NYC - East Village: CBGB & OMFUG
CBGB & OMFUG (short for "Country, Bluegrass, and Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers") stood at 315 Bowery from its opening in December 1973 until it was closed on October 15, 2006. Founder Hilly Kristal intended the bar, which replaced his earlier Hilly's on the Bowery, to feature country, blues and bluegrass music, but it ended up becoming the birthplace of American punk. CBGB's had only one rule for a band to follow if they wanted to take the stage: all original music, no covers.
Since the Mercer Arts Center collapsed in August 1973, there were very few locations around New York for unsigned bands. Mercer refugees like Suicide and Wayne County quickly migrated to CBGB's for one-off gigs. The seminal moment in CBGB history, though, became the Sunday night residency of Television, which began on March 31, 1974 and started a flood of early punk performances including the Patti Smith Group, The Stillettoes (featuring Blondie's Debbie Harrry), Blondie (under their original name of Angels & the Snakes) and most famously the Ramones. Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, Tuff Darts, The Shirts, The Heartbreakers, The Fleshtones and many other bands followed in quick succession.
In the 1980's, New York's underground hardcore scene kept the bar in the black. Sunday at CBGB was "thrash day" or "matinee day." After incidents of violence, Kristal imposed a ban on hardcore and punk that didn't last. Bands that launched to stardom from the matinees include the Gorilla Biscuits, the Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Reagan Youth, Warzone, and Youth of Today.
In 2005, the Bowery Resident's Committee billed Kristal $91k in back rent, but Kristal claimed he had never been notified of his $19k per month rent hike. Kristal sought legal recourse and attempted to obtain landmark status for his club, but to no avail and ultimately reached an agreement to evacuate fourteen months after the lease expiration. TSirius Satellite Radio listeners who tuned into the live broadcast of the final show by Patti Smith were treated to a midnight birthday serenade of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, Smith's rattling off names of musicians who have passed since the last time they played CBGB's, and a rousing finale alternating choruses of the Ramones' "Hey Ho, Let's Go!" and "Gloria."
Explore: Jun 10, 2006
Comments and faves
Elvira Black, jeff.ramone, julesschroom, dM.nyc™, and 23 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Elvira Black (83 months ago | reply)
Great photo--I've blogged it at
elvirablack.blogspot.com/2006/08/life-during- wartime.html
Yeashua (80 months ago | reply)
Love the picture -- so sad it's gone away...
Ginger Chick [deleted] (80 months ago | reply)
I was in NYC on 10/15, and walked right past CBGB - there was a huge crowd outside, and I commented to my husband that it was going to close soon - didn't realize that was the last moments! I guess I should have wandered over. That'll teach me to ignore a crowd in NYC...
ivamp (80 months ago | reply)
Es una lástima que lo cierren, con una historia tan mítica deberian mantenerlo! y no me puedo morir sin conocerlo!
wallyg (77 months ago | reply)
NYC from A to Zed: O is for Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers
~*THAT KID RICH*~ (BEEN BUSY SORRY) (74 months ago | reply)
**LoNG LivE CB'S**
Debbie C.B.'s (53 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Hail Hail Rock and Roll !, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
i pretty much lived there it seems
i saw ACDC play there and blow the roof off they werent advertised but i was thhere all the time so i caught it
and half the industry big wigs and alot of british iconic rockers were there
it was a great show and i was not a big acdc fan really but i liked them live
i cant even list al lthe sh*t i saw and wittnessed there from hells angels fighting to all kinds of insanity and falling asleep in the so called vip room the smoking lounge really a stock room oppistie the womans bathroom
woke up at 6 30 and thought were am i
till i wandered up the steps i thought hahaha o no where is everyone
i went on stage and started bashing on the drums and going into the mike check check check goofing around till Tommy the bartender came up from the basement with beers to restock and hesaid Deborah! HEY what are you doing here and i started tofeel very ill and cried i feel asleep and the y left me in there downstairs
he laughed and let me out and said go home sleep and i ll see ya later
so walking home i threw up a few times and wheni got home i passed out
another typical night at CBGBS