…Foreclosure….and then why there were so many abandoned buildings around. You make a lot of distinctions between punks/skinheads/anarchists/hardcore people etc. Which of these tribes do you identify with? Are all…
Read More…CBGB – 315 Bowery From 1973 to 2006, CBGB’s was an influential incubator for underground groups in the punk rock scene. The venue remains an extraordinary icon of the East…
Read More…and perform an east-west hybrid of Indian music, one that combined traditional elements with more American and European rock and punk rock sounds. During the 1960s and ‘70s, Indian instruments…
Read More…Music Venue tour. https://buildingblocks.villagepreservation.org/guided-tour/punk-rock-tour/ And of course CBGB wasn’t solely a punk rock venue. Our Historic Image Archive includes some photos taken there of a different nature. In the fall…
Read More…here at CBGB. We called this music ‘street rock’ and later ‘PUNK’- ‘come as you are and do your own thing’ rock and roll…..I certainly didn’t love every band that…
Read MoreJohn D. Rockefeller was a determined man who ascended from very humble beginnings to unrivaled wealth and productivity after the Civil War. John D. Rockefeller, Sr. What we think of…
Read MoreVillage Preservation has been offering an East Village Rock Tour, which has met with great enthusiasm and large groups gathering to learn more about the history of Rock ‘n Roll…
Read More…Louis Farese, a kindergarten teacher from Staten Island. Rocky Horror playing at the Waverly. Thanks in large part to the midnight showings, the Rocky Horror Picture Show is the longest…
Read MoreWe have two great birthdays in the world of punk to mark. The two celebrants straddle the East and West Village, and both sides of the Atlantic. Today, May 14,…
Read More…Doors playing with a Joshua Light Show display behind them. Photo care of Joshua White It was a place to catch an amazing concert: the early show was rocking, the…
Read MoreThe record cover, rippling through time. Preservation and rock ‘n’ roll are rarely mentioned in the same breath, it seems fair to say – with at least one notable exception….
Read More…home. Some also went on to pursue the arts on their own, and made significant contributions in their respective fields — including the then-burgeoning genre of hardcore punk, and later,…
Read More1950 was a seminal year in the life of the “last rock star poet,” Dylan Thomas. On February 20th of that year the much-celebrated Welsh poet arrived in New York…
Read More…and black artists who were in the early 1980s mixing in the downtown clubs which just a few years earlier spawned the punk rock that inspired the first phase of…
Read More…referred to them as the, “Martha Stewarts of punk rock.” Tish and Snooki closed their store on St. Mark’s Place in 1989 due to escalating rent and now operate Manic…
Read More…anti-war movement. Astor calls herself a young revolutionary and punk rocker, and though arguably the quintessential East Villager of her time, she’s not of any clear relation to the Astors…
Read More…West, Madonna, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Billy Idol, U2, and Daft Punk, among many others, have recorded there. By many accounts, Patti Smith ushered in the punk rock era by making…
Read More…a declaration of committed mutiny, a statement of faith in the transfigurative powers of rock & roll. Horses made her the queen of punk before it even really existed, but…
Read More…or a senator. He found rock & roll, and it found him, his heroism.” To take a tour of sites in the East Village connected to punk rock, click here….
