gantries left behind when the Pepsi bottling plant was razed, and a complex of shoddy, hastily thrown up luxury condos across the street. The free, early evening concert series here from June through August is booked by the Queens Council for the Arts, which means a terrifically diverse mix of music from all over the world. You can see acts here who would otherwise cost you a hundred bucks at Lincoln Center. Bands play on the flagstones in the middle of the park, looking up at the audience who typically gather on the park steps facing the cranes and the water. The sound is iffy (the PA isn’t very powerful), but the breeze off the river is nice and once the sun goes down behind the skyscrapers across the water, it’s a lovely place to be. Bring a date but beware the Ubers shuttling between the luxury condos: they will run you down if you’re not careful.
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Ginny’s Supper Club OUT OF BUSINESS
310 Lenox Ave north of 125th St., in the basement under Red Rooster
B/D or 2/3 to 125th St.
Basement space: the staircase is on the right immediately after entering the restaurant. The setup is about twice the size of the Jazz Standard, with a big bar to your left as you enter, lots of tables in front. The sound isn’t anything special, drinks and food are pricy and the crowd tends to be a mix of blitzed locals and yappy European tourists. Which is too bad because the staff are nice and booking could be good here, a mix of trad, postbop and latin acts, and cover was relatively cheap, in the $15 neighborhood. Too bad nobody ever listened here.
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Gold Sounds
44 Wilson Ave (Melrose/George), Bushwick
L to Jefferson St. Take the Starr St. exit, go two blocks south to Wilson, then hang a right, it’s no more than a ten-minute walk
Sort of the deep Bushwick version of Alphaville. Prior to the lockdown, the better-quality, i.e. noisier and more guitar-oriented bands from the old Palisades scene, along with metal, punk and the occasional psychedelic band gravitated to this cozy former bodega backroom. The sound crew tried hard to get things right in the uninsulated, barewalled space. Cover was cheap (ten bucks or less), no Nazis guarding the door, nice people working here. Drinks weren’t cheap but they also weren’t insanely expensive like the rest of the gentrifier spots that until recently were popping up all over the hood.
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Greenpoint Gallery
390 McGuinness Blvd at Dupont, Greenpoint
G to Greenpoint Ave.
Frequent rock and jazz events here, often on Friday nights, and always free. Not reviewed as of 2021. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Yelena Grinberg’s Piano Salon
Intimate Upper West Side residential location less than five minutes from the 1/2/3 train at 96th St. (exit front of the train)
The elegant, fearlessly adventurous classical pianist and impresario is one of New York’s great champions of obscure classical and contemporary repertoire. Grinberg has wide-ranging, voracious taste in piano and chamber music and plays most of these semi-monthly, mostly Sunday and Wednesday shows in a comfortable space big enough to hold a few rows of folding chairs. If the idea of rare arrangements of famous (or unknown) symphonic works for small ensemble, unusual pairings like bassoon and harp, material you will literally hear nowhere else in New York, maybe even in this hemisphere, are your cup of tea, this is your place. An intimate alternative and refreshingly entertaining alterative to the stuffy classical rooms. Grinberg lives and breathes this music and is full of all kinds of colorful stories. And where else can you hear Beethoven on the mandolin?
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Groove
W 3rd St. and Thompson St.
A/B/C/D/E/F to W 4th St.
Homeless guys thrusting flyers in your face try to lure tourists into this recently reopened Israeli-owned bar with a stage in the back that caters mainly to an aging black crowd. Cover bands and the occasional funk act play on the stage at the back. Drinks aren’t cheap, the sound is lousy and loud and the staff are obnoxious. It’s hard to think of a reason why you’d ever want to go here, restrictions or not.
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Groove on Grove
NJ Path train to Grove St.
Until 2021, there was a weekly Wednesday outdoor free music series here, right at the exit of the Grove Street Path train station in Jersey City, an eclectic mix of rock, soul, funk and Americana. This year it seems that the space has reverted to a place for buskers rather than any kind of regular schedule of shows.
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Gussy’s Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
20-14 29th St (20th/21st Aves), Astoria
N/Q to Ditmars Blvd.
For years there was occasional rock, blues and metal at one of Astoria’s longest-running watering holes, victim of the lockdown.
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The Gutter
200 N 14th St. (Berry/Wythe), WilliamsburgL to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau Ave.
A predecessor of the Brooklyn Bowl, this slightly less upscale trendoid bowling alley has occasional music, an often excellent mix of punk, metal, garage, country and similar retro sounds on the weekend in the back room. Small bar in the back, a few stools along the walls, expensive drinks and surprisingly good sound on the makeshift stage. Cover is typically cheap, typically under $10;. In recent years the staff have suffered from tourist fatigue, and could be obnoxious.
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Happy Lucky No. 1 Gallery
734 Nostrand Ave at Park Place, Crown Heights
2/3/4/5 to Franklin Ave; A/C to Nostrand Ave
They were the Brooklyn outpost for the John Zorn empire for about a year before the lockdown. That killed them. RIP.
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Hart Bar
538 Hart St
(Bushwick/Evergreen), Bushwick
J to Myrtle Ave
Relatively new (2021) addition to the Bushwick rock scene. Cheap cover.
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Hill Country
30 W 26th St.
F to 23rd St.
Loud, touristy barbecue restaurant which pretty much got rid of the steady stream of Americana, honkytonk and bluegrass bands they booked for years on the big downstairs stage. The bar along the left wall is your best bet for seating: drinks are surprisingly a lot cheaper than the menu, although they don’t have draft beer. The staff are inobtrusive. Be aware that the place discriminates against cash customers, since discount advance tix, when they have them, are only available via credit card. Reopened but with no music Sept 2022
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Holo
1090 Wyckoff Ave.
Ridgewood, Queens
J/M to Myrtle-Wyckoff or L to Halsey St.
Gay meat market nights, electronic experimentation (and trust-fund kid self-indulgence), avant jazz, and a handful of intriguingly noisy abstract rock acts filter through here. They seem to have picked up some of the spillover from when Wonders of Nature closed. During the summer, there are frequent free outdoor shows here. Doesn’t seem to be any more music here Sept 2022
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Hungarian House
321 E 70th St. (1st/2nd Ave)
6 to 68th St.
Until March of 2020 there were frequent adventurous jazz, classical and wild traditional sounds, including some ferociously fun Romany dance bands, in the spacious upstairs auditorium here. Many shows were free; cover was usually cheap, no more than $15. Frequent movies and art exhibits too. Nice people working here. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Iridium
1650 Broadway, downstairs, just south of 51st. St.
B/D/F to Rockefeller Ctr.
Les Paul played a Monday residency here for the last decade of his life. Hard to believe this awful tourist trap managed to survive three locations and almost 25 years in business before succumbing to the lockdown…and then reopening!
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Issue Project Room
22 Boerum Place, downtown Brooklyn
2/3/4 to Borough Hall
After a long tenure in Gowanus and then a brief hiatus in Greenpoint, this well-loved avant garde and experimental music venue took over a truncated former theatre space in downtown Brooklyn, rows of folding chairs facing a makeshift stage. Their old custom-made, flying saucer-like speakers hanging from the ceiling were switched out for the stone-lined room’s great natural reverb. Many of the organization’s events were free; otherwise cover was typically $15 or under. Drinks were available, but this was never really a bar: people typically came to listen. The staff were pleasant and low-key, by comparison to the more pretentious contingent that would frequent the old space. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE – OCCASIONAL LIVESTREAMS
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Jack
18 Putnam Ave, Bed-Stuy
C to Franklin Ave
They relocated in 2019, only to be crushed by the lockdown. This cool radical theatre space is scheduled to reopen in late summer 2021. They had lots of excellent jazz improvisation and the occasional classical show at the old location; Pauline Oliveros played her very last NYC show there. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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The Jazz Standard OUT OF BUSINESS
116 E 27th St. east of Park Ave.
6 to 28th St.
