Dozens of Brooklyn musicians marched down
Montague Street last Wednesday evening, strumming guitars and
fiddling violins while evoking the days when Bob Dylan roamed
the block and nightlife in Downtown Brooklyn was something to
speak of.
It’s been 30 years since Dylan sang of the street’s lively cafes
and air of revolution in "Tangled up in Blue," but
if local DJ Stuart Metrick and restaurateur Bruce Mendes have
their say, Montague Street will once again be a destination spot
for live music.
The reasons for revolt, however, have changed since Dylan’s heyday.
"We want to hear music on Montague Street," said Metrick.
"Not just loud, blasting, top-40 music. We want to hear
the local artists – and that’s the bottom line."
Metrick, a Heights resident since 1980, has been cybercasting
local musicians on www.Heightsradio.com since May. Last week,
he scored another point for the local scene when he began broadcasting
live music from Mendes’ Cafe Mezzo, a French-Italian bistro at
136 Montague St. between Clinton and Henry streets.
Metrick will cybercast Mezzo’s open-mic nights on Wednesdays
and one-act shows on Fridays. (Last week featured Ron & John,
a veteran folk duo.) Mendes, however, hopes to add a rhythm and
blues night on Saturdays. For now, listeners can munch on fried
brie or steamed mussels while listening to artists such as the
Friedman Brothers, this Friday’s guest.
"There hasn’t been live music on Montague Street for such
a long time," he said. "But, especially in the summer,
I think it’s a great idea. It will help the Montague Street economy."
Since last week’s march down Montague, Metrick says his Web site
has counted more than 270 new listeners, as far-flung as Bolivia
and Austria. In the meantime, he said, musicians are getting
more of the attention they deserve.
"It’s kind of amazing," said Metrick. "How it
has happened is either someone’s family is currently on the radio
station. Or in a place like Japan, they’re very curious about
American music. As far as Austria and Bolivia, it’s probably
family-oriented. Someone is probably listening to their grandson
in Brooklyn."
Cafe Mezzo, which opened four years ago as The Tin Room then
La Bouchee, has always featured live music, but since being granted
a liquor license in May, Mendes has ushered local musicians to
the forefront of his 60-seat venue. At first, he said, Brazilian
and chamber music were typical, but these days no genre is ruled
out. Musicians as varied as Williamson Vedder, 40, a folk and
blues guitarist from Cobble Hill, shared the stage last week
with Jeff Young, an 18-year-old violinist from Fort Greene.
"I like rock, folk and bluegrass," said Mendes. "I
play guitar, so I really wanted to bring that to my place."
Among more than 20 musicians spotlighted at Cafe Mezzo last Wednesday
was Young, a virtuoso as likely to play rock ’n’ roll on his
Martin Nobel as he is to jam. A regular at the Boudoir Bar’s
open-mic night on Thursdays, Young played solo before joining
musicians on piano and guitar.
During the march, he accompanied Vedder in a guitar and violin
rendition of Dylan’s "Knocking on Heaven’s Door."
"I’ve played the violin so long that it’s become part of
my consciousness," said Young, who will attend the Oberlin
Conservatory this fall. "It’s part of who I am."
The musicians may not have been marching last week to end war,
famine or animal cruelty, but their aim to bring live music to
the area seems almost as lofty. But Cafe Mezzo’s entertainment
may raise the ire of residents looking for peace and quiet.
Since 1997, two separate venues at nearby 41 Clark St. have succumbed
to a string of noise complaints by Heights residents. Judy Stanton,
executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, predicted
that an upsurge in live music on Montague Street would not go
over well.
"Since Montague Street is a residential street with a commercial
overlay, I think live music, regardless of the genre, would present
noise problems," said Stanton, who noted that the association
had not been approached by anyone with plans to open a new bar
or club in the neighborhood.
For his part, Mendes says he hasn’t received any noise complaints.
And Vedder says Cafe Mezzo is a boon to local artists, and he
welcomes new listeners, from Brooklyn, or elsewhere via the Web.
"I have something to say, and hopefully, if I’m touching
on something universal, then it’s relevant for everyone,"
said Vedder. "It’s not just the words, but the melody and
the emotion that you’re putting behind it."
Acoustic Cafe at Cafe Mezzo (136 Montague
St. between Clinton and Henry streets in Brooklyn Heights) includes
open mic nights Wednesdays at 9 pm, and scheduled acts on Fridays
at 10 pm. Next up: on Aug. 8, The Friedman Brothers; Aug. 15,
Jacob Wate; Aug. 22, Lanny Isis; and Aug. 29, Kelly Vullo. There
is no cover charge. Shows will be broadcast live on www.Heightsradio.com.
For more information, call (718) 522-2202.
