BLUE’S FACTORY

There’s a new
club in Red Hook which opened quietly on Sept. 21. Red Hook Blue
is located at 18 Commerce St. between Richards and Columbia streets
in the former Royal Ink factory.



"We’re in the vein of the Bottom Line and the Blue Note,"
said owner and artist Sal Reale, pictured far left with general
manager Bunnie Faith and entertainment booker and partner Jimmy
Faith.



Red Hook Blue is open Thursdays through Sundays at 9 pm, with
bands taking the stage after 10 pm. The cover charge is $10.



On Oct. 4, the bluesy Dave Keyes Band will perform; Friday’s
band will be announced on the Web site www.redhookblue.com; and
on Oct. 6, the Kerry Karney Band, which has toured with the Allman
Brothers, will perform.



Reale, 54, estimates that the club raised $4,600 with its benefit
held the weekend of Sept. 28 for the victims of the World Trade
Center attack. Reale says the club donated the money to "the
Red Cross, the firemen and the policemen’s funds."



The club will continue to contribute to the neighborhood by featuring
up and coming local musicians and artists as well as those with
name recognition.



"There are so many bands around here that are incredible,"
said Reale. "I wanted a venue to discover artists and musicians
– and I also want to work with national artists too."



The club, says Reale, is equipped to handle a variety of performing
styles.



"Red Hook Blue has 190-person capacity, a full-fledged sound
system, and a nice stage with velvet curtains from a theater
in Manhattan. The tremendous sound system is not so much for
volume but clarity, from singles to big band.



"This is a New York style place," he said. "It’s
a nightclub, not a bar, and it has a lot of character. It’s something
to see."