The owners made a fortune booking top-echelon jazz and selling barbecue here, but the lockdown ruined everything. There were cracks in the facade by the time that happened: booking had taken a bit of a downturn, prices had risen, but the food was fantastic and so was the sound. RIP.
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Joe’s Pub
Lafayette St. just south of St. Mark’s Place, next to the Public Theatre (of which it is a part)
B/D/F to Broadway/Lafayette or 6 to Astor Place
Open again with no restrictions. In 2019 the vibe here was expensive, annoying waitstaff, you had to socially engineer getting out of the food/drink minimums, lousy sound, occasional good acts from around the world who are subsidized by their home governments playing here along with random jazz and rock-adjacent acts.
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The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
695 Park Ave at 68th St.
6 to 66th St.
Sonically excellent auditorium with tiered seating. Tix were available at the box office, concerts ranging from classical to jazz to the occasional global music act. The atmosphere was pretty chill and oldschool New York compared with the more shi-shi classical and jazz venues in town. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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The Kingsland OUT OF BUSINESS
269 Norman Ave, Greenpoint
G to Nassau St.
Ridiculously overpriced has-been emo bands, tourist pop acts and the occasional nostalgia punk tour passed through this Greenpoint spot, which absorbed some of the spillover from the late, lamented Grand Victory scene.
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The Kitchen
512 W 19th (10th/11th Ave.)
C/E to 23rd St. or L/A to 14th St. and a long walk north and west
Dance, film, art but not a whole lot of music in the years before the lockdown at this storied Chelsea avant garde black-box performance space. Tix weren’t overwhelmingly expensive, nice people running the place, diverse cultures and ethnicities represented here, and the sound in the surprisingly comfy auditorium was good. There was just less going on here than there used to be. Although that could be said for the city in general. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE – OCCASIONAL WEBCASTS
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The Knitting Factory OUT OF BUSINESS
361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Lorimer St., left on Metropolitan at Kellogg’s Diner, walk under the overpass, the club will be on the right across from the old Black Betty space
When this New York-based chain took over the second incarnation of Luna Lounge in 2007, they basically turned it into a bar. Keeping the big stage in the back, with only a third the standing room for customers, didn’t make much sense. Shuttered in 2022.
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The Knockdown Center
52-19 Flushing Ave, Maspeth, Queens
L to Jefferson St.; you have the option of a leisurely 20-minute walk north along Flushing Ave., or you can take your chances on the bus that stops at the corner of Flushing and Jefferson.
Huge, cavernous former doorframe factory originally repurposed for experimental theatre and the further reaches of indie classical and performance art. That turned out to be just a ruse to attract donations: it turned into a gay bar/disco. Ticket prices, as you would expect, went through the roof. The staff seemed friendly; the sonics weren’t nearly as boomy as you would expect, looking up at the beams way up in the ceiling. Reopened but not with anything interesting, musically or theatrically.
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The Korean Cultural Center
460 Park Ave. (57/58)
6 to 59th St.
Not a lot of events at the space here, although until recently this advocacy organization booked a lot of shows all over the five boroughs, an exciting mix of classical, jazz, rock and traditional sounds by natives as well as expats. For those not already in the know, Korean music is awesome and the South Korean government knows that, fiercely promoting their agenda all over town. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Lincoln Center
65th and Broadway
1 to 66th St.
All the halls are open again with no restrictions. Prices are higher. Lincoln Center Out of Doors sucked last year; we’ll see what 2023 holds if we get that far.
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61 W 62nd St. (across the street and a little south of the big main complex: enter on Broadway, middle of the block between 62nd and 63rd)
1/A/C/B/D to Columbus Circle
This has been where New York’s flagship cultural institution staged their most cutting-edge, relevant programming…and it’s all free. Regular, mostly-weekly 7:30 PM concerts encompass sounds from around the world in addition to classical and jazz acts. The space won best-venue-of-the-year status here a few years before the plandemic. Bands play on the stage in the middle of this long, rectangular, groundfloor space. It used to sell out a lot and drew some pretty amped crowds as well as neighborhood folks.
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Lincoln Square Park
At the triangle at 65th where Columbus crosses Broadway
This little patch of land used to be a junkie hangout back in the 90s but was cleaned up and through 2019 was home to weekly Wednesday noon shows in July and August under a little canopy on the north side. Some good bands passed through here: Americana, Balkan and jazz sounds.
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Littlefield
635 Sackett St. between 3rd and 4th Ave., Gowanus, Brooklyn
R to Union St. or F to 4th Ave., walk back in the direction of downtown Brooklyn; or if you’re up for a walk, it’s only about ten minutes downhill on 4th Ave. from the Atlantic Ave. station (use the 4th Ave. exit, not the one at BAM).
This gay bar swapped uptight, swanky, sonically superb digs around the corner for a roughhewn, barewalled former industrial space. Trouble is, they traded out the bad vibes for bad sound. Very little music here anymore. When they do, it tends to be eclectic, everything from Balkan brass to acoustic songwriters and the occasional rock band. This is the kind of venue you could sneak into if you really put your mind to it, Seems no more music Sept 2022
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Long Island City Bar
45-58 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City
G/7 to 21st St./Court House Square
This popular, laid-back local hangout has a long history of music on frequent weekday nights and also on the weekends, an impressively eclectic mix of singer-songwriters, rock and jazz acts more prominent than you would expect at this long-running Irish pub. Bands play on the little stage just around the corner past the end of the bar, with several tables nearby, or under the eaves of the backyard garage. The back courtyard with picnic tables is a popular local hang during the warmer months. No cover charge. The vibe is casual and friendly, drinks not overwhelmingly expensive and the crowd surprisingly diverse: this is a definite 99-percenter bar.
.***RATED BEST BROOKLYN VENUE 2019***
Lucky 13 Saloon
644 Sackett St. at 4th Ave, Gowanus
R to Union St.
Like St. Vitus on steroids. One of the real gems of oldschool NYC rock and a hotspot for heavy psychedelia, metal and punk for the last few years. Excellent sound in the backroom at this long, rectangular former industrial space in Gowanus, nice people working here, a shockingly laid-back, multicultural vibe and cheap drinks. Greasy food was also available; ten dollar pitchers of draft beer were a happy hour specialty. Bands on the weekend, with the occasional punk or hardcore matinee; cover never more than $15, often a lot less, sometimes free. All the best heavy NYC rock bands called this place home. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Made in New York Jazz Cafe & Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
155 5th Ave (Douglass/Degraw), Park Slope
R to Union Street and walk uphill
Russian-owned club that ambitiously tried to become the Jazz Standard of Park Slope and then was abruptly put out of business by a fire. Sad.
