Brooklyn’s Best Music Venues are Underground

It’s well after midnight and the headliner is still tweaking the sound equipment before their set begins. You’ve got a beer in your hand, the one you just spent $5 on at the “bar” which consisted of a tattooed guy reaching into a cooler to procure it for you. The only bathroom is out of toilet paper and the sink looks like it hasn’t been in working condition in years. You’re sweaty, the band t-shirt and leather clad hipsters surrounding you are sweaty, and the tiny basement space will soon explode into an energetic fit of movement as the amplifiers emit the harsh, punk rock cacophony of a band you’ve maybe never heard of.

Welcome to the New York City DIY music scene, where underground art spaces are created to give no-names or even popular bands an alternative stage. These venues usually charge admission on a by-donation basis, are open to all ages, and can be found in the deepest corners of neighborhoods like Brooklyn, often in abandoned buildings or community artist lofts. These spaces are artists’ and musicians’ answers to overpriced, commercially regulated concert venues, which are a plenty in cities across the country. NYC is ripe with these music venues, The Village Voice describing them as part of a “chaotic do-it-yourself music ecosystem.”

Much like the rest of the incredibly creative Brooklyn art scene, DIY music venues add to the culturally rich essence of this neighborhood, inspiring people to create music and artist spaces accessible to everyone, regardless of age or income. With Brooklyn’s rise in visibility on the public cultural sphere, many of its underground music spaces have gained notoriety in recent years.

For instance, Death By Audio, a DIY space in Williamsburg, has gained attention for being a venue for local art and touring bands. Likewise, The Schoolhouse in north Brooklyn, a converted schoolhouse indicative of the venue’s name, has been pegged as a great spot to check out infrequent, but fantastic live shows at little or no cost of entry.

These venues have no website, no contact information, operating only by the word-of-mouth advertising of the locals who frequent them. Though their presence is discreet, it’s still a force that adds greatly to the artist communities of neighborhoods like Brooklyn, pushing the boundaries of how one can experience music and art today.

For more information on DIY Music Venues, check out The Village Voice’s list of the greatest underground music spaces in NYC, or The L Magazine’s A User's Guide to the Brooklyn DIY Music Scene.

Photo credit Po' Jay Flickr