save c b g b's !!!

I'm not sure of all of the details. But apparently CBGB'S is in imminent danger of being shut down due to unpaid rent. As I heard it, the rent went from $20,000.00 To $40,000.00 A MONTH!

http://www.petitiononline.com/landmark/petition.html

Again I don't know all the details, but this just can't happen. I had a blast when we played there.

TG

More info
http://john.hoke.org/index/asylum/comments/hey_ho_dont_go/

I like the idea of Emotianlly blackmailing the rock and roll hall of fame. It might actually have a purpose for once.

And why won't the caps work in the post title?

[ Edited by: TikiGardener on 2005-03-29 09:07 ]

Here's the scoop as I know it on the CB's problem:

The building where CBGB is located is owned by a organization benefiting the homeless called Bowery Resident's Comittee. Above CBGB (once the Palace Hotel, a Bowery flop-house) is a shelter run by the BRC accomodating approximately 250 homeless people. CBGB owner Hilly Kristal has been in debt from back rent to BRC and has been faithfully paying the sum off. There is still around $76,000 to go and BRC is putting the squeeze on Hilly. On top of that his lease ends in August, and as is the usual story with Manhattan real estate, the renewal rent price will be twice as much (paying $20,000 a month rent now compared to the new cost of $40,000 a month) making it even more financially difficult for CBGB to survive. It's not being spelled-out per se, but at the end of the day BRC could care less about Hilly, CBGB, and the history of punk rock. They want a tenant like Starbucks or Bed, Bath, and Beyond in there. The Bowery all of the sudden has become white-hot real estate and BRC wants a piece. No surprise-they're trying to price him out. In the past five years or so I don't think I have seen so much demolition and dismanteling of the New York City landscape. I came here to get away from the suburbs. Now New York is turning INTO the suburbs. While developers continue to build high-priced residences, many businesses around here have 'For Rent' signs posted on them. I haven't seen anything like this, and quite frankly I don't get it. Who the hell is paying these high rents to live here?

The good news for CBs is that Hilly (who's original rent was $600 a month back in '73 when he opened the place) is fighting this, and hopefully it will save the club. The bad news in my opinion is that although there is alot of drum beating on the side of CBGB there may not be much that can be done. Recently another legendary NY club, The Bottom Line, was evicted by their landlord...New York University for the same reason, unpaid back rent. Many thought that some rock celebs that had forged their careers from playing there like Bruce Springsteen, would come along and save the club. No such luck. After 30 some years the Bottom Line was no more. I rode my bike by there one day and couldn't beleive that the trademark blue awning in front of the club was gone forever. The same maybe happening for CB's. And while it would certainly be sad to see the club go, myself and alot of my friends who have lived in NYC almost 20 years now agree that the club is not the hot-bed of underground music that it once was. Outside of just going to CBs to have a beer and soak up the environment, and hope that the band playing kicks your ass (which rarely happens these days), there is almost no reason to go there. The cover on the weekends is expensive, and the drink prices are on par with the biggest rip-off bars in town. It's just the way things are now. I've said this before here on TC and I'll say it again. The underground music scene that all of us Gen-Xers grew up with is all but extinct. I don't care how many bands out there call themselves Punk or whatever, the passion and outcast vibe that fueled that music is something the youth of today have no idea how to harness. Our crowd from Gen-X sucessfully picked the torch up from the Punks and Hippies and did something people called 'Grunge'. The youth of today haven't picked up the torch and they're not looking too. They're way too involved in Play Stations, Paris Hilton, bling-bling and all that other ridiculous nonsense. Now more than ever music, rock music, whatever, is 'entertainment'. To borrow a phrase from 'Almost Famous' it's an 'industry of cool' . It's not the 'philosophy'', 'religion',or 'way of life' that we once knew. I hope that CBs stays around for a good long time. What they need to do is give people, the generations that are still willing to go out and see live music, a reason to go there and have their money well spent. This was the problem with the Bottom Line. They were booking the most boring shit and catering to an audience of mostly Baby-boomers that would hardly turn out to see live shows. Clubs in New York can survive. The Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom are good examples. Both are owned by the same group of people and they are successful because they book the right stuff. Most nights are sold out. I don't know the ins and outs of bookings, but if the booking people at CBGB can figure out how to draw the right bands and get people to pay admission, maybe their problems will be over. I hope so.

Meanwhile check out
http://cbgb.com/save_cbgb.htm

And speaking of the exceptions in a world of shitty music, please check out a band from here in Gotham called Morningwood

http://www.morningwoodrocks.com/

One of the few new bands that has the passion to kick your ass the way it's supposed to be. Don't believe me? Look at their photos and listen to the audio, and if they come to your town. Check em out.

Long live rock.

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2005-03-29 20:45 ]

I saw Alice Donut play at CBGB's, I loved that band...

It cracks me up when I se kids in the suburbs of San Francisco wearing CBGB t-shirts they bought on Haight Street.

Sheesh, even at $20,000 a month it's no surprise the place remained a shithole (from what I've heard), but I feel your pain. The old Marquee in London suddenly vanished to be replaced by a vast pub selling cheap beer with hardly a squeek from the locals. The Who virtually lived there and 1000's of bands played, then one day it's a building site. So, kick up a rumpus, and make sure CBGB's stays. Hell, it's part of the tourist trail these days - surely it qualifies as a national monument or something?