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Madison Square Park
north of 23rd St. at Broadway
N/R to 23rd St. or take the F or 6 and walk to Broadway
The free summer concert series here is back: in 2021 it’s all classical music. Unlike some NYC parks concerts, this is a very mellow scene: they don’t indiscriminately rope off half the park and cram the audience into a tiny space. Fun fact: since alcohol is sold in the park, it’s legal to drink here, regardless of the fact that you’re in public with an open container. The sound isn’t all that great, but you’ll probably be able to get pretty close to the stage. Over the years, they’ve moved the stage around and have featured some pretty big names. Mose Allison played here a couple of times, as did Christian McBride and Black Joe Lewis.
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Mama Tried
787 3rd Ave, Sunset Park
R to Prospect Ave
Outdoor shows at this new (2022) gentrifier bar/restaurant. Oldtimey swing, latin jazz, the occasional rock band. No cover; cheap drinks and relatively cheap food. Not reviewed yet.
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The Manhattan JCC
334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th St
1/2/3 to 72nd St.
Mostly movies, theatrical and literary events at this big multi-room space, although the occasional concerts here tend to be excellent: classical, jazz, klezmer, Balkan music, even Afrobeat. Shows once or twice a month, sometimes in the auditorium, sometimes on the roof. Food and drink frequently served at the rooftop parties; admission is always affordable, i.e. under $30, sometimes much more. Very family-friendly, comfortable place, nice people working here, a genuine oldschool neighborhood vibe. Reopened with restrictions and no music, but the staff here are clearly sick of them and can’t wait to get back to normal.
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Manhattan School of Music
120 Claremont Ave., Harlem: main entrance west of Broadway at 601 W 122nd St.
1 to 125th St.
Frequent free and cheap concerts – jazz, classical, funk and new music – featuring luminaries from across the musical spectrum along with the school’s talented ensembles. Two auditoriums and several music rooms here, all of them sonically excellent.
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The Market Hotel
1140 Myrtle Ave at Broadway, Bushwick
J/M to Myrtle Ave
After a long stint in South Williamsburg, this lo-fi space moved to Bushwick and has either successfully evaded the cops or actually obtained a liquor license. Also known for very rarely booking anything other than the most twee and sissified Bushwick indie bands. Not reviewed as of 2020 and not likely to be.
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Merkin Concert Hall
129 W. 67th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
1/9 to 66th St. or A/C/B/D to Columbus Circle and walk north
Alice Tully Hall Jr., essentially, affiliated with the adjacent music school. The auditorium has mostly classical music: the space is not suited to anything loud. On the pricy side. Advance tix at their box office, open Tues-Sat til 7, are highly recommended. Note that for shows where there is no assigned seating, early arrival is very highly recommended.
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Ave at 82nd St
6 to 86th St.
Gone: cheap admission, as little as a dime or a nickel, for New York City residents. Also gone: the occasional chamber or global music concerts in the galleries, along with the classical, ,jazz and other intriguing sounds in the plush Rogers Auditorium. All replaced with draconian New Abnormal restrictions and online-only ticketing. Not-so-fun fact: the Met, like many museums around the world, has been selling off its collections to hedge fund tycoons to pay the bills.
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Metrotech Park
At the end of Myrtle Ave. between Jay and Bridge Sts., downtown Brooklyn
F to Jay St. (rear exit if you’re coming from Manhattan) or 2/4 to Borough Hall
Located adjacent to scam developer Bruce Ratner’s first failed project and longtime home to an annual summer series of soul, reggae, blues, jazz and hip-hop shows booked by BAM. That’s gone, replaced by the occasional classical performance.
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Mezzrow
163 W 10th St. at 7th Ave. South, basement level, next door to its sister club Smalls
1 to Christopher St.
No restrictions. The people behind Smalls opened this long, swanky, rectangular basement space to book more popular acts who would typically play the Vanguard or Jazz Standard but want a place to work out new material in a duo or trio setting. Drinks and bar snacks are expensive; the sound is fantastic, service is low-key and unobtrusive. Fun fact: Mezzrow and Smalls offer a discount for cash customers: walk in for $25. Reopened without restrictions, they also have biweekly concert livestreams.
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Minton’s
206 W 118th St. (ACP Blvd./St. Nicholas Ave)
B/C to 116th St.
The many-times-renovated Harlem jazz shrine, where bebop was invented in the late 30s by the Ellington band, has made a career out of reopening again and again. Much of the same minor-league talent they were featuring before they closed abruptly in the summer of 2017 are filtering through again too, with post-lockdown prices that have gone through the roof: this is Manhattan’s most expensive jazz club, bar none. And a ripoff for what you get here.
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Mise-En Space
341 Calyer St., 2nd Fl, Greenpoint
G to Greenpoint Ave
Cozy former industrial loft and home to one of NYC’s most adventurous new-classical ensembles. The jazz concerts booked at the now-shuttered Arete Gallery were on track to be moved here after the lockdown. Snacks and drinks were sometimes available; good programming from good people. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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Muchmore’s OUT OF BUSINESS
2 Havemeyer St. just off McCarren Park, Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave.
This gritty lo-fi space was a lot like the old Black Betty, more reflective of neighborhood diversity than most of the other Williamsburg spaces. Victim of the lockdown: RIP.
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The Museum of Chinese in America OUT OF BUSINESS
215 Centre St. (Howard/Grand), Chinatown
6 to Canal St.
Reopened after a fire at the end of January, 2020, but with exhibits that reinforce New Abnormal lies about the need for lockdowns, ad nauseum. Chinese communists at work, or just the Gates Foundation/World Economic Forum axis of evil? Sad.
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Museum of Modern Art
53rd between 5th and 6th
F to 53rd/5th Ave.; B/D/F to Rockefeller Ctr.; 6 to 51st
For years, insiders knew that the steep “suggested donation” did not apply to New York residents and that we could name our price. Too bad that’s gone, along with the movies, the long-running Summergarden classical series and occasional rock or even hip-hop show. New Abnormal restrictions are the rule not: cash customers are not allowed in, you can’t hang in the galleries for as long as you like, and there are all sorts of other restrictions. And the collections are being sold off to speculators to pay the bills.
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Museum of the City of New York
1220 5th Avenue at 103rd St.
6 to 103rd St.
Along with some of the most fascinating historical exhibits anywhere in town, they have occasional concerts in the basement auditorium: classical, jazz and world music. Free admission for upper eastsiders living or working north of 103rd St. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.
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The Music Hall of Williamsburg
N 6th St. between Wythe and Kent, next door to the old Galapagos space, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Bedford Ave.
Not clear if there are restrictions – and frequent bait-and-switch ticket scams The former Northsix space was taken over by the Bowery Ballroom empire, who did a good job and then spun it off to corporate giant AEG. Mostly corporate pop, instagram sensations riding their fifteen minutes of fame, and lame indie acts too smalltime to play Bowery Ballroom have been booked here in recent years. Plus, the door staff have been a nightmare, to rival the gauntlet at Brooklyn Bowl. High ceilings, decent sound, expensive drinks in a room about half the size of Bowery Ballroom. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Naumburg Bandshell
In the middle of Central Park, south of the bathrooms and west of the Summerstage arena
C to 72nd St; 6 to 66th St
Bandshell concerts are back for 2021, with no restrictions! The series of summer classical and new-music shows begins at around 7:30 and you’d better get there an hour early if you want a seat. Some of NYC’s best ensembles make regular appearances here; it can be a charmingly oldschool experience. The shade from the trees overhead and the mid-park breezes keep the space surprisingly cool in the early evening; just keep an eye out for divebombing bats.
