Monday, November 11, 2024

Lower East Side indie mainstay Rockwood Music Hall abruptly closes, musicians say

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Last night, word spread that Rockwood Music Hall had abruptly closed on Allen Street, just south of Houston. 

Yesterday, musicians scheduled to play at the 19-year-old venue beyond Nov. 9 received emails from the venue stating that they had closed effectively immediately. 

Last night, when several musicians were on the bill to perform, the space was dark. Concertgoers were not notified of the closure on-site, online or via Rockwood's social media.
While there was no official notice from the club, there were several social media posts from musicians and journalists about the abrupt shutter.

 
Rockwood Music Hall, facing financial challenges, announced last November that the venue was "getting back to basics" and closing its Stage 2 space, which debuted in 2010 with a 175-person capacity. Nick Boder of Baker Fall is opening at the old Stage 2 address, as we first reported.

Updated 11 a.m.: Bodor told us he has NOT had any conversations with anyone at Rockwood or the landlord about Stage 1. Stage 2 is in a separate space on the same block. While he hasn’t ruled out interest in the former Stage 1, he would consider it if he had investors, though nothing is in place for now.

In June 2023, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles launched a #PreserveRockwood benefit concert series to help keep the indie venue open after the pandemic. Unfortunately, this effort doesn't appear to have been enough in the long term. 

As the June 2023 GoFundMe noted, the closure of Rockwood would end "a vital place for independent and up-and-coming musicians to develop their artistry and give fans the opportunity to discover new music in a live setting."
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 11, 2024 at 10:00 AM

    It is too bad I used to see some really good bands play there. A lot of the music venues are moving out to Williamsbridge Brooklyn now and I got to walk over the bridge to see them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. fierce preyNovember 11, 2024 at 10:32 AM

    I thought brewer falls was taking over - maybe that was only stage 2.

    ReplyDelete
  3. newsiesNovember 11, 2024 at 2:12 PM

    It's shame to see it fall to bad management, they had shut out the previous unpaid bands from commenting on any of the social pages, if you go back on Sara Bareilles old IG posts about it she left the comments open and a lot of people aired their grievances. Also doesn't help that Ken owes over a million to NY state taxes for his businesses for rockwood, it's just a gut punch to see the legacy fall apart this way after so much good was done in almost 20 yrs and countless amazing shows.

    ReplyDelete

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