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Tag: Gaslight Cafe

A Map to Maggie’s Farm and More

The release of the biopic A Complete Unknown a few weeks ago has sparked renewed interest in the life, local history, and work of music icon Bob Dylan. And while filmmakers substituted the currently more sedate streets of Jersey City and Hoboken for Dylan’s actual neighborhood in the 1960s, you can instead walk the actual […]

Tour the Musical Sites of Producer John Hammond’s World

John Hammond Sr. (December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was a talent scout, producer, musicologist, broadcaster, journalist, and mentor. His influence profoundly shaped popular music in the 20th century, and he remains one of the most transformative figures in American music. He discovered artists from Billie Holiday to Bob Dylan, and scores more in between. A New Yorker […]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a Visual Ode to the Village

My favorite series in the past MANY years is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel written by the amazing Amy Sherman-Palladino.  Not only is her rapid-fire dialogue and direction a joy to watch and listen to, but the actors who have been cast in the show are sublimely well-suited for their roles.  Then, of course, there are […]

    Pete Seeger Anniversary

    Today marks the two year passing of folk music legend Pete Seeger. Seeger was an influential singer, songwriter, and civil rights and anti-war activist. Seeger also founded a nonprofit environmental organization in 1969, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, to advocate for the environmental clean up of the Hudson River. Like many artists, Seeger had a strong connection […]

    Folk Music in Greenwich Village: 1953-1961

    On Sunday 9 April 1961, Washington Square Park was full of folk musicians and their friends. The park had become a gathering place for them starting in the 1940s, when the likes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie began singing and socializing there. A permit was required at this time, but was considered a formality […]

      Folk Music in Greenwich Village: 1961-1970

      The exact date is impossible to confirm. But it is widely accepted that Bob Dylan arrived in New York City on 24 January 1961, in the midst of the coldest winter New York had seen in 28 years. He’d dropped out of the University of Minnesota, and spent the last twenty-four hours driving east with […]

        A First for Recognizing LGBT History in the South Village

        Over the past several weeks, we’ve been highlighting the recent designation of the South Village Historic District, which GVSHP fought ten years to achieve, as well as the treasure trove of information found in the newly-available designation report for the district, which in several cases cites research and materials provided by GVSHP. The South Village’s […]

        Remembering Pete Seeger

        “The artists.” Without a doubt, that response is the one I hear most often when I ask what people love most about the Village’s history. And when it comes to the artists of Greenwich Village, you can’t talk about them together without thinking of the iconic 1960s folk scene and the great Pete Seeger. Born […]

        Upstairs/Downstairs: A Night Out on MacDougal Street

        We’ve been focusing a lot lately here at Off the Grid on the newly designated South Village Historic District and the designation report that allows us to learn much about the architecture and history of the district. The designation report is a powerful tool, so we thought we would share one of the ways we […]

        Happy Birthday Jack Kerouac!

        “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” […]