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New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
1 Center St., Newark
Path or NJ Transit train to Penn Station/Newark and about an eight-block walk.
Plush, comfortable auditorium just a five minute walk from the Path train, with fewer and fewer concerts and draconian restrictions. Over the years, it’s been sort of a Town Hall Junior: pricy tix, but an easygoing, helpful staff. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the rest of the programming has been more corporate and less sophisticated than what you would find at the big midtown Manhattan concert halls.
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New York City Parks Concerts
The Parks Dept. has created this incredibly useful citywide concert page, indispensable in the summertime.
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The NY Klezmer Series
These wandering Jews wandered, and wandered, and wandered: from the Sixth St. Synagogue, to the Upper West, to Red Hook and were most recently headquartered back in the East Village at Town & Village Social Hall, 334 E 14th St. (between 1st & 2nd Ave.) Brilliant drummer Aaron Alexander hosted this killer weekly klezmer series and then handed booking over to clarinet wizard Michael Winograd. Cover was $15 for the show starting at 8, with dance and music workshops available as well, plus a package deal for the entire evening for extra money. Over the years, they brought in a global cast of talent, klezmer being the loosely connecting thread among the many jazz, rock, classical and folk artists from the Jewish diaspora in Alexander’s deep address book. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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They’re back at Lincoln Center. No restrictions. WEBCASTS AND LIVESTREAMS
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Niagara
the club’s website is useless and never updated
112 Ave. A (southeast corner of E 7th St
Closest train is actually the F to 2nd Ave.
In the months before the lockdown, the loud little upstairs backroom had music off and on, picking up some of the spillover of the rock acts left homeless when Hank’s closed, as well as some of the spastic/autistic open mic crowd who used to hang out at Sidewalk, and the Lady Gag wannabes who’d play the Rockwood if they could but didn’t have the social numbers. No more music here; it remains to be seen how much of a weekend bridge-and-tunnel fratboy scene will remain, or if a local contingent will gravitate here.
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The 92nd St. Y
92nd St and Lexington Ave.
6 to 86th St.
Classical and occasional jazz here. Open again with no restrictions. Pricy AF. Two rooms, the big auditorium and the smaller side room for chamber music.
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Nublu 151
151 Ave C bet. 9th and 10th St.
L to 14th St. or take the M14A bus w hich stops about a block away
Open again with outrageous cover, considering the dumpy location and lack of standing room – Turkish sax legend Ilhan Ersahin’s original shady, lowlit den of trippy jazzy sounds between 4th and 5th finally bit the dust during the lockdown. Its infinitely swankier sister bar up the block at 151 Ave. C is less cash-friendly and has reopened. As at the old digs, things start late and go way later. The stage is on the center of the ground floor, with a balcony, bar and benches up the stairs on the right. Drinks are ridiculously expensive but the sound is good and the music often is as well, a mix of jazz, hip-hop, Middle Eastern sounds and clubby electronic stuff. Before the lockdown, it was drawing a much more affluent crowd, no great surprise.
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Nuyorican Poets Cafe
263 E 3rd St. between Ave. B and C
F to 2nd Ave.
This friendly, socially conscious neighborhood institution, home to all kinds of latin sounds, hip-hop and some excellent jazz, was shuttered in the wake of the death of founder Miguel Algarin and seems unlikely to reopen. Sad.
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The Old Stone House
In the middle of little Byrne Park, bordered by Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Third and Fourth Streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn
R to Union St. or any train to Atlantic Ave. and about a 10 minute walk
Muzzle restrictions – Reconstruction of a 1699 Dutch farmhouse that served as a pivotal site during the Battle of Brooklyn and was eventually razed in 1890. Kind of small and quaint with occasional jazz, classical or folk concerts on the weekend, outdoors these days. When it’s open, it’s relatively cheap cover (under $15 usually), wine and pricy snacks are available. Seats get taken quickly by the oldtimers and neighborhood people.
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1 Rivington St.
Southeast corner, 2nd floor, off Bowery
J/M to Bowery or F to 2nd Ave.
Indie classical group Metropolis Ensemble‘s cozy home base used to have frequent shows featuring work by a global cast of new and emerging composers. Lots of exciting stuff was happening here. The door is unmarked; the little auditorium with folding chairs is on the second floor to the left. Most events were in the $10-20 area; the space was known for its very unpretentious vibe. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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Otto’s Shrunken Head
14th St. just west of Ave. B, south side of the street
L to 1st Ave. or 4/6/N/R to Union Square and walk east or take the M14 bus to Ave. B
Before the lockdown, Otto’s ran hot and cold. During the week, it could be a good cheap afterwork bar populated by neighborhood people and old punks left over from the Continental scene. On the weekends, it could be hell, packed with fratboys swilling the bar’s expensive tiki drinks. The door crew used an ID scanner mercilessly on pretty much everybody under 40. There have been stirrings around the place and it seems the bar is open again with no restrictions
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Our Savior’s Atonement
178 Bennett Ave at 189th St., Washington Heights
A to 190th St.
Early 1920s era woodframe church with monthly concerts, mostly classical. Some free, some have a $25 cover. Interesting programming.
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Our Wicked Lady
153 Morgan Ave at Meserole St., Bushwick
Theoretically, L to Morgan Ave
This scruffy, barewalled bar just steps from the Morgan stop unexpectedly reopened in the spring of 2021 and since then has hosted the occasional good loud rock show. All kinds of sounds here: metal, punk and postpunk, indie rock, even singer-songwriters, with frequent rooftop shows. They’ve picked up some of the best acts who in years past would have played St. Vitus, the Mercury or the Rockwood, Cover is cheap; drinks are not, but most importantly, there are no restrictions.
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The Owl
487 Rogers Ave at Midwood St., Lefferts Gardens
2/5 to to President or Winthrop St
Oren Bloedow’s magically lowlit, Lynchian venue had a great run booking the kind of edgy jazz and Americana acts who made Tonic such a happening place back in the 90s and zeros. It was sort of Lunatico relocated to Prospect Lefferts Gardens, an instant contender for best Brooklyn venue with a beautiful concert grand piano.
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Paddy Reilly’s
519 2nd Ave. at 29th St.
6 to 33rd St.
The most raucous Irish music bar in town has reopened. No word on restrictions or the extent that shows will return to this legendary spot where Black 47 ruled for so many years.. Stay tuned
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Pangea
178 2nd Ave (11/12 Sts)
R to 8th St. or any train to Union Square
In an era where Manhattan venues are gouging customers every which way in a desperate struggle to survive, this long-running Mediterranean restaurant has been a genuinely supportive space for artists in their cozy, sonically exquisite back room. Booking is eclectic and focused around their grand piano, from art-rock, to jazz, to cabaret, to theatre and frequent gay acts. The menu is not cheap but the food is good: appetizers are especially recommended. The staff are very friendly and laid-back: everybody, even the guys in the kitchen, seem to be having a great time here. Otherworldly chanteuse Carol Lipnik‘s monthly residency is legendary. Cover might seem intimidating, but if you’re in the know (hint: talk to the artist who’s playing here), there’s always a discount, often a real bargain. The lowlit ambience and convivial atmosphere make this an ideal date spot.
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Paris Blues Bar
2021 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd at 121st St.
closest train is actually the 2/3 to 116th St.
