New Yorkers Have Some Good News (ahem…Wetlands?) and Bad News (McCarren Pool…RIP?)

By Matt Friedman on August 2nd, 2008

There is some major news brewing in the New York City music scene regarding the venues. While a modern favorite may have seen its final performance hosting days, we remember a legendary club with the birth of a new type of venue.

Despite the tradition of giving the bad news first, I’m going to pump you all up before I bust your bubble. Heck, it is Friday and you all deserve some good news after that long week, right? Ok, here goes…

Good News

Peter Shapiro, owner of the legendary Wetlands in Tribeca for its final years (1996 - 2001), is working on a new rock club. But wait, it gets better. This is not going to be just another music venue. Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl will feature 16 bowling lanes, in addition to a small rock club. While lovers of the Wetlands are not going to experience anything remotely close to déjà vu, it is nice to see another independent venue come up in NYC.

Looking back just a decade ago, New York had a handful of amazing clubs to rock out in. Everyone knows CBGBs (especially with Urban Outfitters selling hundreds of thousands of t-shirts with the classic logo imprinted across the chest). Then there was Coney Island High on St. Marks Place, just off the square. At one point, this was the epicenter for all things punk in the East Village, but slowly but surely Big Bad Wolf (Corporate America) blew the house in (I believe a Burger King replaced the club). Pre-Giuliani-Times Square (before MTV Studios looked over what became the mixture of Vegas and Disney World that we all love now) was home to the Academy and thousands of mid-sized shows. Of course, there was my personal favorite, the wonderful Wetlands.

Not to say that New York does not have a sufficient number of venues. That would just be ridiculous. However, just like most American cities, the Live Nation and AEG Live empires own just about every single place where a band can get a gig these days. There is also the Bowery Presents conglomerate, consisting of the Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge and the new Terminal 5.

Fortunately, we still have the Knitting Factory. There are other new establishments as well, such as Santos Party House and the new Galapagos (reopened in Dumbo).

Still, I am most excited for Brooklyn Bowl, where you can feel free to rock out with your balls out!

In other news regarding the Wetlands, the Sundance Channel has recently been featuring the 2007 documentary “Wetlands Preserved.” I can’t speak to the quality of the film, as it has been patiently waiting my attention on the DVR. However, from my experiences at the venue, expect to see a ton of kids climbing on top of each other to get close to the microphone…not that it was very difficult to do with a stage about 3 1/2 feet off the ground. I can also guarantee there will be shots of the VW van that the club housed inside for many years.

Bad News

According to the New York Times, this is your last few opportunities to enjoy the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn (on the edges of Greenpoint and Williamsburg), as a music venue. The Pool, which has been an incredible place to catch some live performances and sun for the last few summers, is going to become once again just another boring public swimming pool. Apparently, the current state of McCarren is too decrepit for the City and the playground and musical atmosphere does not fit into the plans. Mayor Bloomberg has pledged a whopping $50 million towards renovations of the Pool. If the plans are approved, constructions should start by spring and a new pool will open in 2011. The Sonic Youth show on August 30, the last scheduled concert, should be a memorable one.

It figures that one of the coolest places to spend a summer day closes right before my wife and I move back to New York. Did I mention that it opened as a music venue a year after I left? Boo!

Fortunately, there are still plenty of good shows this month. Here is a schedule of the upcoming gigs. Get your tickets while you can. You don’t want to miss out on your last chance!