The Mercury Lounge is a live music venue in the Lower East Side of New York City . Like its brother venue The Bowery Ballroom , The Mercury Lounge is celebrated as an iconic indie venue due to its acoustics, its fostering and even launching of upcoming artists, and its no-frills, rock n' roll presentation. It has made numerous top-ten lists over the years including that of Billboard Magazine. It has a capacity of 250 people. A scholarly account of Mercury Lounge and its place in the wider history of the city's rock music history and Lower Manhattan was published in 2020.
29-648: The Mercury Lounge was founded in 1993 by Michael Swier, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier, the three of whom went on to open a string of venues and promotions companies in New York City and Los Angeles. The Mercury Lounge is an independent indie venue to this day, and is known for launching the careers of many talented bands. In 2016, the Mercury Lounge, the Bowery Ballroom , and its founders parted ways with promotions company Bowery Presents when it
58-465: A cookie-cutter template for editorial content onto the publication. Belt-tightening in 2009 led to internal cutbacks, resulting in the paper eliminating the position of managing editor, letting go of several staff writers and other editorial department positions, as well as cutting the entire fact-checking department. New Times Media replaced news editor Alan Mittelstaedt with New Times LA editor Jill Stewart . Writers once closely associated with
87-928: Is Darrick Rainey, the Music Editor is Brett Callwood, the Culture & Entertainment Editor is Lina Lecaro, the Arts Editor ;is Shana Nys Dambrot and the Food Editor ;is Michele Stueven. The Publisher and CEO is Brian Calle. In June 2022, the Los Angeles Press Club awarded news reporter Isai Rocha Journalist of the Year for print publications under 50,000 circulation at the 64th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. The judges said, "Whether exploring issues of diversity, pandemic inequities, or homelessness, Rocha delivers
116-560: Is a New York City live music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in Manhattan 's Bowery neighborhood. The venue has enjoyed a fabled reputation among musicians as well as audiences. In 2013, industry insiders polled by Rolling Stone magazine named it the best club in America, describing it as "both intimate and grand, with consistently great sound and sightlines, and touches of old-school class." Consequence of Sound named it
145-465: Is the namesake of Joan Baez 's Bowery Songs album, recorded live at the venue on November 6, 2004. It appears in the 2000 film Coyote Ugly as well as the 2008 film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist . LA Weekly LA Weekly is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles , California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in
174-585: The Village Voice Media name in October 2005. At that point, Village Voice Media owned a chain of 17 alternative weeklies with a combined circulation of 1.8 million. Some former employees complained about personnel moves after the sale. For instance, Harold Meyerson , once the Weekly 's political editor, charged in a departing email to Weekly staffers in 2006 that the new owners had grafted
203-452: The Weekly but let go by the paper's management during that period included Meyerson, theater critic Steven Leigh Morris, film critic Ella Taylor , and columnist Marc Cooper . Management said staff cuts were necessary owing to poor economic conditions. However, some of the cuts were likely attributable to philosophical differences with the paper's then-owners (who have since sold the chain). Former staff writer Matthew Fleischer said at
232-752: The Los Angeles Press Club's nod for "Journalist of the Year". In November 2017, the publication was sold to Semanal Media LLC, whose parent company is listed as Street Media. In December 2017, it was revealed that the new owners of Semanal Media LLC included "David Welch, a Los Angeles-based attorney with ties to the cannabis industry; philanthropist Kevin Xu, an investor with biotech firm Mebo International; attorney Steve Mehr; boutique hotelier Paul Makarechian; real estate developer Mike Mugel; and Southern California investor Andy Bequer", all residents of Orange County, California . The new operation manager
261-469: The Los Angeles area. LA Weekly was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), and he served as the publication's editor from 1978 to 1991, as well as its president from 1978 to 1992. Jay Levin put together an investment group that included actor Michael Douglas , Burt Kleiner, Joe Benadon, and Pete Kameron. Levin's co-founders included Joie Davidow , Michael Ventura , and Ginger Varney. Levin