Scruffy old 60s style jazz lounge whose octogenarian proprietor probably hasn’t done a single renovation since about that time. A vestige of the hardscrabble neighborhood crowd who haven’t yet been priced out by the yuppies jostles at the bar with rich white kids who’ve convinced their parents to let them go slumming in the hood. Cover is cheap if there is one; drinks aren’t super cheap but they aren’t yuppie-expensive either. If you’re not a regular, you may be treated with suspicion: considering how badly devastated the area has become, that’s understandable. A rotating cast of hard funk, Chicago blues and postbop jazz talent play weekly residencies here. A time capsule of how vital Harlem was during an era when absolutely no money was coming in other from people who decided to make this place part of a genuine community.
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Park Church Coop
129 Russell St. (Nassau/Driggs), Greenpont
G to Nassau Ave
The church basement has been many things: enterprising indie classical spot, meditative ambient space, punk rock hideaway. The church fathers would sometimes rent it out to scuzzy promoters like the Poisson Rouge, who used the spot as a venue of last resort if they couldn’t sell enough tickets to a place like Union Pool. Lately they’ve been scheduling a sporadic series of classical and acoustic rock acts, some of them in McGoldrick Park down the block. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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Parkside Lounge
Houston and Attorney Sts.
F to 2nd Ave.
Old-school LES bar with a music room in the back. The sound is erratic; it can be pristine one night, and awful the next, depending on who’s working the board, if anybody. The crowd at the bar is surprisingly mixed: since it’s so far east, it tends to draw locals who’ve been driven away from the Ludlow Street strip by the tourists. Beer is fairly cheap but everything else isn’t. There are door personnel on the weekend, but they’ll let you in without carding you if you’re obviously of age. Not much music here in 2022.
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Pianos OUT OF BUSINESS
Ludlow between Stanton and Rivington, east side of the street just north of the Living Room
F to 2nd Ave.
Usually it’s sad to see a venue go, but this hellhole couldn’t have shut their doors too soon, lockdown or no lockdown. Fratboys and powder drugs, an ugly combination.
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Pier One
70th St. and the river, upper westside: walk down the stairs at Riverside and 68th St.
1/2/9 or A/C to 72nd St.
Occasional free summer concerts – a diverse mix of sounds from around the globe, many of them very danceable – at this former shipping pier on the Hudson. The annual Main Squeeze Accordion Festival was held here for several years. The rows of plastic chairs on the pier itself get taken quickly by the locals; you may want to hang on land, just out of reach of the scorching sunset.
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Pioneer Works
159 Pioneer Street (Imlay & Conover), Red Hook
The B61 bus – which you can catch outside Sahadi’s, or on Court St. before it gets to Atlantic Ave – will drop you off about a block and a half away.
Big, cavernous multi-purpose art/music space which has reopened but with restrictions and little music. A big hit with the locals when it first opened Otherwise, the Silicon Valley slavers, with their computer nerd seminars and such, have moved in, along with trendoid promoters booking shows by the likes of Bon Iver for ten thousand dollars a ticket, that sort of thing. Which makes sense, considering that the venue often gouges cash customers, a shameful practice considering that they’re just a couple of blocks away from the projects. Muzzle restrictions might be a problem Sept 2022
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Prospect Park Bandshell
Prospect Park West at 9th St., Park Slope, Brooklyn
F to 7th Ave. and walk uphill on 9th St., the entrance will be on your left. Accessible via other trains, but as you walk through the park you will realize how large and difficult to negotiate it is.
This space has been through good times and bad and 2021 was the worst of all of them. There was a time when local mobsters would take over the entrance gates and extort cash from anyone who wanted to get in, then somebody stepped in and cleaned up that mess. For awhile it was impossible to get in unless you got here early, then booking improved and crowd control policy loosened. Just as at Central Park Summerstage, the game plan seemed obviously to be to eliminate the free shows and to turn the space into a ridiculously overpriced Live Nation venue. The free shows are back this year, but most of the acts are putrid corporate pop. And there are restrictions: you can’t even bring in food! Your best bet, if you’re curious, is to linger on the fringes or behind the back fence.
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Public Records
23 Butler St., Gowanus
any train to Atlantic Ave, walk downhill on 4th Ave, right on Butler
Before the lockdown, this garishly renovated former guitar repair shop space seemed to be targeting a gay out-of-state stoner contingent. Some of the quieter electronic acts you’d find at, say, Holo or Troost passed through. Too bad they got rid of the jazz, which was excellent. And now there’s no music at all. Reopened but with no music
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Purgatory
675 Central Ave. across from Evergreen Cemetery, Ridgewood
L to Wilson Ave
New (2022) indie rock venue in an old bank building. Cover is on the expensive side
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Queens Theatre in the Park
In the middle of Corona Park, across the street from where Shea Stadium used to be, past the tennis stadium and the Globosphere.
7 to Shea Stadium/Willets Point and no more than a ten minute walk: go back in the direction the Manhattan-bound trains are running, cross the street and take your first accessible left.
It’s been years since the comfortable black-box amphitheatre space here was used for music. The museum would occasionally stage folk music shows outdoor during the summer. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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Radegast Hall & Biergarten
113 N 3 Street, corner of Berry, Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave.
The original Williamsburg beer garden, a pretty big place, no longer has music. And that’s sad, because it could be excellent: all kinds of brass bands plus Romany and swing jazz and dixieland. Expensive bratwursts and pretzels, big wooden booths, huge mugs of excellent Eastern European beer, yuppie puppies everywhere and a big back garden where the bands used to play.
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Riis Park Beach Bazaar
16702 Rockaway Beach Blvd
Fastest way to get there is actually the ferry which leaves from Pier 11 on the East River near South St. Seaport and stops in Sunset Park on the way, for the price of a subway ride
Weekly early afternoon and early evening free concerts with appropriately beachy music – surf rock, rockabilly and tropical psychedelia – at this popular Rockaways spot. No restrictions.
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Back in the day this was one of the funnest things you can do during the warmer months, taking a leisurely boat ride around the Statue of Liberty and back while punk reggae or cumbia bands played. Currently on hiatus and not likely to be revived. Sad.
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Rockwood Music Hall
Allen St. just south of Houston, east side of the street south of the overpriced pizza place
F to 2nd Ave.
The decline of the Rockwood, from NYC’s best and best-sounding room for songwriters and quieter rock acts, to stuffy, ridiculously overpriced Jersey tourist trap, mirrors how the neighborhood has gone to hell. When the original, small Rockwood room opened in 2005, it was the little engine that could, booking more adventurous acts than any similar venue. For that reason, the high prices on drinks could be overlooked, especially as the place was so small and there was no cover charge. But as the yuppie puppy blitzkrieg took over the area, the music went in a corporate direction, mostly clueless kids from out of state hoping for a big record label or a reality tv show to catapult them to stardom. The original small room is closed; the big downstairs room and the ratty basement space have reopened, with increasingly expensive cover charges and just a couple of shows a night. Much as both rooms are open without restrictions, management warns that some future shows may have apartheid for those who haven’t taken the needle of death.
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Rough Trade OUT OF BUSINESS
64 N 9th St. (Wythe/Kent), Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave.
It actually wasn’t the outrageously high prices on vinyl that killed the world’s highest-ceilinged record store: it was the lockdown.
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Roulette
509 Atlantic Ave. at 3rd Ave. (across the street from the old Hank’s space), Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Any train to Atlantic Ave.
This huge old renovated theatre space became Brooklyn’s avant garde and indie classical central when they moved from SoHo in the late zeros. Their archive of thousands of live performances since the 80s is legendary. Reopened without restrictions Sept 2022.
