313 Gallery was also the host location for Alchemy, a weekly Goth night showcasing goth, industrial, dark rock, and darkwave bands.[3][4] On the other side, CBGB was operating a small cafe and bar in the mid-1990s, which served classic New York pizza, among other items.[5][6]
Around 2000, CBGB entered a protracted dispute over allegedly unpaid rent amounts until the landlord, Bowery Residents' Committee, sued in 2005 and lost the case. Kristal and the BRC reached an agreement whereby CBGB would leave by October 31, 2006.[7]
On October 15, 2006, the club closed with a performance by Patti Smith, who took the stage at 9:30 p.m. and played for 3 1/2 hours until slightly after 1 a.m. on October 16, 2006, closing with her song "Elegie" followed by reading a list of punk rock musicians and advocates who had died in recent years.[8]
Drummer from the band Libertyville performing on the CBGB stage in January 1985
CBGB was founded on December 10, 1973,[11] on the site of Kristal's earlier bar, Hilly's on the Bowery, which he ran from 1969 to 1972. Initially, Kristal focused on his more profitable East Village nightspot, Hilly's, which Kristal closed amid complaints from the bar's neighbors. After Hilly's closure, Kristal focused on the Bowery club. Its full name of CBGB & OMFUG stands for "Country, Bluegrass, Blues, and Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers". Although a gourmandizer is usually a ravenous eater of food, what Kristal meant was "a voracious eater of (…) music".[12] Kristal's intended theme of country, bluegrass, and blues music along with poetry readings yielded to the American movement in punk rock. A pioneer in the genre, Ramones played their first shows at CBGB.[13]
In 1973, while the future CBGB was still Hilly's, two locals, Bill Page and Rusty McKenna, convinced Kristal to let them book concerts. In February 1974, Hilly booked local band Squeeze to a residency, playing Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the club's change from country and bluegrass to original rock bands. Squeeze was led by guitarist Mark Suall, later with CBGB's quasi house band the Revelons, which included Fred Smith of Television and JD Daugherty of the Patti Smith Group. Although these bands did not play punk rock, they helped lay its foundation.[14] The August 1973 collapse of the Mercer Arts Center left unsigned bands little option in New York City to play original music. Mercer refugees—including Suicide, The Fast,[15]Ruby and the Rednecks, Jayne County, and the Magic Tramps—soon played at CBGB.
On April 14, 1974, the audience of Television's third gig were Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, whose Patti Smith Group debuted at CBGB on February 14, 1975. Other early performers included the Dina Regine Band. Dennis Lepri was lead guitarist as well as the Stillettoes which included Deborah Harry on vocals. The newly formed band Angel and the Snake, later renamed Blondie, as well as Ramones arrived in August 1974. Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, The Shirts, The Heartbreakers, The Fleshtones, and other bands soon followed.
In April 1977, The Damned played the club, marking the first time a British punk band had ever played in America.[16]
During 1975 and 1976, Metropolis Video recorded some shows on film. Beginning in 1977, Metropolis Video filmmaker Pat Ivers and partner Emily Armstrong continued to record shows in a project called Advanced TV, later renamed GoNightclubbing. Ivers' and Armstrong's films are available at the New York University Fales Library.[17]
CBGB's two rules were that a band must move its own equipment and play mostly original songs, although regular bands often played one or two covers in set.[18] CBGB's growing reputation drew more and more acts from outside New York City.
In 1990, violence inside and outside of the venue prompted Kristal to suspend hardcore bookings, although CBGB brought hardcore back at times. CBGB's last several years had no formal bans by genre.
