See the new Jeff Buckley mini-documentary tonight at 2A

Mini-documentary on Jeff Buckley with some musical performances happening tonight upstairs at 2A courtesy of Tom Clark (OAAITEV alum!) ... Doors at 8:30. And there's very limited space.

Find out more about Sunday night events at the Treehouse at 2A here.

Jeff Buckley died on this date in 1997

[Jeff Buckley on St. Mark's Place circa 1993 via]

Peter Ferraro at East Village Radio reminds us that today is the anniversary of Jeff Buckley's death in 1997. After working with his band in Memphis on the evening of May 29, Buckley went swimming in Wolf River Harbor off the Mississippi River and drowned. Buckley was 30. He had one studio album to his name, the critically praised "Grace" that came out in August 1994.

"He did so much with one studio album," Ferraro said in an email. "It's one of my all-time favorite records. I could only imagine what would've come next."

Buckley, an East Village resident since 1990, was a regular at Sin-é at 122 St. Mark's Place in the early 1990s. (The St. Mark's version of Sin-é closed in 1996.) His Monday night residency was quite popular.

You can read his official bio here.

Late last summer/early fall, a few scenes for "Greetings From Tim Buckley" filmed in the East Village. Here's the official synopsis for the Jeff Buckley-Tim Buckley biopic:

Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the true story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he learns to embrace all of his feelings toward the father who abandoned him — longing, anger, forgiveness, and love. Culminating a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time.

Penn Badgley from "Gossip Girl" fame — and no stranger to the East Village! — portrays Jeff. No exact release date yet for the movie. (There's another Jeff Buckley biopic in the works, which you can read about here.)

East Village Radio assembled a collection of Jeff Buckley videos, which you can find here.

East Fifth Street transformed into Bedford Avenue another era

Dave on 7th checks back in on the filming this afternoon of "Greetings From Tim Buckley" on East Fifth Street, where Sophie's is subbing for 1960s-era Night Owl Cafe

Night Owl Cafe lives again at Sophie's — but just for today

Crews are on East Fifth Street today to film scenes for "Greetings from Tim Buckley." ("Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley is Jeff Buckley in this film.)

The Jeff Buckley-Tim Buckley biopic is using Sophie's as a backdrop (both inside and outside the bar). Dave on 7th was on the scene this morning...

Sophie's is subbing for the Greenwich Village 1960s mainstay Night Owl Cafe, where Tim Buckley played his first NYC gig in 1966 (and the Lovin' Spoonful came to fame). Read more about the club here. This address on West Third Street has been home to Bleecker Bob's since 1983.

...and a new rival for the Pee Phone?

'Greetings From Tim Buckley' filming in the East Village

[Photo on Fifth Street and Avenue A via a very special tipster]

Expect to see crews for the new Jeff Buckley-Tim Buckley biopic filming around the East Village in the coming weeks. We've heard that they've been scouting some familiar locations.

Now! A quick synopsis of the film:

Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the true story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he learns to embrace all of his feelings toward the father who abandoned him — longing, anger, forgiveness, and love. Culminating a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time.

And, well, Penn Badgley of "Gossip Girl" fame — and no stranger to the East Village! — is playing Jeff.

Anyway, doesn't seem like that long ago that Jeff Buckley was playing at Sin-é at 122 St. Mark's Place in the early 1990s.

[Jeff Buckley circa 1993 via]

The St. Mark's version of Sin-é closed in 1996. Jeff Buckley drowned in Memphis in 1997.

Updated: Our friends at This Ain't the Summer of Love note in the comments that Anthrax bassist Frank Bello will portray Richard Hell in the movie.

James Franco vs. Robert Pattinson

Important casting news from ABC News:

James Franco and Robert Pattinson are neck-and-neck for the honor of playing musician Jeff Buckley in a biopic.

Buckley, who lived in the East Village, died in a drowning accident in Memphis on May 29, 1997.

And ABC's pick?

"My vote's on James Franco. Pattinson may be the hot young thang, but Franco can handle the tough roles and has Hollywood staying power. Plus, there's that eerily similar facial structure."

Anyway, according to another report: Jeff Buckley's mom, Mary Guibert, will help oversee the project and says the actor playing her son must sing and play the guitar himself. She claims, "Whoever gets the part will need a lot of self-discipline because they won't be able to fake it. It's going to take a phenomenal set of skills."