Read More…of focus image, which seemed to encapsulate the raw energy of punk, was actually an homage to Elvis’ similarly composed self-titled debut album cover. The image was voted best rock…
Read More…new wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, dance, pop and world music with art school sensibilities (they all went to the Rhode Island School of Design)…
Read More…Sex Pistols punk rocker Sid Vicious was found dead of a heroin overdose in an apartment at 63 Bank Street. Born John Simon Ritchie, Vicious joined the band in 1977,…
Read More…be selling a lot of 70’s punk rock and heavy metal. But of course the greats like Dylan and Beatles are always big sellers.“ Great illustration thanks to https://www.instagram.com/coffeecakescafe/. Visit here to…
Read MoreIf you were to ask me to name a truly perfect album, it would take a very quick punk-rock-beat to say “London Calling!” Released on December 14, 1979, this iconic…
Read MoreOn this day in 1979, Sex Pistols punk rocker Sid Vicious was found dead of a heroin overdose in a Greenwich Village apartment. Born John Simon Ritchie, Vicious (as he…
Read More…“Horses” in 1975. Opening with the line “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine,” the record fused elements of nascent punk rock and beat poetry. Smith would go on…
Read More…and spread the punk gospel across the U.K. and the world. The Ramones live. But make no mistake; the adrenaline-fueled three-chord rock-n-roll the Ramones espoused, introduced on the album with…
Read More…Bow Wow Wow at the Ritz. McLaren was an early promoter of punk subculture as the promoter and manager of numerous punk and new wave bands such as the New York Dolls, the Sex…
Read More…band is of course considered the inventors of punk rock, as well as the ultimate downtown band and the embodiment of the CBGB’s scene. The Ramones’ lightning-fast performances rarely lasted…
Read More…Fame in 1988, and is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” It can easily be said that no…
Read More…rock music, permanently transforming both art forms. But perhaps in some ways his most lasting impact came from a project completed just three weeks before his death–the opening of Electric Lady…
Read More…after. Glam rock, pop, punk, dance, electro, funk and soul music were never the same after Bowie dipped his toe into the waters of the music industry, and imitators will…
Read More…of the East Village punk scene and queer subculture, making him a beloved figure of 1970’s counterculture. DeSana’s work challenged traditional notions of beauty and sexuality, and he often used…
Read More…against. Emerging from the staid milieu, the downtown punk rebellion took hold. Music, art, film, and fashion defied conventional standards. They took risks and broke rules. Neo-expressionism, figuration, and punk…
Read More…and broke rules. Neo-expressionism, figuration, and punk rock were among the artistic movements that germinated in the East Village in the 80’s. Jean-Michel Basquiat In Italian 1983 In June of…
Read More…like Limited To One (221 East 10th Street, Basement West). These collectors not only specialize in punk rock, indie, hip-hop, hardcore, pop-punk, and 90’s alternative music, but also collaborate with…
Read More…punk rock shows. C-Squat As noted in an earlier blog post, during July 4th weekend of 1995, a city-ordered siege occurred during which police in riot gear came into Loisaida…
Read More…a Polish church. Fellow artist and close friend Kenny Scharf described it as a scene where “art merged with punk rock and lost its preciousness.” This was a time when…
Read More…wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, dance, pop and world music with art school sensibilities and the tension-filled stage persona of lead singer and guitarist David…
Read More…drag show at Tompkins Square Park. Madonna appeared at her first AIDS benefit here. New York Magazine referred to it as “A temple of iniquity for punk rockers, Goth betties,…
Read MoreOn March 30, 1974, the Ramones played their very first public performance. The Ramones are of course considered the inventors of punk rock, as well as the ultimate downtown band and…
Read More…Jewish Lower East Side, the old public baths, music from klezmer to punk rock, and legendary food establishments such as Russ and Daughters. Our Lady of Greenwich Village A discussion…
Read More…Rock and Roll. The original single cover. Like so many other great moments in rock and popular music, it was also recorded in Greenwich Village, at Electric Lady Studios on…
Read More…on contemporary American art, while American artists have for generations dominated western art. 11. First “Rocky Horror” midnight show Hartley and Sal Piro, who originally ran the “Rocky Horror” performance groups,…
Read More…amazing number of things you can do through a rock n’ roll song and that you can do serious writing in a rock song if you can somehow do it…
Read More…“rocker” or “rocking” skate (and is now known as a “quad”) because it allowed the skater to easily shift on the skates in order to smoothly navigate turns and perform…