21st century
In 2005, atop its normally-paid monthly rent of $19,000, CBGB was sued for some $90,000 in rent allegedly owed to its landlord, Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC).[19] Refusing to pay until a judge ruled the debt legitimate, Kristal claimed that he had never been notified of scaled rent increases, accruing over a number of years, asserted by BRC's executive director Muzzy Rosenblatt.[19] Ruling the debt false and that BRC had never properly billed the rent increases,[19]the judge indicated that CBGB ought to be declared a landmark, but noted that Rosenblatt did not need to renew the lease, soon expiring.[20] Rosenblatt vowed to appeal.[20]
Expecting Rosenblatt's resistance to lease negotiation,[19] Kristal agreed that the rent ought to rise, but not to the $55,000 monthly that Kristal believed the BRC to want.[20]
A nonprofit corporation housing homeless above CBGB mostly through donations and government funding,[19] the BRC had only one commercial tenant and raised its monthly rent to $35,000.[7] Kristal and the BRC reached an agreement whereby CBGB would leave by September 30, 2006.[7] Planning to move CBGB to Las Vegas, Kristal explained, "We're going to take the urinals. I'll take whatever I can. The movers said, 'You ought to take everything, and auction off what you don't want on eBay.' Why not? Somebody will".[21]
Closure
The exterior of CBGB on October 15, 2006, the day it closedThe exterior of CBGB on October 16, 2006, the day after it closed
Many punk rock bands played at CBGB when they found it was going to close in hopes that their support could keep it from closing. Rocks off, a promoter in New York, organized CBGB's final weeks of shows to book "many of the artists who made CB's famous".[7]Avail, the Bouncing Souls, and such newer acts opened during the last week, which included multi-night stands by Bad Brains and the Dictators and an acoustic set by Blondie. The final show, broadcast live on Sirius Satellite Radio on October 15, was played by Patti Smith, helped on some songs by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Television's Richard Lloyd, too, played in a few, including "Marquee Moon". Nearly-finished, Smith and band playing "Gloria" alternated the chorus with echoes of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones—Hey! Ho! Let's go!. During "Elegie", her final encore, Smith named musicians and other music figures who had died since playing at CBGB.[22] On October 15, 2006, upon Patti Smith's last show at CBGB, the storied bar and club closed.[23]
Aftermath
After closing, the old CBGB venue remained open as CBGB Fashions—retail store, wholesale department, and an online store—until October 31, 2006. CBGB Fashions moved to 19–23 St. Mark's Place on November 1, and closed nearly two years later in summer 2008.[24]
Hilly Kristal died from complications of lung cancer on August 28, 2007. In early October, Kristal's family and friends hosted a private memorial service in the nearby YMCA. Soon, there was a public memorial, contributed to by CBGB onetime staff and by others.
Kristal's ex-wife Karen Kristal and his daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman, battled legally over the purported $3 million CBGB estate, and settled in June 2009 with Burgman receiving most of the money left after payment of creditors and estate taxes.[25] In 2011, a group of unknown investors bought the remaining CBGB assets, including the associated intellectual property and original interior. The location is now occupied by John Varvatos fashions.
In December 2015, various news outlets reported on a rebranded CBGB "reopening" at Newark International Airport as CBGB L.A.B. (Lounge and Bar)[26][27] by New York chef Harold Moore, which had opened as of the end of December 2015.
