The owners of Other Music, which is closing for good on June 25, have announced a farewell concert at the Bowery Ballroom.
Here are the details for the show on June 28:
After 20 years, the iconic New York City record shop Other Music will be closing their doors on June 25, and three days later, they are bringing together a broad cross section of NYC artists they love for one last blowout party. Record shops are all about community, and none more so than Other Music, who for two decades created a haven for artists, fans, and music industry to come together for the love of records. Come celebrate 20 years of Other Music at this benefit concert and farewell celebration!
Julianna Barwick, Frankie Cosmos, Helado Negro, Menahan Street Band, Matana Roberts, Sharon Van Etten, Yo La Tengo, John Zorn's Simulacrum (with John Medeski, Matt Hollenberg and Kenny Grohowski) plus more special guests and surprises TBA!!
Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door. They go on sale Friday at the Bowery Ballroom box office and at Other Music on East Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway.
I'm sorry but this record store like the venue having a farewell show for it never gave support to local/area hardcore punk which is mandatory for you to claim your store was a "haven" for artists. Hardcore punk was the first real underground music without which Other Music doesn't exist, deal with it. Dischord, Touch 'N' Go, and Merge Records plus countless other labels - all rooted in hardcore punk, all nonexistent without it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Bowery Ballroom never had a show in honor of Other Music let alone one OM was affiliated with and I defy anyone out there to come up with one and if it's just one that's shit for the 17 years or so BB has been open.
I have no problem with Other Music whatsoever. I do, however, have a problem with the revisionist history regarding the importance of this place. It's overblown. It sold collectable, esoteric, weird records, fine, but it never fostered a music scene ever.
I could be wrong but Venus Records was open as long as or longer than Other Music and no one made a big deal about it closing. It was driven out by a greedy landlord. It supported underground music much more than Other Music who in my opinion opened so it could lure in the Tower Records fans which is fine and great business sense which paid off but let's not pretend this place was indie rock Vahalla. I could care less if Vampire Weekend, Interpol, or The Strokes sold their first stuff here, they were not indie rock bands, they were/are hipster bands who had dreams of being big commercial rock bands from the getgo unlike Sonic Youth or Beastie Boys who had no plan or even a clue. I don't think even Lady Gaga had one.
Great record store? Sure, but no local/area hardcore punk band ever had a demo sold in there so can it with it's a blow to the NYC music scene - WHAT music scene? No one hangs out anymore. Everyone is too old, has careers, families etc. And how many of you hit this place once a month or two? Probably not many of you and that's ok, life moves on, and there's Ebay, Discogs, downloading etc.
@10:33
ReplyDeleteAgreed. This place had no relevance even in it's infancy. The majority of the music sold and promoted in their windows there had wrote no memorable or lasting music (with the exception of Yo la Tengo). Although admirable that they kept it open as online consumerism as ruined every related business and in a sense humanity, they don't have the legacy that various other stores have, even a chain like tower (which was actually a good chain).
To @10:33 , what?
ReplyDeletepretty weird (and bitter) comments above
ReplyDelete7:48pm - Exactly what I, 10:33pm, wrote, Oh wait, you disagree? Fine.
ReplyDelete12:08pm - My comments aren't "weird" or "bitter" you just don't like them and the truth hurts.
I don't know what alternate universe you two have been living in but hardcore punk has existed in this city since the late '70s and it is not some fleeting, passing scene of people. It is not really even a "scene" per se or certainly about just music but an entire community whose bonds run decades. It may not be as closeknit as it was in the '80s and '90s but it is still closeknit enough that it is a recognizable community (not that it has to be recognized by anyone.) Other Music never supported this community/scene/music/ethic whose influence runs through every non-hardcore band in NYC (bands who put out 7"s, set up shows, book tours etc. themselves.)
Again, a great record store, yes, but enough with the revisionist history like it was the CBGB of NYC record stores when it wasn't (spare me the CBGB bashing e.g. it sucked since 199X or 200X blah blah blah), and it's not my problem many of you never hit Venus Records or were/are too cool to hit Generation Records which has been open since 1992 thus will be 25 years old next year and is another record store which supported the local music scene unlike Other Music. Big fucking deal a couple of NYC bands had their shit carried at OM before they broke big.
Not you two but whoever out there: If you don't think a record store should foster a music scene/community, whatever, but don't run nonsense like OM did that when it didn't besides that what the hell would you know about music beyond just listening to it? Go listen to Hootie & The Blowfish sucker. As far as I'm concerned they would've never opened if it wasn't right next to Tower Records and again a brilliant calculated business move. I'm not even OM should've supported the local music, I'm just sick of all the press like it did and is/was the end all be all of NYC record stores.
Hey, maybe you don't realize this, but there's more to music then some idiotic hardcore scene.
ReplyDeleteMost record stores specialize in certain types of music, and Other Music certainly had it's clientele. If you weren't interested in what they carry, go rant elsewhere, you seem very petty.