Adrian Grenier and Heather Graham were there, dancing in the front. ![]() It was the first time that The New York Times came to do a review. One concert that meant a lot to me was Hailu Mergia, the Ethiopian jazz pianist. Its biggest undertaking has been BABY TV, a sliding-scale streaming site that broadcasts live shows with proceeds going to artists, the venue and its staff, and Make the Road NY. Since shutting down, Baby’s has helped local bands by allowing them to use the space for practice or photoshoots. On a typical pre-pandemic Saturday, one could spend all day there, beginning with a boozy brunch and ending with a midnight DJ set fueled by the venue’s signature Pink Baby mate slushies. The programming reflects this attitude: over the past eight years, Baby’s has hosted everyone from the Raconteurs to Vagabon, with plenty of Drake and Rihanna-themed dance parties in between. Anyone can feel comfortable there,” says co-owner and music director Billy Jones. The Williamsburg venue is “not a nose-in-the-air kind of place. How to support House of Yes: Attend virtual events or donate directly through Patreonįrom the neon rooftop sign that proclaims “ALL RIGHT” to its stage backdrop made of glass ashtrays, the booths topped with crocodile sconces, and funky 1970s wallpaper, Baby’s All Right is stuffed with character. We’re really just using every space for whatever creative thing we can think of. Markets are not lucrative, like, at all-it’s more about using our space for local creators and community members. We’ve done a few holiday markets as well. Rabkin: We also have a fully functioning kitchen that we’ve been able to use, so we have a program where they make food in our kitchen, and we’re giving food out. People can have a slice of what House of Yes used to be in digital form. We do digital dance parties with aerialists and drag queens where there’s an opportunity to donate, and all those donations go to the performers. ![]() We have really grown our online presence into an interactive, creative engagement with people that are down for House of Yes. We’re doing a lot of digital programming. What has the day-to-day been like at House of Yes since COVID-19?īurke: Inside the venue, we’re doing whatever we can that’s still creative and allowed, like film and photo shoots. ![]() With all that in mind, we talked to the owners, bookers, and managers of 36 of America’s greatest independent music venues-from Brooklyn’s inclusive dance destination House of Yes to Berkeley’s DIY punk haven 924 Gilman-to see how they’ve coped over the past year, what they remember most fondly about pre-pandemic concerts, and what audiences can do to help. But as businesses that depend on being able to pack lots of people together into the same room, scrappy smaller venues have faced a particularly difficult path through the pandemic, and may have many more months of hardship ahead thanks to unpredictable reopening rules and unreliable government assistance. Live music as we know it would not exist without these weird, wonderful places and the tireless people who operate them. Maybe it’s the impeccable live sound, or the bartender’s heavy pour, or the raggedly charming atmosphere that would send less dedicated patrons out the door. Maybe it’s the community of listeners you find there, or the booker whose taste you trust enough to show up without even checking who’s playing. Musicians, ever-resourceful, have found workarounds during the pandemic with livestreams and distanced outdoor concerts, but the spaces themselves are important. It’s been so long since most of us have been to a live show that even the scuzziest black hole of a bathroom sounds inviting right now.
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