Venue
The John Varvatos store on the site where CBGB used to stand
By late 2007, fashion designer John Varvatos planned to open a store in CBGB's former space, 315 Bowery,[28] but to tastefully trail CBGB's legacy[29] rock and roll stickers on the walls, and much of the graffiti at the toilets was preserved, as were some playbills, found behind a wall, from shows at the club's 10th anniversary in 1983.[30] The store opened in April 2008.[31]
In 2008, a SoHo art gallery dedicated to music photography, the Morrison Hotel, opened a second location in the onetime CBGB Gallery at 313 Bowery,[30] but the Morrison Hotel gallery closed in 2011.[32] The space was then occupied by a surf-oriented Patagonia store until late 2021.[33][34]
Called the "Extra Place", the alley behind the building became a pedestrian mall. Dead Boys' Cheetah Chrome rued, "All of Manhattan has lost its soul to money lords", yet reflected, "If that alley could talk, it's seen it all".[35] CBGB's nomination as a landmark drew an explanation:
CBGB was founded in 1973 at 315 Bowery, in a former nineteenth-century saloon on the first floor of the Palace Lodging House. The legendary music venue fostered new genres of American music, including punk and art rock, that defined the culture of downtown Manhattan in the 1970s, and that still resonate today. In this role as cultural incubator, CBGB served the same function as the theatres and concert halls of the Bowery's storied past. The former club, now occupied by a retail business, remains a pilgrimage site for legions of music fans.[10]
Legacy
CBGB's second awning, the one in place when the club closed in 2006, was moved into the lobby of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.[36]
The CBGB Festival produced large free concerts in Times Square and Central Park on July 7, 2012. They also showcased hundreds of bands in venues across the city.[37][38] The festival premiered dozens of rock-n-roll movies in theaters around Manhattan.[39]
Directed by Randall Miller and starring Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal, the film CBGB, about Kristal and the origins of the club, was released in October 2013[40][41] to harsh reviews.[42][43] Iconic in American popular culture, CBGB's image remained storied:
CBGB was in a promotional ad aired during New York City's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.[44]
In The Shapers' song "Old School Punk Star", the venue is referenced in the bridge: "...and to rock on at the CBGB ..."[46]
Rapper Aesop Rock mentions CBGB in his song "Shrunk", "Telephone uncovered by purveyors of the Ouija/Then checked against the CBGB women's room graffiti"[47]
The Heads, a spin-off band of Talking Heads, mentions CBGB in their song "Punk Lolita," off their album No Talking, Just Head; "She was a punk Lolita, C.B.G.B. era."[49]
LCD Soundsystem's 2002 debut single "Losing My Edge" references CBGB, "I was the first guy playing Daft Punk to the rock kids. I played it at CBGB's. Everybody thought I was crazy".[50]
↑ "Now Opening Saturday Special". Racked.com. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2008. We don't want anyone to walk into the space and say, 'Oh, they screwed it up.' We want them to walk in and say, 'It's not CBGB, but they did the right thing.'
Beeber, Steven Lee (2006). The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN978-1-55652-613-8.
Brazis, Tamar, ed. (2005). CBGB & OMFUG: Thirty Years from the Home of Underground Rock. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN978-0810957862.
Heylin, Clinton (2005). From the Velvets to the Voidoids:The birth of American Punk Rock (Updateded.). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN978-1556525759.
Kozak, Roman (1988). This Ain't No Disco: The Story of CBGB. Boston: Faber and Faber. ISBN978-0571129560.
Horses is the debut studio album by American musician Patti Smith. It was released by Arista Records on November 10, 1975. A fixture of the mid-1970s underground rock music scene in New York City, Smith signed to Arista in April 1975 and recorded Horses with her band at Electric Lady Studios that September. She enlisted former Velvet Underground member John Cale to produce the album. With Horses, Smith drew upon her backgrounds in rock music and poetry, aiming to create an album combining both forms.
Punk rock is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles with stripped-down instrumentation. Lyricism in punk typically revolves around anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian themes. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through independent labels.
Richard Lester Meyers, better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer.
Television was an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group's most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass). An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative rock.
Richard Lloyd is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the rock band Television.
The Bowery is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, United States. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north. The eponymous neighborhood runs roughly from the Bowery east to Allen Street and First Avenue, and from Canal Street north to Cooper Square/East Fourth Street. The neighborhood roughly overlaps with Little Australia. To the south is Chinatown, to the east are the Lower East Side and the East Village, and to the west are Little Italy and NoHo. It has historically been considered a part of the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Hillel Kristal was an American club owner, manager and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute.
Mink DeVille was a rock band founded in 1974, known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York's CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985, after which it disbanded the next year. Except for frontman Willy DeVille, the original members of the band played only on the first two albums. For the remaining albums and for tours, Willy DeVille assembled musicians to play under the name "Mink Deville". After 1985, when Willy DeVille began recording and touring under his own name, his backup bands were sometimes called "The Mink DeVille Band", an allusion to the earlier Mink Deville name.