290-408: The Los Angeles music scene. Davidow produced a comprehensive calendar section and explored undiscovered fashion districts, discovering new designers. In 1985, LA Weekly launched a glossy magazine, L.A. Style , which Davidow edited. L.A. Style was sold to American Express Publishing in 1988 (it merged with BUZZ magazine in 1993). By 1990, LA Weekly had a circulation of 165,000, making it
319-506: The Mercury Lounge resides has an interesting history. Located at 217 East Houston Street , the space once housed the servants to the Astor mansion on Fifth Avenue, and even connected to it via an underground labyrinth of tunnels. In the early part of the 20th century, Garfein's Restaurant occupied the space, and from 1933 to 1993 the storefront housed a tombstone seller. In 2000, the New York City band The Strokes got their start after playing
SECTION 10
#1732780409341348-477: The Mercury Lounge. Ryan Gentles , the Mercury Lounge's booker, quit his job to become the band's manager. Other acts include Radiohead , Chris Martin , Arcade Fire , Lady Gaga , Katy Perry , the Yeah Yeah Yeahs , Lana Del Rey , Interpol , Palomar , Rival Schools , PaperDoll , Sarah Kinsley , Hayes Warner and Mates of State . and numerous others. Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom
377-496: The end of World War II , when it housed a series of shops. Over time the neighborhood declined. In 1998 the building was fully renovated to become The Bowery Ballroom. Cofounder Michael Swier told the Village Voice and LA Weekly that he and his partners' goals have always been about quality of sound, as well as giving the best experience to both artists and the audience. Architect and cofounder Brian Swier designed
406-482: The job quickly went to Drex Heikes, formerly of the Los Angeles Times . When Heikes left in 2011, he was replaced by Sarah Fenske. In 2009, former Los Angeles Times food writer Amy Scattergood became food blogger at LA Weekly ' s Squid Ink, and was later promoted to food editor. In late 2009, the paper hired Dennis Romero, formerly of Ciudad magazine, as a full-time news blogger. Following
435-455: The largest urban weekly in the U.S. Co-founder Jay Levin stepped down as president in 1992 to pursue other ventures. Co-founders Michael Ventura and Ginger Varney left the publication in 1993. The founding team was succeeded by Michael Sigman as publisher and Kit Rachlis as editor. LA Weekly was sold to Stern Publishing, owner of The Village Voice , in 1994. New Times Media acquired Stern Publishing (and LA Weekly ) in 2004, assuming
464-482: The publication's recent notable writers are Pulitzer Prize -winning food writer Jonathan Gold , who left in early 2012; and Nikki Finke , who blogged about the film industry through the Weekly 's website and published a print column in the paper each week, leaving in June 2009 after the blog she founded, Deadline Hollywood Daily , was acquired by an online firm. In the 1990s, LA Weekly co-founder Michael Ventura
493-467: The recession, in 2012, the paper added food critic Besha Rodell, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee and former food editor of Atlanta 's Creative Loafing . In 2013, the paper named Amy Nicholson its lead film critic. In 2016, LA Weekly named multimedia journalist and Emmy -winning producer Drew Tewksbury as managing editor. As of 2022, the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director
522-527: The second-best music venue in the United States. It has a capacity of 575 people. The Bowery Ballroom was founded in 1998 by Michael Swier, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier, who still own and operate the business. The club was the team's second music venue after The Mercury Lounge. The building at 6 Delancey Street was built to be a high-end shoe store and haberdashery just before the devastating Wall Street Crash of 1929 . It stood vacant until
551-469: The stage and the music — for the band, for the people coming to see the bands,” Michael Swier told LA Weekly . “Whether it's the sound system, the acoustic treatment, the way the band sounds to themselves onstage, the sightlines — it was all about that. That reputation of building really good clubs and treating both bands and patrons with the respect they deserve and putting the focus on that kind of grew out of those things." A detailed scholarly account of
