A Williamsburg indie venue is saying sayonara with several blowout concerts over the next two weekends.
The do-it-yourself honky-tonk 285 Kent has welcomed fringe music since 2006 and its impending closure has performers and fans alike feeling nostalgic.
“Sad to see it go,” said one-man-dance-band Dan Deacon, who is headlining a show at the venue across the street from the Domino Sugar factory on Jan. 17. “Many great memories.”
The final days of 2013 saw rampant speculation that club owner Todd Patrick, who goes by “Todd P,” planned to shut down the music venue at the year’s end, but concerts continued early this month . Now, the venue has announced that it will host its final four shows, featuring Detroit noise rockers Wolf Eyes, spastic Brooklyn R&B fusionists Ava Luna, and Canadian hardcore band F—– Up, among others, on the 11th, 17th, 18th, and 19th.
The club hosted early shows of now-major indie names such as Grimes and Titus Andronicus and helped rear a generation of wet-behind-the-ears hipsters.
“Some of the first shows I saw in New York were at 285 Kent, and I made a lot of friends there,” said Leanne Dollard, who lives in Bushwick.
Many fans were not surprised that 285 Kent is closing.
“These kind of spaces are transient,” said Joe Ahearn, the bookkeeper at Bushwick venue Silent Barn. “The fact hat that it lasted as long as it did in an area as hyper-gentrified area as Williamsburg is impressive.”
All music venues, especially ones that focus on lesser-known, experimental acts, run the risk of sharing the same fate, said Ahearn.
“Silent Barn has a ten-year lease, which is key in creating longer-term sustainability,” he said. “Short of buying property, that’s all you can do.A September visit from police and subsequent health inspections rattled show organizers, according to the Village Voice.
Todd P has opened a new club called Trans-Pecos inside the former Silent Barn space on Wyckoff Avenue in Queens, only unlike its extralegal predecessor, this venue has the proper permits. Trans-Pecos started hosting shows in December.
Final shows at 285 Kent (285 Kent Ave. between S. First and S. Second Streets in Williamsburg) Jan. 11, 17, 18, and 19 at 8 pm. All ages.