Read More…years to come, but also the direction of much of popular music in the decades which followed. This is Radio Clash built upon The Clash’s punk roots, adding elements of…
Read More…Repertory Theatre where he saw the Open Theater’s production of Megan Terry’s “Viet Rock” and first met Gerome Ragni, an Open Theater actor, who handed him the script of what…
Read MoreKnown for her powerful, raspy voice and electric stage presence, Janis Joplin was one of the most outstanding musicians of her generation. Her combination of 1960s folk rock and southern…
Read More…rehearsed for the first time while on hiatus from the Talking Heads. However, Frantz and Weymouth and the Talking Heads got their musical start in the downtown punk and new…
Read More…But there it is, forever – the quintessence of articulated punk. And no one goes near it.” The FourOhFive stated, “White Light/White Heat essentially gave birth to New York punk,…
Read More…and punk rock. This area’s tremendous prosperity and the throngs of visitors who come here are proof positive that its low-rise historic character is the precious key to its allure…
Read More…for more rural destinations in upstate or New England but some stayed and would contribute to the transformation of the East Village into North America’s capital of punk rock. Peace!…
Read More…store almost closed, but was saved by punk rock. Kids would come over from CBGBs and ask for shaves, mohawks, colors, and spikes. The shop was known to have a…
Read More…and dereliction. It held that reputation for almost 100 years – for most of the 20th century, the Bowery was famous for flop houses, drug deals, gambling, punk rock, and…
Read More…punk and psychedelic rock, but the neighborhood has a rich history of nurturing jazz and the blues, as well as those who produced it. Prominent examples include 412 East 10th Street, home…
Read MoreDeborah Harry, lead singer of the seminal punk and new wave band Blondie, was born July 1, 1945. Both she as an artist and the group Blondie grew out of…
Read More…“a landmark of the New York punk scene,” and you couldn’t be talking about anyone but Jim Carroll, a figure who by the early 1970s was also very much entrenched…
Read More…it was replaced by another legendary vintage clothing shop, the punk rock outfitter Trash and Vaudeville. Trash & Vaudeville occupied the basement and expanded to the first floor as well….
Read More…club eventually became known as an incubator for underground groups in the punk and rock scene, giving starts to such acts as The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, and the Talking…
Read More…OMFUG, which stood for “Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers” actually belied the club’s status as an incubator for underground groups in the punk and rock scene….
Read More…Village Building Blocks website, which contains more than a dozen themed guided tours (from the Yiddish Rialto to punk rock), and includes information on every building in the East Village….
Read More…had become synonymous with punk rock, avant-garde theater, and cutting-edge art. Landmarks like CBGB and the Pyramid Club helped solidify the neighborhood’s reputation as a cultural hotspot. Born of and…
Read More…business and building ownership. On a side note, he mentions the East Village’s punk rock scene, and Joey Ramone coming to Veniero’s to buy a cake. Veniero’s itself has changed…
Read More…same could be said of Smith. A blend of punk and beat poetry with rock and roll structures, Smith’s first studio album was a revelation of how poetry could be…
Read More…halls to punk palaces of the 1970s, many influential music scenes got their start or found a home among the East Village’s legendary music venues. The East Village attracted countless…
Read MoreBessie Smith’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an icon. Her talent, accomplishments, and message lit a path for…
Read More…the innovators on the electric guitar. He was described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.” At the…
Read More…of rock ‘n’ roll: Highway 61 Revisited, featuring the first six-minute single, “Like a Rolling Stone.” 25. Bob Dylan was the subject of one of the great rock docs of all…
Read MoreWe hope that you can join us for our upcoming event Reel Rockers: Come ‘Get Crazy’ in the East Village — A Film Screening and Discussion! Presented by GVSHP’s Brokers…
Read More…the railroads and refiners led by John D. Rockefeller, hit the Pennsylvania oil region hard, and left independent producers and refiners out in the cold. The reverberations of this Trust…
Read More…the Sun” was the first play by an African American woman produced on Broadway. Debbie Harry — Singer, songwriter and actress who helped usher in the CBGB punk revolution and…
Read More…styles of country, bluegrass and blues, CBGB became an incubator for underground groups in the punk and rock scene. The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, and the Talking Heads all got…
