The Gothamist reports that "an off-Ludlow music venue with high ceilings, a mezzanine, a basement, and a capacity of 300" is selling off their lease. As they point out, the only two places that fit this description are the Annex and Fat Baby. My guess is the Annex, because it seems a bit empty there lately and Fat Baby has a big line of generic post-collegiate kids outside every weekend. Either way, no big loss to New York - all the cool has been tapped out of these places ages ago, if it was ever there to begin with.
Here's the original story.
Showing posts with label Annex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Annex. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Venue Review: The Annex
<< NYC Venues: Index
Overview
Location: LES, Manhattan
Address: 152 Orchard St. (between Stanton & Rivington)
Size: Medium-small
Directions: F/V to 2 Ave, walk one block east and one block south
Website: theannexnyc.com
Acoustics: A-
Booking: A-
Helpfulness to bands: D+
Atmosphere: C-
Acoustics - The interior of the Annex is oddly shaped but it has excellent acoustics anyway. It's probably because of pretty high-quality equipment and the fact that the interior of the space involves a lot of wood and panelling instead of brick, concrete or metal. It can be a touch muffled and murky, depending on the music, but for the most part, things sound good on stage and in the house.
Booking - The Annex is fairly open-minded and easy to book, especially for a venue that's somewhat "corporate" feeling. The venue seems to have pretty decent taste in bands and puts together logical line-ups too.
Helpfulness - Once you're booked at the Annex, things become less fun. In my experiences with the venue, they keep a lot of the money from the door charges (which tend to be high in the first place), so pay for bands is pitifully low. They are very strict with their guest lists and the overall feel is that they are eking out every possible penny from the bands, despite the fact that they throw club nights that surely generate enough income to keep the venue afloat. Speaking of the club nights, this is also one of those venues that will shut bands off to avoid conflict with their late-night parties - although at least they are better at starting shows on time than many of the other venues that do this. Still, bands are treated more with tolerance, as are their audiences. It's generally not a great vibe.
Atmosphere - I've already touched on this - to me, the venue has always come off more as putting up with bands in hopes of making a few extra bucks, and that attitude certainly extends to the audience. It's just not a welcoming place - you'll pay a lot of money for the privilege of buying slightly overpriced drinks and watching your favorite band be hustled on and off stage in half an hour. The acoustics are great and the visibility is great, so it's not an altogether a bad place to see a band - but the pervasive sense that it's a money-grubbing corporation kind of kills the mood.
<< NYC Venues: Index
Overview
Location: LES, Manhattan
Address: 152 Orchard St. (between Stanton & Rivington)
Size: Medium-small
Directions: F/V to 2 Ave, walk one block east and one block south
Website: theannexnyc.com
Acoustics: A-
Booking: A-
Helpfulness to bands: D+
Atmosphere: C-
Acoustics - The interior of the Annex is oddly shaped but it has excellent acoustics anyway. It's probably because of pretty high-quality equipment and the fact that the interior of the space involves a lot of wood and panelling instead of brick, concrete or metal. It can be a touch muffled and murky, depending on the music, but for the most part, things sound good on stage and in the house.
Booking - The Annex is fairly open-minded and easy to book, especially for a venue that's somewhat "corporate" feeling. The venue seems to have pretty decent taste in bands and puts together logical line-ups too.
Helpfulness - Once you're booked at the Annex, things become less fun. In my experiences with the venue, they keep a lot of the money from the door charges (which tend to be high in the first place), so pay for bands is pitifully low. They are very strict with their guest lists and the overall feel is that they are eking out every possible penny from the bands, despite the fact that they throw club nights that surely generate enough income to keep the venue afloat. Speaking of the club nights, this is also one of those venues that will shut bands off to avoid conflict with their late-night parties - although at least they are better at starting shows on time than many of the other venues that do this. Still, bands are treated more with tolerance, as are their audiences. It's generally not a great vibe.
Atmosphere - I've already touched on this - to me, the venue has always come off more as putting up with bands in hopes of making a few extra bucks, and that attitude certainly extends to the audience. It's just not a welcoming place - you'll pay a lot of money for the privilege of buying slightly overpriced drinks and watching your favorite band be hustled on and off stage in half an hour. The acoustics are great and the visibility is great, so it's not an altogether a bad place to see a band - but the pervasive sense that it's a money-grubbing corporation kind of kills the mood.
<< NYC Venues: Index
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