i am the resurrection

executive slacks perked me up with an entry about the new venue the stone. artist-run and artist-benefitting, in a soon-to-be-hip location (avenue c is the new avenue b, right?), this seemed like the perfect balm to soothe our pain from the impending demise of other nyc clubs. then i read the fine print: "the stone is booked purely on a curatorial basis. we do not accept demos of any kind."

since the space is funded purely "through the online sale of special limited edition CDs released yearly on the tzadik label," (there is no merch table or bar, although the website does ask for donations), it's difficult to tell them how to run things. you can't fault them for not being altruistic or music-oriented enough. a place like this even existing is a miracle in this town, and i hope it stays open and doesn't get into the kind of trouble that almost ended the similarly-run tonic (which thankfully has been saved for the time being).

because they're running things in such an above-board way, it's hard to split hairs over the implied elitism. it is after all, their time and money they're putting into this labor of love. i just think musicians will find it a little frustrasting that a new venue has opened that they have little chance of playing unless the unknown curators happen to have heard of you already. in other words, already be in the same scene and you have a chance. a very catch-22 proposition, and hardly a fitting replacement for the potential losses of both luna lounge and CBGB. although those venues haven't been too friendly to non-rock-based music of late, they have a fairly open booking policy in theory (and sometimes in practice).

new york city is still in the throes of a musical explosion not seeen here since the late 70's, probably even bigger than then. more spaces where musicians can play is a good thing right now. let's hope the eyes and ears of the stone are being perked far and wide.


the title of this post comes from a song by the stone roses. the picture above is a gargoyle from avenue c taken by joe chiffriller.