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Rubin Museum of Art
150 W 17th St east of 7th Ave.
1 to 18th St. or any train to 14th St.
Muzzle restrictions Sept 2022 Himalayan art museum which used to have frequent jazz, Indian music and occasional classical shows in the sonically accommodating, comfortable midsize basement auditorium. Reopened, with draconian restrictions and no music.
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Rubulad
Various locations over the years: the latest is in central Bushwick
New York’s longest-running underground multimedia extravaganza/Burning Man clusterfuck closed its doors in 2020 after almost a quarter century of magic mushrooms, lukewarm keg beer and smelly bodies. And then unexpectedly reopened on the odd weekend. No restrictions, email for deets/cover charge.
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St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral
Park Ave. north of 50th St.
6 to 53rd St.
Frequent classical concerts in the vast sonics here over the years, and possibly again in the near future, but not now. The organ is one of the world’s most powerful and boasts a ferocious trumpet stop hidden way up in the rafters. Until early 2020, Gotham Early Music Society hosted a fascinating series of weekly, free baroque and pre-baroque chamber concerts on Thursdays at 1:15 in the adjacent chapel from early fall to late spring.
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St. Mazie’s
345 Grand St. between Havemeyer and the BQE, Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave.
The old Rose Bar space has reinvented itself as Ginny’s Supper Club East: daunting cover charges to see the same parade of oldtimey and swing bands you used to see at Radegast Hall and Sunny’s for free before the lockdown. This location, where Grand deadends into the BQE, has been problematic and it’s surprising the little bar has lasted there as long as it has..
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St. Patrick’s Cathedral
5th Ave. between 50th and 51st St.
E to 53rd St. or B/D/F to Rockefeller Center
One of the local television stations once aired an alarmist piece about germs on door handles. One of the doors tested happened to be right here at the church, and for some mysterious reason – you be the judge – it turned out to be the only one in town that was completely germ-free. So why isn’t there music here again? Obviously nobody is paying attention to divine intervention at the “world’s most famous U.S. gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral,” as they bill themselves. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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St. Vitus Bar
1120 Manhattan Ave. (Box/Clay), Greenpoint
G to Greenpoint Ave. or a long walk from the Bedford Ave. L stop
New York’s home for heavy rock is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2021: raise your forefinger and pinky to that. A perennial contender for best venue in town: before the lockdown, they had a dimlit bar with a good, cheap happy hour, relatively small room (about the same size as Gold Sounds) in back. The sound is excellent and LOUD as you would expect, considering who’s played here, a diverse and frequently excellent mix of stoner rock, doom metal, art-rock, darkwave and all sorts of hardcore and death-metal acts along with infrequent Bushwick sissy-rock acts. Cover was relatively cheap, around $10, except for the occasional pricier national or international touring act. The staff are easygoing and laid back although the door crew had battle fatigue from having to deal with indie boys and tourists.
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San Pedro Inn
320 Van Brunt St (corner of Pioneer), Red Hook
The B61 bus stops across the street; otherwise a 15-minute walk from the Carroll St. F station
New bar with killer jazz – some big names filtering through here. Not reviewed as of 2021 but word on the street is that this is a cool place.
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Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave north of 37th St.
Closest train is the 6 to 33rd St.
Muzzle restrictions Sept 2022 – The sonically excellent downstairs auditorium at this Nordic arts center has had all sorts of adventurous programming: classical, jazz and the avant garde, as well as movies and art exhibitions over the years. Cover was typically cheap, considering the quality of the ensembles from across the Scandinavian nations, many of whom made their US debuts here. Nice people working here, good sound and the occasional art opening or free folk music performance The upstairs restaurant has gravlax, aquavit and other specialties from the lands of the midnight sun
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The Schimmel Center OUT OF BUSINESS
3 Spruce St. (Gold/Park Row), Financial District
J/6 to City Hall; 2 to Park Place
Pace University’s comfortable auditorium was once home to a fantastic free series of concerts with music from around the globe. It grew very bland and very expensive in the teens and never reopened to the public after the lockdown
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Scratcher Bar
no website
209 E 5th St. (Bowery/2nd Ave)
6 to Astor Place
Comfortable oldschool neighborhood Irish watering hole with weekly 7 PM Sunday acoustic shows on the little stage to the right of the stairs as you walk in, a wide range of acts from Celtic to folk noir sounds and once in awhile, a really great twinbill. It’s a pass-the-hat situation. Drinks are cheaper than the midtown Irish pubs, nice people working here, and the crowd comes to listen. Good to see a popular neighborhood spot open again with no restrictions.
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Secret Project Robot OUT OF BUSINESS
1186 Broadway, Bushwick
J/M to Kosciuszko St.
Shuttered at the end of April, 2019 after a move from their first Williamsburg digs to Bushwick.
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Seeds
617 Vanderbilt Ave., Ft. Greene
about equidistant from the 2/3 at Bergen (walk uphill), the A/C to Clinton-Washington or the Atlantic Ave trains
Jazz in the front room – an enclosed front porch, more or less – at a private home, with a revitalized and expanded series of shows that ended with the lockdown. Steve Coleman used this as a live rehearsal room for years; others from his circle and beyond basicallly do the same thing. Most shows at 8:30 PM; cover has risen to $15 now. Lots of first-class talent passing through here at the moment, including lots of the old Stone/Tonic crowd. Drinks may or may not be available; the owners are friendly. A welcome alternative to the extortionistic Manhattan venues. Very few shows here anymore.
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Shea Stadium OUT OF BUSINESS
20 Meadow St. between Stagg and Bogart, Bushwick, Brooklyn
L to Grand St.
Props to the crew here for memorializing what may have been a dump – although it was OUR dump. And now, like the baseball stadium, it’s gone, shuttered in early 2017. It would be fitting if the next group to move into this old industrial loft space named their new digs Shitty Field – and ripped a gaping hole in the roof. No word if the old owners’ huge online archive of live performances will remain online.
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The Shed
545 W 30th St (10th/11th Aves)
Closest train is the 7 to the end of the line at 34th.
Located in that sick, surreal, hyper-rich Legoland monstrosity and run by Eurotrash, this new venue is trying to be the Hell’s Kitchen counterpart to National Sawdust. While they seem to be making a token effort to include ethnic minorities in their programming, ticket prices are obscenely expensive, among the priciest in the five boroughs. Not reviewed as of 2021, not likely to be. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
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The Sheen Center
18 Bleecker St west of Bowery
6/B/D/F to Broadway-Lafayette
Classical, jazz and occasional latin music a few times a month in this comfortable basement-level auditorium, a little bigger than the Cell Theatre. TIx are on the pricy side; the staff are pleasant.
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***RATED BEST MANHATTAN VENUE 2011***
Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (133-134 St)
B/2/3 to 135th St.
For awhile this scruffy storefront restaurant/bar/club, just three blocks from the train, was where good acts from out of town who don’t fit the number-crunching datamining club booking model would end up playing. Sounds from across the African diaspora, hip-hop and funk were also big here. Things went downhill from there, although as the rest of the city fell victim to gentrification, some unexpectedly good rock, jazz and psychedelic acts would pass through here. They’re open again, with just a single show a night.
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Silvana
300 W. 116th St
D to 116th St.
