Indie/alternative fun in Manhattan?

Hello,

We%26#39;re coming to New York for five days, 17-22 September and wondered if anyone would be able to help out with good ideas of stuff to do while we%26#39;re there. We%26#39;re into the indie/punk/alternative scene and are definately going to see Le Tigre at Webster Hall on the 18th. Are there any decent bars in the vicinity and how late do they open?

We really want to see CBGB but there are no shows on when we%26#39;re there, is it open at all as a bar whilst shows are not on (if we catch it whilst it%26#39;s still open that is...)?

Any recommendations of nice and cheap alternative music and clothes stores would be cool too.

Thanks!

Beck xx

Indie/alternative fun in Manhattan?

It is a shame about CBGB%26#39;s, though I imagine the entire process might go through court, so the bar might still be running when you get here. For the punk scene, the East Village is where you want to be. Try the Raven Bar at 12th St %26amp; Avenue A or Doc Holliday%26#39;s a few blocks south (cross street would be St Mark%26#39;s, or the equivalent of E8th - coincidentally, where there are a few music stores (Kim%26#39;s) and clothing stores.

Check out http://villagevoice.com - though not as edgy as they used to be, they still do a pretty good job of covering the alternative scene. (Sorry, I am not really part of this scene, so cannot help you more.)

Indie/alternative fun in Manhattan?

First of all, you are arriving on the last day of the CMJ Festival - a local music extravanganza.

http://www.cmj.com/marathon/

Sept. 17 schedule:

www.cmj.com/marathon05/calendar.php鈥?/a>

Any of the venues listed in the CMJ festival will be up your alley, even after the festival:

www.cmj.com/marathon05/calendar-venues.html

CBGB%26#39;s and its landlord are in the throes of a giant leasing battle - even the mayor%26#39;s office is trying to mediate. However, I believe it is still open in the interim. This is an ogoing sage here in NYC, and I think if you look at CBGBs website (and other articles such as this one) you%26#39;ll get a feel for what is going on:

news.yahoo.com/news鈥?/a>

Also. we%26#39;re all waiting for E.Vill. to return. We think she%26#39;s away for Labor Day weekend. We%26#39;re sure she will provide excellent alt.punk info.

The Continental always has a mixed bag of local rock bands.

I also would recommend The Kinnting Factory

http://www.knittingfactory.com/kfny/index.cfm

Woops, I meant ';ongoing saga.';

Hi Beck,

Try Don Hills on a Saturday night - its Greenwich Village and is a long running Indie night - good fun and a guaranteed night out

Thanks everyone,

I delved a bit more online into the places mentioned and Raven in particular looks really good!

Thanks x

Be sure to go to the Lower East Side. Ludlow Street has a number of bars I think you%26#39;ll like, including Motor City a Detroit-themed place. Arlene%26#39;s Grocery is a great music venue in the area.

Trash Bar in Brooklyn, off of the Bedford stop on the L train, can be a great place to see music too. Ask for some tater tots when you order a drink. They%26#39;re free.

In addition to doing all this research you should buy a copy of 鈥楾ime Out NYC鈥?when you get to town. The print edition (available at any news stand) is far superior to the on-line edition. Don鈥檛 be afraid to venture out to Brooklyn for something that sounds interesting 鈥?it鈥檚 probably your best bet for the kind of live music you鈥檙e looking for.

They don鈥檛 play live music anymore 鈥?but for a few drinks I really like Hi-Fi (formerly the famous Brownie鈥檚 and still under the same management). They have an mp3 juke box with over 20,000 songs on it and a great happy hour.

Excellent advice, eastcoastgirl. Another magazine to pick up is ';The L';. It is free, and available in orange streetcorner newspaper boxes. It is a small-format mag for easy carrying, but hard to read with teeny-tiny print. Read it before you start drinking. (Hard copy better than on-line version)

www.thelmagazine.com

If you want to go to Brooklyn, go to Southpaw! I used to live two blocks away. Big space, nice people, nearby pizza.

www.spsounds.com