TONIGHT AT 8PM!!!
Here’s the list of performers, in approximate order of appearance:
Ben Krieger
David Greenberg
Miwa Gemini
Benjamin Shepherd
Brook Pridemore
Dan Costello
Dan Fishback
The Telethons
Ben Godwin
Carl Creighton
Jaymay
Andrew Hoepfner
Lippe
Debe Dalton
Mike Baglivi
Vin
Brian Speaker
Eric Wolfson
Isto
Domino
Major Matt Mason USA
Jason Trachtenberg
Daniel Bernstein
Stephanie Nilles
Alright, folks, Larkin Grimm has officially set the bar for poster design this summer. She’s the one to beat. Her Monday night preview was enough to win over new fans like Bernard King and Sam Grossman, who swear they’ll be there tonight. But what sealed the deal were the posters and colored hand bills that she brought to the Sidewalk last night. Awesome, awesome, awesome. She plays tonight on the following bill: Tues. July 8: 8 - Jared Nissim, 9 - Alfonzo Velez, 10 - Malcom Tent, 11 - Larkin Grimm
Photo by Lippe. Lach stopped by the Sidewalk last night to watch Night of the Sound Mavens, complete with standard white t-shirt. That was the moment that it really hit me: we are in a new era. For the first time it seemed as if he was just stopping to catch the show. If the piano needed to be tuned…not his problem. If one of the stage lights needed a bulb replaced…not his problem. He was just a fan enjoying music in a venue he loves. It was a little crazy, to tell you the truth.
So here we are and Monday night is upon us again. What’s it going to be like? Well, I imagine that some things will be pretty much the same. But in many ways we’re operating on a clean slate, starting from scratch. We still need sponsors, so who will they be? People will still leave their crap at the club, so how will we give stuff away onstage? Sign-up is at 7:30. Let’s see what happens. - Ben Krieger
The soundboard is in good hands this evening…every member of the sound crew will be performing a set of songs. With so many sound mavens on hand, the quality of the mix may very well be too much to handle. A Brief View of the Hudson kicks things off, followed by Brian Speaker, then Somer, then Ben Krieger. Oh yeah….Ben’s first night officially hosting the Open Stage is tomorrow! Come on out, y’all.
Eric Wolfson is the Sidewalk Cafe’s resident rabble-rouser. Just check out his myspace poster gallery. On Saturday, July 5¬† he brings the War Cabinet with him for a tribute to the famous Fredrick Douglas speech, “What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?” Given on July 5, 1941, a young Douglas (23 years old) spoke out against slavery, using his own life as a springboard for a memorable speech regarding our patriotic holiday. For Douglas, as long as slavery existed, July 4th was “a sham.” Wolfson has his own ideas regarding how the holiday is still a sham and you can be sure he’ll tell it like it is. He has some heavy-hitters to back him up on the bill, including the unstoppable Frank Hoier.¬†¬† Sat. July 5: 8 - Frank Hoier, 9 - The Powder Kegs, 10 - M. David Hornbuckle & The Dixieland Space Orchestra, 11 - Eric Wolfson & The War Cabinet, 12 - Jacques Labouchere
(Photo by Alma Santo) Juviley has always been a solid performer, drawing from Nick Drake and¬† White Album ballads and creating his own lovely collection of songs. His song at Lach’s final Antihoot showed that he’s developed a bit of an edge, utilizing dynamics and bile in ways no one could have predicted a year ago. So dammit, why does he have to leave us just when he gets really interesting? Tonight at midnight (the perfect hour for his whispered delivery), Juviley gives his final NYC concert before heading back to Israel. One gets a sense that he’d stay if USCIS wasn’t breathing down his neck; fans should prepare for an emotional set from this softly-spoken songsmith. - Ben Krieger
Thurs. July 3: 8 - John Olentangy Atzberger, 9 - Andy Guthrie 10 - Nate Metzer, 11 - TJ Moss, 12 - Juviley 
Come on, now…is this the best poster up this week or what? Isaac plays tonight at 11pm right before Crabs on Banjo!
My first Antihoot was in May of 2003.¬† I was aware of the Sidewalk through Jeffrey Lewis’ first album, which I’d heard in Kalamazoo, and also through Adam and Kimya’s superb AFNY compilation for Rough Trade.¬† It took a few months for me to get it together and go down on a Monday night, but once I did, I was hooked. The first five performers at my first hoot were Joie/DBG, Rachel Lipson, Kimya Dawson, Langhorne Slim and Thomas Truax.¬† Lach, a normal-size guy with a super-sized personality, introduced the performers, saying more than once that the night was “shaping up to be the best Antihootenanny in history.”¬† He kept name-dropping these joke sponsors that seemed really clever at the time.¬† Arlene’s Cat Camoflage, Eddie’s Air Guitar Shop.¬† I played my one song very late, and was offered a gig.