Ricanstruction was a New York City based Puerto Rican punk/hip hop/salsa/jazz/reggae fusion musical group and artist collective. When Ricanstruction first started, the band consisted of lead vocalist Not4Prophet, bassist Arturo "R2O" Rodriguez, drummer Joseph "SickFoot" Rodriguez from Harlem, and guitarist Eddie "Alsiva" Alsina. Other members of Ricanstruction through the years have included vocalist Taína Asili, percussionist Roger Vasquez, and guitarists Fidel Paulino and Steven "Albizoo" Maldonado.
The Shirts are a New York-based American punk band that formed in 1975. The band's early existence was closely linked with CBGB, a music club in the Bowery. The band reformed with many of its early members in 2003 and is currently active.
The Blank Generation (1976) is the earliest of the released low-budget DIY punk rock films from the No Wave scene in New York City in the mid-1970s. Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard, it was filmed by No wave cinema filmmaker Amos Poe and Patti Smith Group member Ivan Kral.
Marc Laurick was an American bass player, songwriter, singer, and record producer.
Metropolis Video was a group of filmmakers and video makers who documented on video the early years of the punk rock music scene in New York City, from 1975 to 1977. They shot footage of numerous punk rock and new wave bands at CBGB, the downtown music club, which in 1975 had been open only two years.
CBGB is a 2013 American biographical drama film about the former New York music venue CBGB. It follows the story of Hilly Kristal's New York club from its concept as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock 'n' roll and punk. The film uses devices such as comic book-style panels, as well as onscreen text to identify important figures in the punk movement.
Don Fury is an American recording engineer and producer who owned three rehearsal and recording studios in New York City. He has recorded and produced music for a variety of punk and hardcore bands including GG Allin, Agnostic Front, Sick of It All, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Madball, Warzone, Helmet, Into Another, and Quicksand. In 2008 Fury moved his studio to Troy, New York.
The Stimulators were an American punk rock band from New York City. Although they have a limited discography, they are notable for being consistently cited as an important transitional band between the late-1970s New York City punk rock scene and New York hardcore, and for being the musical entry point for future Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan.
GoNightclubbing is a collaboration between video artists Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong, who worked together to document the New York punk rock scene beginning in 1977. Ivers had previously worked with Metropolis Video from 1975 until their dissolution in 1977. Originally, Ivers and Armstrong were known as Advanced TV, but they incorporated as GoNightclubbing in 2001.
Ruby and the Rednecks is an American rock band from New York City, inspired by New York Dolls and created by the singer, songwriter, playwright and actress Ruby Lynn Reyner with collaborating musical artists in 1970 and active until today. The band was originally composed by Ruby Lynn Reyner, John Madera, George Basley (drums), Augie Sabini (saxophone), Bobby Kent (drums), Susan Lampert, and Danny Couse, but currently has a new formation. From the original group, only Lampert remains. Ruby wrote most of the lyrics herself. John Madera was praised as a guitar player.
The Fun Gallery was an art gallery founded by Patti Astor and Bill Stelling in 1981. The Fun Gallery had a cultural impact until it closed in 1985. As the first art gallery in Manhattan's East Village, it exposed New York to the talents of street art by showcasing graffiti artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, Dondi, Lady Pink, and ERO. Contemporary artists Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring also had solo exhibitions at the Fun Gallery.
CBGB's and the Birth of U.S. Punk is a music compilation released on April 8, 2002. It focuses on bands that played at CBGB, a New York club in the Bowery district associated with the emergence of punk rock in the United States. In 2002, CBGB's founder and owner, Hilly Kristal, traveled to London to promote the album's release. At the time, bands like The Hives and The Strokes were bringing the CBGB sound up to date.
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