The folks at Shrine further uptown saved their dough and opened this much more shi-shi basement-level sitdown bar and grill to cash in on the yuppies who’re destroying the neighborhood. This was where they put the more singer-songwritery and less energetic acts who wouldoccasionally pop up at Shrine, along with random jazz or African sounds. Expensive, loud and crowded as the night goes on: absolutely nobody listens here.
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68 Jay St. Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
68 Jay St., Dumbo, Brooklyn
F to York St.; walk downhill, the bar will be on your left at the corner of Water
Sad to see this place destroyed by the lockdown, It was a throwback to another, vastly more pleasant era when the streets down here were strictly for the adventurous and the down-and-out. Some of New York’s best and most popular Americana acts got their start here. RIP
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Skinny Dennis
152 Metropolitan Ave. at Berry St., Williamsburg
L to Bedford Ave
Crowded, noisy Williamsburg corner bar which could be in the white part of Atlanta. Country bands tucked into the northwest corner of the space play mostly covers Surprisingly good sound, no cover, and a lot of really talented original honkytonk-ish acts pass through here along with what’s left from the old Hank’s and Jalopy scenes. Noisy meat market crowd, drink prices a little cheaper than the surrounding shi-shi spots, and a hostile and attitudinous door crew, but at least there are no restrictions.
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Smalls
183 W 10th St. just west of 7th Ave. S, north side of the street
1/9 to Christopher St.; A/C/E/B/D/F to W 4th St. and walk west
No restrictions; $25 cash cover at the door, discounted from the $40 it will cost you electronically. This lovable basement-level dump is iconic as New York’s postbop jazz central, and for its wildly popular late-night jam when some of the biggest names in the world show up after hours. Even better,, you get a cash discount: cover is $25 for those just walking in from off the street. A lot of familiar faces make this place their home when they’re not on the road. The sound here is much better than you would expect from the junk-shop decor – several live albums have been recorded here. Drinks are as pricy as you would expect; the staff are casual and pleasant. Early arrival is always a good idea because this place sells out frequently, especially for the after-hours jam which predictably draws a lot of A-list talent. frequent livestreams.
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Smoke
2751 Broadway (105/106)
1/9 or C to 103rd St.
More intimate than Birdland, this surprisingly friendly, swanky south Harlem dinner spot is a little bigger than Smalls, with excellent sound and a rotating cast of good postbop jazz acts who ceased to rotate when the place closed in March of 2020.. Reopened fall 2022 with ridiculous door charge and prix-fixe menu.
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Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City
N to Broadway and about a 12-block walk,
This popular waterfront hangout spot with a trippy vibe akin to the East Village gardens of the 80s no longer has music.
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SOB’s
204 Varick St. at Houston
1 to Houston St. or any train to W 4th St., walk south and west
An expensive SoHo fixture on the west side for decades which has yet to reopen. “Sounds of Brazil” has booked a lot more than samba and bossa nova over the years: there’s been plenty of salsa, reggae, hip-hop and corporate urban pop on the big stage as well. Noteworthy for having a pleasant door crew in a neighborhood where that is an anomaly, and excellent sound. The club’s one drawback is that sometimes there’s’ not enough standing room (there’s an expensive minimum at tables, and the food isn’t very good) and the small nook of a bar area right at the entrance gets completely jammed up Back in the day Gil Scott-Heron played an annual Martin Luther King Day show here, so there’s some history here: it would be sad to lose this place. Restriction situation unclear Sept 2022
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Soup & Sound
292 Lefferts Ave (Nostrand/Rogers), Crown Heights
2 to Sterling St
For the past few years, drummer Andrew Drury has programmed this adventurous improvisational jazz series, on the second floor of a ramshackle woodframe house. Traditionally, a donation would get you soup and potluck and maybe wine, and first-class sparring among an international cast of jazz musicians. Akin to the Seeds series in Fort Greene, but less composition-centric and with much better ventilation. CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
South House OUT OF BUSINESS
149 Newark Ave., Jersey City
About a block and a half from the Grove St. Path station
BBQ restaurant with soul and funk music, some of it awesome. Black Joe Lewis played here once. And now they’re gone, consequence of the lockdown.
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Sovereign OUT OF BUSINESS
173 Morgan Ave. (Scholes/Stagg), Williamsburg
L to Grand St.
Impromptu venue under a tent opened in 2022 and didn’t last the year.
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Subculture OUT OF BUSINESS
45 Bleecker St. at Lafayette
B/D/6 to Broadway-Lafayette
A cynic would say that this sonically pristine, lavishly decorated basement-level space, downstairs from the Culture Project Theatre (hence the name) was always going in and out of business. The lockdown killed them for real. Sad, because it could have been a great jazz and classical room.
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The Sultan Room
234 Starr St.(Wyckoff/Irving), Bushwick
L to Jefferson St.
Upscale Turkish kebab place ocated just down the block from Starr Bar, there’s music in the back room and occasionally on the roof in the warmer months: rock, Afrobeat, even the occasional John Zorn jazz night. On the pricy side.
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Sunny’s
253 Conover St., Red Hook
B61 bus (which you can pick up on Fulton St. or Atlantic Ave. in front of Damascus Bakery) to Beard St. (next to last stop; ask the driver).; walk 1 block, opposite direction of bus, to Conover St., take a left, it’s in the middle of the block.
Semi-legendary little Red Hook neighborhood watering hole which doesn’t have seemed to have changed much since its decades as a real-life speakeasy. They’ve always had frequent live music, mostly Americana roots and most of it pretty good. Their local crowd in recent years became mixed with gentrifiers who can afford the $30 car service back to Bushwick – although the cash-only policy kept most of them out. Not much of a stage or a PA system, but it’s a party atmosphere and it’s contagious. Really nice people run this place and have reopened without restrictions.
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Teatro Latea
107 Suffolk St. south of Rivington
F/J/M to Delancey St.
This is the performance space at the Clemente Soto Velez community center with a makeshift gallery and occasional ambitious jazz, emphasis on improvisation and latin styles. The free jazz tended to be sprawling, multi-band bills; the more accessible stuff is usually just one act playing a long set.
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The Tenri Institute
43A W 13th St. east of 6th Ave.
F to 14th St.
Japanese-owned classical room for hire, like the DiMenna Center but smaller. The owners don’t do much in the way of helping spread the word about who plays here. The sound is decent and some of the acts who pass through here – the Momenta Quartet, who’ve hosted their annual festival here more than once – are fantastic. Ticket prices depend on the artist, some very affordable, some ridiculously expensive,. Drinks and snacks may or may not be available.
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Terminal 5
610 W. 56th St.
B/D/E to 53rd St./7th Ave. or B/D/1 to Columbus Circle and a long walk west either way
Very little music here anymore – restriction situation unclear Sept 2022 – Philly’s Theatre of the Living Arts transported to NYC, reopening in September 2021.. A little bigger than Bowery Ballroom, with a similar layout: a couple of balconies with tables, big stage on the right as you walk in, and plenty of floor space. Booking encompasses the same type of acts who used to play the old Roseland, i.e. those not big enough to fill Madison Square Garden, which these days means a lot of lame EDM and sissy pop. No word on what restrictions you may have to avoid.