580-717: The story of the " Grim Sleeper " serial killer. At the 2009 Los Angeles Press Club Awards, the Weekly won six first-place awards, including three by staff writer Christine Pelisek, who was honored in the Investigative Reporting, Hard News, and News Feature categories. In September 2012, Village Voice Media executives Scott Tobias, Christine Brennan and Jeff Mars bought Village Voice Media's papers and associated web properties from its founders and formed Voice Media Group . The paper won journalism awards before and after this transition, with two of its news writers, Patrick Range McDonald and Gene Maddaus, winning
609-442: The time that "as part of the company's 'plug-and-play' management strategy, editors, writers, and ad directors were moved from city to city within the chain, without regard for local knowledge. Any old-school Village Voice Media manager who resisted the metamorphosis was denounced as a 'lefty,' a 'throwback,' and worse. They were fired or simply fled." Despite this upheaval, the paper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006, and in 2009 broke
SECTION 20
#1732780409341638-402: The venue and directed renovations of the historic building with an eye to optimal acoustics for live music. Today the club is one of the rare remaining independent music venues, and continues to be regarded as one of the best for music purists. Gothamist and Thrillist have named it one of New York City's best music venues. “From the beginning, opening the Mercury Lounge, it was all about
667-835: The venue and its place in the wider music and cultural history of New York City was published in 2020. Patti Smith performed New Year's Eve at the Bowery Ballroom for fourteen consecutive years. The venue has hosted numerous acts of note, including R.E.M. , Coldplay , Quicksand , Kanye West , Lou Reed , Joan Jett , Radiohead , Tony Bennett , The Roots , Lana Del Rey , Måneskin , The Black Keys , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Pixies , The White Stripes , Metallica , Robert Plant , Arcade Fire , The Killers , Idina Menzel , Lady Gaga , Amy Winehouse , The Dandy Warhols , The Strokes , Broken Social Scene , They Might Be Giants , Lucky Chops , Yo La Tengo , Twenty One Pilots , and Frank Ocean . The Bowery Ballroom
696-608: The writers he had earlier brought to the Los Angeles Free Press , and installed Davidow as editor of the arts and entertainment section. LA Weekly 's first issue featured a group of female comedians, including the then-little known Sandra Bernhard , on its cover. Subsequent issues featured exposés on the Los Angeles basin's air quality and U.S. interventionism in Central America. The paper also quickly became notable for its coverage of independent cinema and
725-495: Was Brian Calle. In August 2018, David Welch sued the other co-owners, alleging "they've pillaged the company." Street Media also owns The Village Voice , Irvine Weekly , Marina Times , and The Laker/Lutz News . In 1979 the paper established the LA Weekly Theater Awards , which awarded small theatre productions (99 seats or less) in Los Angeles. In December 2014, LA Weekly announced that it
754-481: Was acquired by AEG . (The Bowery Presents was cofounded in 2004-05 by Michael Swier, John Moore, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier in order to promote live shows in open venues.) The Mercury Lounge and The Bowery Ballroom retained their independence and are no longer affiliated with the Bowery Presents and book their own shows. The two clubs have formed joint ventures with Live Nation. The building in which
783-538: Was discontinuing the awards, citing the publication's desire to focus on events that would promote its profitability. From 2006 to 2009, LA Weekly hosted the LA Weekly Detour Music Festival each October. The entire block surrounding Los Angeles City Hall was closed off to accommodate the festival's three stages. Since 2008, LA Weekly has hosted a food and wine festival, now dubbed The Essentials, that draws sizable crowds. Some of
812-746: Was formerly the publisher of the Los Angeles Free Press . The majority of the LA Weekly 's initial staff members came from the Austin Sun , a similar-natured bi-weekly, which had recently ceased publication. The group were inspired to create the LA Weekly by their work at the Sun as well as other alternative weeklies such as the Chicago Reader and Boston's The Real Paper and The Phoenix . Levin also retained many of
841-746: Was the recipient of the USA PEN award, the Los Angeles Press Club Award, and the Upton Sinclair Award given by the Liberty Hill Foundation . On June 1, 2009, the paper announced that Editor-in-Chief Laurie Ochoa , who began helming the paper in 2001 (before the New Times acquisition), was "parting ways" with the Weekly . Though some speculated that Jill Stewart was a shoo-in for the position,
#340659