Ray Lemoine The Stone

When Hospital Productions closed its record store on East Third Street in December, the East Village’s avant-garde, noise, and experimental music scene continued to shrink (remember the days when Downtown Music Gallery was located on the Bowery? or when the Knitting Factory was on Houston Street?). As it turns out, Hospital’s founder, Dominick Fernow, is headed west, but he’s making a slight return this month, as curator of a two-week series of performances at The Stone on Avenue C.

Mr. Fernow, who will continue to run Hospital Records as a music label specializing in progressive noise, ambient, and metal music, told The Local that he closed his five-year-old record shop because he and Wesley Eisold, his bandmate in Cold Cave, were moving to Hollywood. Becka Diamond, an “it” girl who DJs at Cold Cave shows, also headed west. Despite regular gigs spinning outré music at venues like The Standard’s rooftop club, she left town – for no real reason, she said, save boredom with New York.

“It’s the same scene,” she said. “We just live out here now.”

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Ruth Spencer Steve Cannon, founder of Gathering of the Tribes.

Tribes is fighting back.

The landlord attempting to evict Gathering of the Tribes has no right to do so, and actually owes the founder of the quirky arts group at least $8,400, a new lawsuit alleges.

In December, Lorraine Zhang, the landlord of 285 East Third Street, served Steve Cannon, the blind poet, playwright and founder of Tribes with a notice that he must leave the building by Jan. 31.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in State Supreme Court and reprinted below, says that the notice is “invalid” and that “Cannon is entitled to remain as an occupant of the second floor of the premises subject to the terms of the agreement” that the pair signed when Mr. Cannon sold the building to Ms. Zhang in 2004. Read more…

Daniel Maurer The horror!

Remember the family of pumpkins that took up residence inside of a fenced-in lot behind P.S. 19 Asher Levy School – presumably in October? Last week, as you can see above, they were still camping out, and sinking into a sorry state that made one wonder if they were some sort of biology-class experiment.

After devoting so much attention to their plight, we were beginning to feel hopeless about the power of journalism vegetable voyeurism to affect genuine change – but also ghoulishly fascinated to see just how long they’d continue to decompose as the students of Asher Levy played kickball right next to them. And now, as you can see below: the pumpkins are gone – presumably the work of an intrepid hazmat team trained in squash removal. Orange’ya sad about this? We kind of are. Read more…

Suzanne Rozdeba

East Village Farm, the convenience store that’s leaving the corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street, has announced that it’s “going out business” on Feb. 5, with the flower man lingering until Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day. Now we know where we’ll be buying our roses.

From 1980 until 1996, John Leguizamo, the actor, comedian, writer and producer behind such hits as “Mambo Mouth” and “Ghetto Klown,” lived on East Seventh Street. He now resides in the central Village, but he still has roots in Alphabet City: his production offices are headquartered in his old brownstone there; and last month his wife Justine, who sits on the board of the Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation, spoke at a hearing that resulted in the landmarking of a block on East 10th Street.

Mr. Leguizamo told The Local that the East Village “will always hold a special place in my heart.” Of course, things have changed since the days when “you’d see Eric Bogosian at the bodega, Steve Buscemi buying a coffee, Iggy Pop at the health food store, Quentin Crisp tottering down the street,” as he wrote in his memoir. Over e-mail, he said, “The neighborhood used to be alive with all different kind of artists. Musicians, poets, painters, actors, singers, dancers. But the rich came in and all the squatters left and went to Brooklyn.”

So what’s there still to love about the “East Vill”? Mr. Leguizamo reflected on some of his past and present favorites. Read more…

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

Huffington Post picked up our story about the sale of CBGB and asked its readers whether the rock club should reopen. At time of posting, 59.87% said yes, and 40.13% said no.

EV Grieve finds a liquor license application indicating that Robert Ehrlich, a Sea Cliff, N.Y. cafe owner and the founder of Pirate Brands (makers of Pirate’s Booty snacks), is planning to bring a “local regional menu” to the Holiday Cocktail Lounge space.

The Voice sits down with Philip Glass. The composer sings the familiar refrain of “the rent is too high,” but also admits that the East Village has changed for the better in some ways: “The Bowery used to be synonymous with people who lived on the street and were alcoholics,” he says. “In the ’80s, if you wandered over to Avenue B . . . there would be people walking in the middle of the street hawking drugs! Just announcing what they had for sale! It was that open… I am not sorry to see that part of the East Village disappearing. It was a very grungy part, you know?” Read more…

Ray Lemoine Work was being done inside of Life earlier today.

There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Life Cafe.

Owner Kathy Kirkpatrick and landlord Bob Perl have been in talks with potential business partners who would pave the way for the shuttered cafe at East 10th Street and Avenue B to finally reopen, much to the relief of “Rentheads” everywhere.

“There are other parties who want to partner with Kathy and I am talking to them,” said Mr. Perl. “There is a possibility it could go on — whether it does I’m not sure.”

Ms. Kirkpatrick confirmed the discussions, but had little to add. “It has to do with the landlord agreeing to work together and cooperate,” she said. Read more…

After a failed demolition attempt by would-be developers, the historic building at 128 East 13th Street will hit the auction block thanks to an order from a State Supreme Court judge, The Real Deal reports. The building, which was home to one of the city’s leading sellers of horses and horse-drawn carriages and later served as sculptor Frank Stella’s studio, was the subject of much lobbying by preservationists once developers Isaac Mishan and Joseph Sabbah revealed plans to replace it with a seven-story building in 2006. The pair defaulted on $10.5 million in loans, resulting in last week’s court order.