Alice Donut? Never 100% convinced, but enjoyed their live chaotic circus. And I bought a CBGB's T-shirt on Portobello Road. (Though it was about 15 years ago from a New Yorker of Chinese descent for the equiv of $4 because she wanted to leave the UK, so that might just push it from a "don't" to a "do")

Anyway, good luck CBGB's.

Trader Woody

I was just in New York last month working and Amy came out with our little guy for his first visit to NYC. I had just read some of the stories about the trouble at CBGB and we were in the neighborhood, so I took Logan by so he could see the legend– just in case they don't sort things out. It would be a real loss to the cultural history of New York if they were to close. I remember many nights there in '85 and '86. The Bowery was pretty scary then. At least it was to my 18-year-old self. I remember leaving CBGB at 3 or 4 a.m. and hightailing it all the way to Washington Square Park. Which was only slightly safer. Now there are new high-rise condos going up all around CBGB. I guess it's inevitable.

-Duke

The Carters on the tourist trail:

boutiki-

Nice shot of you with the wife and son in front. I'm sure when he gets older he'll think that is was cool that you guys went down there. :drink:

Well, it's official-CBGB will cease to exist at it's current and original location of 315 Bowery by this time next year. The official closing date will be Halloween 2006. An appropriate date to set after over 30 years of being the legendary rock spot it has been. After just reading my original rant on this thread it sounded like I may have been a bit indifferent about the club closing which wasn't the case. I wanted it to stay for good. I still think it's not the same place it was 30 years ago, but I still believe it should stay. Anyway, the agreement that Hilly Kristal and the Bowery Residents Commitee came to was that CBGB could stay until October 31, 2006 and will pay close to the market value rent of $35,000 until that time.

It's a little heartbreaking to know that it won't be there next year. Not just because of it's history but because CBGB represents and embodies an important element of New York City life that unfortunately the vast majority doesn't really care about anymore. It's hard to believe for someone like myself that has lived in New York for two decades how much this town has changed. I thought New York was always going to be dark, scary, and wierd and would never change much. Not that long ago, if you wanted to drop out of society, you had two choices; you could become a mountain man OR you could live in one of many neighborhoods in New York City, the East Village (where CBGB is located) being one of them. Once you planted yourself in those environments, you were basically unplugging yourself from the 'normal' world beyond the 5 boroughs. I guess New York by default it will always be a funky place, but it seems that over the last 10 years or so it has lost it's potency in those departments. It's gone from 'Grit to Gloss' to quote an article I saw in the Times recently, and CBGB was a huge part of that grit. Without it the landscape of this town will be further genericized, and being generic is NOT what New York City is supposed to be about.

Apparently Hilly is looking for an alternate location here in town for CBs, and is also considering a Las Vegas location.

I wasn't around for the heyday of CBGB-Ramones, Dead Boys, Talking Heads, etc. But I did see some really cool shows there including one that stands out which was about 4 or so years ago. Great night, the bands were Zen Guerrilla, The Go, and Nebula. Loud and amazing. Some other shows of note were Mooney Suzuki, Band of Susans, The Voluptous Horror of Karen Black (New Year's Eve into the 21st Century), Chesterfield Kings, and very recently Ric Ocasek of The Cars doing Cars songs and new songs from his latest album.

"They" win: The suits have had a major handle on rock and roll for a while, but after CB's is gone it's ALL corporate rock and roll from here. Truly the end of an era.

Regardless of what has happened or not happened there it's a great space with a real dingy rock and roll club vibe. If you are a rock fan and are going to be in New York City sometime between now and Halloween of next year, I suggest you go in and take a good look at the place. There may be other shithole clubs around the country but this was the original, and they ain't really makin' them like that any more.

That's really a shame. I recall the one time I went there, I guess it was 1980, to see Patti Smith and her band. Two guys standing (one on either side) of the front door with those 2-gallon zip-locks, full of bones. Buck a piece. And Smith's band, well, they really didn't need her. One of the tightest bands I've ever heard. What a good time.

Heard the news about the closure and made a pilgrimage to be sure I'd get a foot in the door before they slammed it shut. Was fantastic - dark, stinky, dirty...loved it!

[ Edited by: BettyBleu 2006-01-06 17:25 ]

After all the bands that used CBGB's as a springboard to launch their music careers, lucrative recording deals and megabuck arena tours, you'd think there would be a few of these people left around with enough cash and social conscience to bail Hilly out and save an important American music and cultural landmark. Can you imagine the hoopla if the bulldozers showed up one morning at the Grand Ole Opry or Graceland? I guess we are the "recycle" generation. Build it, use it, throw it away, recycle it. Shut down CBGB's, gut it, flush it out and install a new Starbucks. There...that's better.

Can you imagine the hoopla if the bulldozers showed up one morning at the Grand Ole Opry or Graceland?

Actually that's a funny example because in fact the Grand Ole Opry changed locations a whole bunch of times since the original show in the 20s, even moving from the Ryman Auditorium in the 70s. Sadly, the contrast between the Opry and CBGBs couldn't be sharper - both places had to move/close because of capacity problems, but of the opposite kind!

-Randy