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Music in the Village Past and Present

The former Cafe-Au-Go-Go. Photo via Rock Cellar Magazine.
The former Cafe-Au-Go-Go. Photo via Rock Cellar Magazine.

A recent post by Rock Cellar Magazine entitled “Rock Meccas of NYC: What Are They Now?” had us here at Off the Grid lamenting the loss of such wonderful music venues as the recently closed Kenny’s Castaways and Bleecker Bob’s Record Store. The article’s then and now photographs are a must see.  But the music scene in the Village is not all gloom and doom. There are wonderful music clubs and stores still extant in our neighborhoods.

Left: Academy Records; Right: Bleecker Street Records

Despite the closure of Bleecker Bob’s record store, there are numerous places offering a large vinyl selection, including Bleecker Street Records, Rebel Rebel, and House of Oldies. You can read more about these stores in this former Off the Grid post.

Le Possion Rogue, located in the former Village Gate, is a newer addition to the Village music scene, but one that offers an eclectic variety of musical genres, including classical, jazz, pop, and even opera. Open since 2008, the club was presented with a Village Award in 2011 for its contribution to the Village music scene. Read more about this unique club in this former Off the Grid post.

The Village Vanguard has been open in its present location since 1935. Photo via Inverted Garden.
The Village Vanguard has been open in its present location since 1935. Photo via Inverted Garden.

GVSHP recently featured an evening of jazz at the Zinc Bar, a club run by a brother and sister team located in the former Cinderella Club space on West 3rd Street. Besides jazz, the club also features Brazilian music and even tango. And when you are talking about jazz in the Village, there are a myriad of options, both historic and new. The venerable Village Vanguard, Smalls, and Arthur’s Tavern all have music nightly.

If you still want to take a nostalgia trip, you can always read these past Off the Grid posts on CBGB’s and the Fillmore East.

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