Max is the latest East Village restaurant to join Cafe Mogador, Crif Dogs, and Mama’s in opening a Williamsburg outpost. According to Eater, a new location will open on South Second Street and Driggs in the spring. An employee at Cafe Mogador says they’re still working on an opening date for their place at 133 Wythe Street.

Francisco Daum Flowers outside of CBGB in 2001, after Joey Ramone died of lymphatic cancer.

The CBGB brand — and the merchandising empire that comes with it — changed hands three months ago, a representative of the new owners told The Local.

“We bought the entire estate, the physical assets of the former club. They dissembled it as a theatrical unit so in theory they could put it back together — say, 80 percent they salvaged,” said the spokesman for the new owners, who wished to remain anonymous in anticipation of an announcement in the coming weeks regarding the return of the legendary club. “There are all kinds of tapes, photos, and the global trademarks and licensing.”

The spokesman added that his group bought the CBGB estate from Lisa Kristal, the daughter of the founder of the club, Hilly Kristal. A man who answered the phone at Ms. Kristal’s number had no comment regarding the transaction.

“In negotiating the sale, Lisa Kristal was motivated much more by preserving the legacy of CBGB than she was by money,” said the spokesman in an e-mail. “We had to court her for seven months, proving to her that we would be the best guardians of the name. She wanted to know our plans. I would stay up until two in the morning, night after night listening to her wonderful stories and telling her about the ways in which we were going to keep CBGB alive through loud music and by supporting new bands.”
Read more…

While we’re wishing Mr. Glass a happy birthday: Congratulations to “30 Rock” actress Katrina Bowden and her new fiance, rocker Ben Jorgensen. The Local recently spotted the happy couple walking into one of the Avalon buildings – we won’t say which one (it’s not like we’re gossipmongers!), but Ms. Bowden (like every other local celebrity) is a fan of Cafe Mogador, as well as Yuca Bar and Westville East. Yep  – she’s one of our own.

Joel Raskin

Good morning, East Village.

And happy birthday to Philip Glass. Before the composer’s 75th today, NPR spoke with him at his home a block from the former Fillmore East, where he once admired Jefferson Airplane’s wall of speakers. His townhouse is equipped with “very expensive windows,” he says: “And at one point I realized, look, it’s like — it’s like looking at a silent movie. You can’t hear the cars.”

But forget Philip Glass’s windows: Architect Bill Peterson shows The Wall Street Journal his 14th Street condo, which includes a brownstone facade that folds into the apartment like a garage door, to create an open-air living room. The one-bedroom apartment, decorated with a photo of Patti Smith and a framed Fillmore East t-shirt, is currently on the market for $2.499 million.

Over the weekend, we noticed that Boukies, the Greek restaurant that will replace Heartbreak on Second Avenue, had posted its menu. See it on The Local’s Flickr page.
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Gloria Chung The Nuyorican Poets Cafe at 236 East Third Street.

Several visits from city inspectors have led to the temporary closing of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Daniel Gallant, the executive director, told The Local.

The cafe tweeted the news earlier today, and Mr. Gallant clarified — a little — over the phone.

“The building is quite old. Some of the space we’re hoping to renovate,” he said. “We’ve had a few different city inspectors come in since the end of the year — we just figured it’s probably the best thing to do repairs.”

Mr. Gallant did not wish to go into further details before again meeting with city inspectors.

The Nuyorican building does not show any recent violations or complaints on the Department of Buildings website. Mr. Gallant said he should know when the cafe will reopen by Wednesday.

Signs announcing the filming of “Smash” indicate that cars on Sixth and Seventh Streets, between First and Second Avenues, must be moved by 6 a.m. tomorrow, for a shoot between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. It’s the fourth time (at least) that the NBC show has come to the neighborhood.

Lauren Carol Smith

A word from the owner? or from the neighborhood? Either way: an epilogue to our photo essay documenting the bar’s final night.

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York brings word that Rockit Scientist Records, the store on St. Marks Place in front of which Joe Barbosa (at left) plies his trade, will close at the end of February. The store’s owner John Kioussis tells Jeremiah, “My lease is ending and I don’t want to renew at the current rate. I asked for a rent reduction and was turned down. While business wasn’t great, it just isn’t worth paying $8,500 a month.”

Evan Bleier Assistant instructor Eton Kwok.

Above a long-vacant storefront on Avenue A, a space that once served as the upstairs of Mo Pitkin’s and then as the office of an Internet start-up has found new life as a martial arts studio.

“You can do a lot of damage with a hammer-fist, and it’s quick to learn,” assistant instructor Eton Kwok told a group of young women practicing moves in front of a wall-length mirror during a recent “Smash Class” – a free self-defense class at the Chinese Hawaiian Kempo Academy.

Last month, C.H.K.A. left the Village Martial Arts Institute on Third Street and moved to roomier digs at 34 Avenue A. The dojo is owned by Sharon Shamburger, whose husband Jack, a ninth-degree black belt, is head instructor. Read more…

Photos: Vivienne Gucwa

Getting a table or a bar stool at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge Saturday night was nearly impossible. The 47-year-old dive was wall-to-wall with regulars, there to pay respects on its final night.

“I came here before I was legal,” said Angela Martenez, who frequented the Holiday in the 1990s. “The drinks were strong and cheap. And the little twinkly Christmas lights were friendly, and that’s what I needed in my life at the time.”

From all corners of the city, former East Villagers returned to the Holiday for one last beer. Read more…