Read More…of urban mythology. Punks, hippies, beatniks, squatters, junkies, derelicts, and anarchists—the entire pantheon of urban demigods—gambol through a grungy subterranean Elysium of dive bars, cheap diners, flophouses, and shooting galleries,…
Read More…the first play by an African American woman produced on Broadway. Debbie Harry — Singer, songwriter and actress who helped usher in the CBGB punk revolution and profoundly shaped popular…
Read More…list of all time great songs of the rock era by Rolling Stone magazine, it not only epitomized the disco era, but quite quickly helped transform the nascent musical form…
Read More…the shag haircut in the 1970s, and housing some of the city’s most iconic punk shops in the 1980s. But before its love affair with rock ‘n roll, this street…
Read More…the Ramones made Extra Place an emblem of the nascent punk movement when they shot the cover for their third album, ‘Rocket to Russia,’ there in 1977. There’s little sign…
Read More…& OMFUG, which stood for “Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers” actually belied the club’s status as an incubator for underground groups in the punk and rock…
Read More…Rock Steady Crew, and DJ Jazzy Jay. The first few shows drew very small crowds, and Kool Lady Blue realized the Ritz shows were a hit not just because they…
Read More…for “Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers” actually belied the club’s status as an incubator for underground groups in the punk and rock scene. The Ramones, Blondie,…
Read More…Rock Steady Crew, and DJ Jazzy Jay. The first few shows drew very small crowds, and Kool Lady Blue realized the Ritz shows were a hit not just because they…
Read More…via https://viewing.nyc/. Music is an integral part of the cultural legacy and impact of our neighborhoods! In March 2019 we explored the iconic music venues and punk meccas of the…
Read More…a double bill of one-acts: Cowboys and The Rock Garden. Michael Smith, theater critic for the Village Voice at the time, was invited to attend by a friend of one…
Read More…of our Historic Image Archive. David Rockefeller played a leading role in the project. At that time, Rockefeller was the Executive Vice President of the bank, and he would famously…
Read More…a subsequent rock and roll treatment. They re-mastered it, dubbing a rock and roll rhythm section over the original acoustic track, and then issued it as a single. The new…
Read More…then take down to rock ‘n roll! Whatever the case, you can find the electric guitar of your dreams and much else at our April 2022 Business of the Month,…
Read More…In the 1960s and 70s it was a great center of rock music and performance, launching the careers of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Patti Smith, among many others. (l….
Read More…his early biography would provide few hints as to why he should be. He graduated from Reed College in 1956, was awarded a five-year fellowship to the Rockefeller Institute, earned…
Read More…of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil. Ida Tarbell While she resided at 40 West 9th Street from 1901 until 1908, she wrote a collection of corrosive articles for McClure’s…
Read More…cover a diverse range of areas including rock and roll, restoring artists’ studios, terracotta mosaics in the subways, street photography, women’s poetry, and so much more. Recording our programs and…
Read More…Underground, the avant-garde rock group that he managed. In 1966, after touring with the multimedia extravaganza dubbed the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, the band recorded its debut album, The Velvet Underground &…
Read More…learned the name “Fillmore” from Grateful Dead bootleg tapes, which, among other things, provided a survey of America’s rock venues: Winterland, Red Rocks, the Spectrum, Watkins Glen, the Cow Palace,…
Read More…Rock and Roll as it emerged in the 1950s. His impact on music and musicians resonates to this day, and those who cite him as a direct influence include the…
Read MoreThere are a number of legendary rock venues in our neighborhood, many an integral part of the 1980s NYC club scene. One of the leading ones was ‘The Ritz,’ located…
Read More…Hundreds of notable recordings in jazz, rock, soul, and R&B were cut there by some of the greatest artists of the time. An overview of those by African-Americans or even…
Read MoreThe former Cafe-Au-Go-Go. Photo via Rock Cellar Magazine. A recent post by Rock Cellar Magazine entitled “Rock Meccas of NYC: What Are They Now?” had us here at Off the…
Read More…some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time. Graham’s Filmore East was colloquially known as “The Church of Rock and Roll,” with two-show, triple-bill concerts several nights…
Read More…part of a plot to bomb the mansion of John D. Rockefeller in response to the Ludlow Massacre. This was one of the nation’s deadliest labor disputes, in which striking…
Read More…for Trude Heller’s, a rock club on 6th Avenue and 9th Street, features a little illustration of the proprietor herself. Accounts of the day say that Trude’s featured live rock…
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