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Terra Blues
Bleecker between LaGuardia and Thompson, north side of the street, upstairs
A/C/E/B/D/F to West 4th St., take the exit on the south side
One of New York’s only two remaining blues bars has terrific sound, expensive cover considering what you get (old guys phoning in Chicago-style standards, with the occasional oldtimey swing or country-blues act) and pricy drinks. Usually it’s the same lame Clapton wannabes playing here week after week, but sometimes they’ll have some really good acts (Hazmat Modine frequently plays here on the weekends). Considering the neighborhood, the staff are surprisingly friendly. Tables up front with waitress service; bar straight ahead of you as you walk in. Take a seat along the rail on your far right, along the wall, if you don’t feel like drinking: usually, you’ll be left alone.
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Terraza 7
40-19 Gleane St, Queens,
7 train to 90th St/Elmhurst
All sorts of traditional and cutting-edge sounds from south of the border, much of it jazz, at this long-running populist hotspot which was the first New York venue to officially reopen without restrictions. Cheap cover (typically $10) and very popular with a neighborhood crowd. Many monthly residencies, from bi band jazz to cumbia to psychedelic rock.
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Third Street Music School Settlement
235 E 11th St (2nd/3rd Ave)
L to 3rd Ave.
The outdoor free summertime Thursday lunchtime concert series at St. Marks Park at Second Ave. and 9th St., is all this longtime music school is booking right now. Known in the neighborhood for their free classical concerts on frequent Friday evenings during the school year, usually at 7:30 PM in the comfy first floor auditorium with a few rows of chairs as well as seating along the walls, amphitheatre-style, which has not resumed yet.
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The Town Hall
123 W 43rd St. just west of 6th Ave
B/D/F to 42nd St.
This big old 19th century theatre, a favorite with the folkie crowd back in the 60s, was parodied in the film A Mighty Wind. Tickets are expensive, often ridiculously so. Ironically, the sonics here work best when there’s a loud rock band onstage.
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The Treehouse at 2A
2nd St. and Ave. A
F to 2nd Ave.
For several years, Americana guitar genius Tom Clark (of High Action Boys fame) booked a diverse cast of country and roots music performers Sunday nights starting at around 9 upstairs at this long-running neighborhood bar,. There was occasional music there during the week as well: indie rock and some of the scruffier, more punkish acts you might find at Otto’s or Bowery Electric.. There’s been one show so far in the summer of 2021. The sound is better than you would expect and so is the PA; the Sunday night Americana series draws an older crowd like what you would see at the old Rodeo Bar. Drink prices about average for this snootily gentrified part of town, mellow bar staff. The downstairs bar also has popcorn.
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Trinity Church
Broadway at Wall St.
2/3/4/5 to Wall St. or any train to Fulton St., walk south and west
A beautiful historic landmark whose leadership went from heroes of the Occupy movement to zeroes over the course of that summer, which strangely coincided with a decline in music here. Their series of mostly-weekly organ concerts during the spring and fall were moved to its older and smaller sister venue St. Paul’s Chapel on Broadway at Fulton, which is where most of their music programming continues to be held. .
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Troost
1011 Manhattan Ave (Huron/Green) Greenpoint
G to Greenpoint Ave.
Music in the front window, a pretty much daily mix of Americana, jazz and esoteric stuff like Greek gangster music, freak-folk and surf rock. Behind that in the long, rectangular space is a bar and a back garden; the kitchen serves food til around 10. The sound is pretty dodgy, and the bar crowd doesn’t pay much attention. Prices are pretty much average for the neighborhood, i.e. rising constantly.
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TV Eye
1647 Weirfield St. (Wyckoff/Cypress), Ridgewood
J/M to Myrtle-Wyckoff and about a eight block walk
Two spaces in a new “luxury” condo building: slightly older punk-influenced bands, gay nights, cover on the expensive side. Opened 2022.
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Union Pool
corner of Union and the BQE, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L or G to Lorimer, walk straight down Union toward the BQE, club is on the corner on your right.
The taco truck is back, the bar is open again, and gospel-funk jamband wildman Rev. Vince Anderso‘s legendary, weekly Monday night 9 PM residency is back. Union Pool has a long and storied history in Williamsburg. The former pool supply dealership began life in the late 90s as rockabilly central before branching out into punk, psychedelia, garage and indie rock as well as Americana. Known for good sound and as a pickup spot with surprisingly expensive drinks.
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Village Vanguard
1/2/9 to Christopher St. or A/C/B/D/E to W 4th St. and walk west
178 7th Ave. S
This small, legendary, notoriously expensive basement venue has booked pretty much every jazz legend since the end of World War II (believe it or not, CBGB owner Hilly Kristal got his start here). You can feel the history wafting from the shadows. Reopened with even more ridiculous prices – restriction situation unclear Sept 2022
Warsaw
261 Driggs Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau St.
Big, beautiful, cavernous Polish wedding banquet hall which hosted the occasional shows put together by the former Bowery Ballroom booking agency. Seems no more music Sept 2022
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The Way Station OUT OF BUSINESS
683 Washington Ave. at Prospect Place, Ft. Greene, Brooklyn
Any train to Grand Army Plaza
Closed in 2020, victim of the lockdown. Not that this loud yuppie puppy hangout and self-described haven for dorks and losers will be missed. The sound was awful and nobody listened here.
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World Financial Center
E to World Trade Center, take the walkway on the north side of Ground Zero over the highway and then hang a left at the bottom of the stairs.
In past years there were infrequent free concerts here during the colder months and lots in the summer, both inside the Winter Garden on the ground floor and outside on the plazas on the river, a mix of the avant garde, classical and jazz. The sound indoors isn’t much since the space is so boomy. It was home to the annual Bang on a Can Marathon for several years. Reopened, but with no music..
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World Music Institute
68 Jay Street, Suite 201, Dumbo
F to Jay St.
Not a club: this is the box office. They’ve been promoters of an astonishingly good range of music from around the world, usually at Roulette, though they’ve moved around a lot. Typically, they choose venues with excellent sound. Tix are also available online for some shows, with a processing charge. Season subscriptions and membership (which includes a 20% discount on show tix, which could be worth it if you see a lot of them) are also available.
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Zinc Bar OUT OF BUSINESS
82 West 3rd Street (btw. Thompson & Sullivan)
A/B/C/D/E/F to W 4th St.
A fun, shady little hang when they were on the north side of Houston, but they turned into a tourist trap when they took over the old Sun Mountain space in around 2012. RIP.
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Zurcher Gallery
33 Bleecker St. east of Lafayette
6 to Bleecker St
Sort of the Stone for people who didn’t take the lethal injection. Good improvisationally-inclined jazz and the occasional classical concert. Sometimes the stage is at the back of the gallery, sometimes off to the side. Decent sound considering the lack of insulation; nice people working there in the months prior to March 2020.
PLACES TO BOYCOTT
The following venues and institutions require that customers take the needle of death for entry:
Aaron Davis Hall
Baruch College Auditorium
Bric Arts
Brooklyn Conservatory
Center for Remembering and Sharing
The Cobra Club
Dimenna Center
Elebash Hall
Flushing Town Hall
Greenwich House Music School
I-Beam
The Jalopy
The Jazz Gallery
The Juilliard School
Madison Square Garden
Mannes College of Music
Miller Theatre
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
National Sawdust
The New School
People’s Voice Cafe
Pete’s Candy Store
The Poisson Rouge (no restrictions but bait-and-switch ticket scams)
Property Is Theft (PIT)
Radio City
Shapeshifter Lab
Spectrum
The Stone (New School theatre space)
Symphony Space
Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Windjammer Bar
Wonderville
Lucid Culture 