Venue notes: 7 Willow Street, Port Chester NY
Smallish bar (capacity 350) located at 7 Willow St that closed in 1999.
Was booked by a guy named Fred Jenkins.
Craig Sala, who frequently played
there beginning in 1989 and managed the bar from late 1996 until 1999,
offers the following recollections:
[The club] opened in 1987, closed in 1999 [...] then turned into a Mexican
bar. There was a stabbing when it was Mexican, so it closed. [It] reopened
as... a Mexican bar with $2 dances, pathetic!
Place had a mixed crowd, depending on the show — hippies, metalheads,
hardcore bands, funk hipsters, and of course dance ravers. (We had a great
Sat. dance night for years — we brought in up and coming DJs that were
nobodies at the time like Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, Moby, Fatboy
Slim!) At 2am [the bars in] CT would close and the club would fill up
again until 4am. We had bands from 8pm till 1am and then the DJ thing from
2-4. It was crazy, a lot of national acts.
As for
MOULD, yes I was
there.
I remember him breaking strings and continuing to
rip thru
songs. He showed up
just him and an acoustic — it was sick! We had people drive from
fucking VT and DC to see that show!
Let's see... big room. Our legal capacity was 380; we had 800 in there on a
regular basis! Great sound system. A lot of starting out nationals played
there like, oh let's see Dave Matthews, 311, Everclear, Orange 9mm, Imperial
Drag, Poe, Helmet, Melvins, King Missile, Fuel, Type O Negative, Sevendust,
Aquarium Rescue Unit, Blues Traveler, G. Love and Special sauce, Lisa Loeb,
Face To Face, Goldfinger, Two Skinny Jays, Marilyn Manson, Medeski, Martin
and Wood, Derek Trucks. They usually played to no one in the beginning —
like 30 people. Collective Soul (who was a studio band essentially) played
their first ever live show there — they were scared shitless! The place
was sold out! We had well-established artists also: Roy Buchanan, David
Byrne, Joey Ramone, Misfits, Gov't Mule, Sick Of It All, The Mighty Mighty
bosstones, Anthrax, Motorhead, Juliana Hatfield, Maceo Parker, Fishbone,
CIV, Stealth (Daryl from Bad Brains), Richie Havens, The Ventures, Dick
Dale, Leslie West and Mountain. The list is endless.
A great place — we did hardcore matinees and had every single NYC
hardcore you can imagine.
There was a main bar that was like 100 feet long that went from the front
door to the stage. There was an aux. bar by the stairs, an upstairs like VIP
type area (where you could see the stage), and a downstairs VIP
room that later became a DJ lounge — sometimes we did shows there, other
times it was the bands dressing room if they were a big act.
I was always there. I lived up the street and played there more than anyone.
I attended every big show if I wasn't on tour. I got a bartending gig
in 1996 and became the bar manager in 1997.
I kept him (the owner Freddy Jenkins — GREAT GUY! Really nice and down
to earth) open [in] 97 and 98. The other manager (who shall remain
nameless...) had a "habit" that basically killed the place. [...]
I got fed up and left; he closed 3 months Later. Really sad.
The whole scene died with it — the Capitol Theater around the corner
also closed, became a catering hall. Port Chester sucks now!
But what a sick history!
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