A lot has changed since that first night.¬† All but one of the first five performers I mentioned have left New York for greener pastures.¬† Lach’s series of “sponsors,” never changing, has gone from funny to groan-inducing to endearingly familiar.¬† People have come and gone.¬† I’ve met some of my best friends, and almost everyone I collaborate with, at Sidewalk.¬† The Hoot, while remaining necessary, sacred, raw and truthful, never quite boomed with the same promise as that first one I attended.
Last night was a different story.¬† Being what some people saw as the end of an era, Lach’s last Hoot was packed with long-lost but familiar faces.¬† The Lovely Eggs flew in from the UK.¬† Jeff Lewis rearranged his tour schedule to be there.¬† Fenton Lawless and Jim Flynn, two guys I’ve NEVER seen at the Hoot, played back to back at about the 1230AM mark.¬† Fenton Lawless sang a song about his dog, which makes me pretty sure that he only writes songs about dogs.¬† Chris Brodeur, the performance artist Touching You, hung out til the bitter end, but I don’t think he performed.
A lot of people played their “Sidewalk” songs-Emily Moment’s “Welcome to the Sidewalk,” “Antifolk Singer,” Debe Dalton’s song about being an Antifolk singer, and Phoebe Kreutz’s “The Ballad of Throat Culture” being standouts.¬† Steve Espinola, Dan Fishback and Ben Godwin covered Lach songs, while some unknown guy covered a Neil Young tune.¬† The fact that a Lach cover (or a cover by another obscure, local singer) gets more applause than a Neil Young song is one of the reasons Sidwalk will always be in my shortlist of favorite places in the whole world.
The evening was fraught with emotion, packed to the gills with top-shelf songwriters and it seemed like it would never end.¬† And then it did.¬† In a farewell that seemed less sad than uplifting, Master Lee delivered an eloquent speech about moving on to better things, to the tune of “The End” by the Doors.¬† The man himself did a few more songs, and I never realized until last night that The Calm Before is ALL about moving on.¬† Too late for tea, we said our goodbyes and filed out into the street.¬† For myself, there is no greater time in New York than just as the sun’s rising, no people anywhere.
Lach said more than once that Ben Krieger’s been given the Golden Ticket to the Sidewalk Cafe.¬† But when you think about it, all of us that have Sidewalk and know its value have the Golden Ticket.¬† It’s a ticket out of the fucking boredom of other clubs, a ticket out of the house on Monday nights.¬† Lach passing the reigns to Ben is not the end of a scene, or the end of the club.¬† It’s the end of an era, certainly, but ultimately the Sidewalk is the product of the multitude of talented and unique people who have passed through its door.¬† Treat your club like you would your house, and it will still be here when you need it.
Lach-I hope you find what you’re looking for out there.¬† Thank you for everything.
Brook Pridemore
Hey all,
There were a lot of cameras clicking at last night’s hoot. If you have some shots you’d like to share with our site, please email us. We’d love to display your work
Photos by Bee K. Brian Speaker was the first to post this morning; he lives the closest to the Sidewalk. I imagine Brook Pridemore will be posting his thoughts in the next hour or so. Lord knows I could mirror their enthusiasm in describing Lach’s last Antihoot, but I’m looking at the clock. It’s 6am sharp. I’m on sound tonight. There are four new acts playing at the Sidewalk this evening. David Greenberg and Adam Finchler are new Monday-nighters who got gigs onstage. The Lovely Eggs and I Am Primate are touring acts from the UK who need a good welcome. And to top it all off, the Wizard Rock gang has a special event at 4:30pm. The Fortified Antifolk Festival planning needs to be well underway by Wednesday. It would be great if the online jukebox had some songs in it by the end of the week. And on top of all this, I need to work out a plan for delegating shit.
In other words, there’s work to be done and I need a little shuteye.
Artists who, over the years, have developed their own voices filled Lach’s final Antihoot with stellar performances. Many of
them didn‚Äôt start out as great performers. They were welcomed by the community at the Sidewalk Caf√© as green upstarts and gradually evolved into full-blown rock stars. It‚Äôs remarkable that more music venues don‚Äôt share the values that Lach has fostered here over the past 15 years: freedom of expression, a safe environment to experiment, a place where one can find his/her own voice, and a community that welcomes and challenges new members. I am excited for Lach. He is ready to move on. Dan Costello spelled it out plainly: there is a lot more to come. There needs to be a lot more to come. If there is one thing that we all should remember in the wake of last night’s fond farewell, it‚Äôs that the scene must thrive beyond the reign of its founding father.
New York City doesn’t give music venues an opportunity to sit and rest on their laurels. If we want a place where we can call home, one that welcomes new recruits and distinguished alumni year after year and doesn’t fold when the real estate market bares its teeth, we need to work for it. I promise to work my ass off if you promise to do the same.
Rock always,
Ben Krieger
Thanks to Herb Scher for the great video presentation!
