Wikipedia

Joe's Pub

40°43′45″N73°59′30″W/ 40.729259°N 73.991772°W/40.729259; -73.991772

Joe's Pub
Song of Return performing at Joe's Pub in 2012
Map
Address425Lafayette Street
New York City,NY10003-7021
LocationEast Village,Lower Manhattan
OwnerThe Public Theater
Capacity184
Construction
OpenedOctober 16, 1998;26 years ago(1998-10-16)
Construction cost$2.35 million
Website
www.joespub.com

Joe's Pub,one of the six performance spaces withinThe Public Theater,is amusic venueandrestaurantthat hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425Lafayette StreetnearAstor PlaceinManhattan,New York City. It is named afterJoseph Papp,the theatrical producer who established theNew York Shakespeare Festival,The Public Theater and the freeShakespeare in the Parkprogram inCentral Park.

The venue hostedAmy WinehouseandAdeleas they made their U.S. headlining concert debuts.[1][2]In 2013, its 15th anniversary year, it was declared one of Rolling Stone Magazine's 10 Best Clubs in America.[3]

History

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Joe's Pub opened on October 16, 1998, with an inaugural concert performed byCarl Hancock Rux.[4]Soon after, a reviewer forThe New York Timeswrote "You enter through the side door of the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Farther south on Lafayette Street, revolving doors admit patrons to the Public's various theatrical spaces, but here, on the outskirts, an iron-fenced portal offers entree to the theater's new nightclub."[5]He continued, "But Joe's Pub is a much less lofty enterprise, carved as it is from ground-floor back-office space at the theater." The $2.35 million club is the result, in part, of a construction and renovation grant to the Public from city capital funds that includes refurbishment of theDelacorte Theaterin Central Park. There were some doubters when the club opened in October who wondered whether the Public Theater could make a theater-night life alliance work. Six months later, according toGeorge C. Wolfe,the then-producer of the Public, Joe's Pub "is actually doing better than I thought it would."[5]He continued to say, "The club's programming is idiosyncratic: from ethnic music ensembles to spoken-word artists to the most promising young musical-theater composers and performers on the contemporary scene, the changing roster has generated an after-hours theatricality all its own."[5]

The Pub is known as one of New York City's liveshowcasevenues, catering to an eclectic mix of music genres.[6]This defining feature of Joe's Pub – its extraordinary variety – was the vision of Public Theater Associate Producer Bonnie Metzgar and principalbooking agentBill Bragin, an aficionado of music in all forms and a world-music DJ in his own right. Bragin established relationships with artists that have made Joe's Pub a home-base for local, domestic, and international acts. In 2007, when Bragin left Joe's Pub to work forLincoln Center,Shanta Thakewas unanimously given the head-booker position by the board of the Public Theater.[7][8]Thake served as the Director of Joe's Pub until 2018, when Alex Knowlton took over as Director who had been with Joe's Pub in various roles since 2009.

In 2011, the Pub, along with the rest of The Public's downtown building, received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sight lines, expandedseating capacityand a new food and beverage partnership with ChefAndrew Carmellini.

Venue

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The venue is equipped with theater-quality lighting and sound. During its formative years, the sound was engineered byKurt Wolf,former punk-rock guitarist forPussy Galore.The club established a reputation as having extraordinary sound during this time. When Wolf moved on to other projects, Jon Shriver, a technician who has worked withJohn LegendandThe Notorious B.I.G.,began doing the audio engineering. The sound quality at Joe's Pub remains at the top of the "best in NYC" short list among critical reviewers.[9]

Joe's Pub also serves as a bar and restaurant during performance hours and is known as being a top romantic spot in New York City after opening.[10]When The Public reopened in 2012 after the renovation, the Pub's food and beverage partner Joe's Pub LLC - Kevin Abbott,Serge Becker,Josh Pickard and Paul Salmon - was joined by the Noho Hospitality Group, the restaurant group led byAndrew Carmelliniand Luke Ostrom. The group also launched a full-service restaurant, The Library at The Public.[11]

The decor of Joe's Pub is the work of interior designer and Joe's Pub LLC partnerSerge Becker,the man behind many New York City hotspots, including La Esquina onDelancey Street.Patrons often note an accordion encased along the east wall of the Pub: Becker intended the design of the interior to be modeled after the accordion, from the striped, bee-pollen bar, to the strip lighting, to the exposed sound-proofing. Along the south wall, photographs of Joe Papp and famous colleagues are on display. At one point, the photos featured a youngKevin Spacey,mustachioed in fur coat.[12]With the 2011 renovation, the photos were updated to include artists likeLeonard Cohen,Adele,Allen Toussaint,Alan Cumming,Amy Winehouseand, of course,Joseph Papp.From 2006-2012 archival artist Michael Arthur drew the performers live and many of his drawings can be found displayed throughout the club.[13]

Notable performers

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References

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  1. ^"Joe's Pub – Past, Present & Future".Pollstar.RetrievedFebruary 3,2015.
  2. ^Chinen, Nate (March 19, 2008)."Another British Invader Arrives, Guitar in Hand".New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 3,2015.
  3. ^"Joe's Pub in New York - The Best Clubs in America".Rolling Stone.March 28, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 8,2016.
  4. ^"Rux and Hendryx to Open Joe's Pub Oct. 16 After McDonald Falls Sick".Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2013.RetrievedDecember 14,2014.
  5. ^abcSinger, Barry (April 18, 1999)."THEATER; At Joe's Pub, a Hip Club, Velvet Rope, Cigarette Smoke".The New York Times.
  6. ^Ben Sisario (July 16, 2008)."Ten Years For Joe's Pub".The New York Times.
  7. ^"Best Downtown Classical-Music Venue".New York Magazine.March 3, 2008.
  8. ^Adam Hetrik (February 27, 2008)."Thake Named Director of Joe's Pub".The Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon September 7, 2012.
  9. ^"Top Ten Music Venues in NYC".April 12, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2008.
  10. ^"Best Bar to Get Romantic and Play Grown-up".The Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 19,2008.
  11. ^"The Library, a Carmellini/Ostrom/ Pickard/Oliver/Becker/Salmon/Abbott Joint, Opening in Noho TONIGHT".Eater NY.October 9, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 8,2016.
  12. ^Andrew Jacobs(October 25, 1998)."Will Everybody Go to Joe's?".The New York Times.
  13. ^"Michael Arthur, Artist".August 30, 2024.
  14. ^Schulman, Michael (November 13, 2009)."Lauren Ambrose's Jazz Habit".The New Yorker.RetrievedMay 2,2022.
  15. ^"Vincent D'Onofrio presents The George Gerkie Cowboy Experience featuring Laura Cantrell, Joe Vinciguerra & special guest Sam Bisbee at Joe's Pub".Gotham Jazz.Archived fromthe originalon December 31, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 23,2012.
  16. ^"The Gregory Brothers".The Public Theater.December 11, 2022. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022.RetrievedNovember 15,2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^Mastrandrea, Paige (January 20, 2020)."Q&A With Composer And Musician, Edward W. Hardy".hauteliving.com.Haute Living.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.One of the shows I'm very excited about is "Valentine's Day in July." It will take place on July 30, 2020, at The Public Theater's: Joe's Pub and consist of a range of romantic pieces in different genres of music such as classical, Latin, rock & roll and Broadway.
  18. ^Hetrick, Adam (September 13, 2010)."'What is Your Damage?' Heathers: The Musical Gets Joe's Pub Concerts Sept. 13 ".Playbill.
  19. ^"Jill Sobule".The Public Theater.March 27, 2022.RetrievedMay 1,2022.
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