One of the things we’ve missed most during the pandemic is live music, and we suspect we’re not alone. Whether it was going to see a friend’s band, going to an open mic to listen and share, or just dropping by a bar that had reliably good acts and checking out what was going on, the lack of live music has left one of the bigger holes in our life. This week at S&W we’re dipping into our archives to celebrate some of the great live performances we’ve witnessed over the years.

Around the corner from the late great Spike Hill in Williamsburg lies a relatively new venue, Gran Torino. They picked up the Sidewalk Monday night open mic after Sidewalk Closed in 2019. The pandemic hit before it could get any kind of sustained momentum, but we were still lucky enough to be in the audience for this great performance by Prewar Yardsale.

Prewar Yardsale always makes us think of that Mark E Smith quote: “If it’s just me and your granny on bongos, it’s the Fall” Well – Prewar has a bucket, not bongos, but it’s no less punk, and proof that it’s not more instruments that make songs sound good. With just a guitar and a bucket, Prewar Yardsale creates songs and shows as alive and fully realized as any traditional “full” band setups. Here we feature a new song of theirs, at least it was new at the time.

One of the things we’ve missed most during the pandemic is live music, and we suspect we’re not alone. Whether it was going to see a friend’s band, going to an open mic to listen and share, or just dropping by a bar that had reliably good acts and checking out what was going on, the lack of live music has left one of the bigger holes in our life. This week at S&W we’re dipping into our archives to celebrate some of the great live performances we’ve witnessed over the years.

Pete’s Candy Store is another great venue, a thimble sized room as off the beaten path as you can get in Williamsburg, which has been home to many many great shows over the years. We’ve done the open mic, we’ve done a record release there, and we were also fortunate enough to share a bill with the songwriter James Bannon, whose contemplative virtuosity never fails to leave us breathless. Here’s a great cut from that show, the stinging “All Teeth”.

One of the things we’ve missed most during the pandemic is live music, and we suspect we’re not alone. Whether it was going to see a friend’s band, going to an open mic to listen and share, or just dropping by a bar that had reliably good acts and checking out what was going on, the lack of live music has left one of the bigger holes in our life. This week at S&W we’re dipping into our archives to celebrate some of the great live performances we’ve witnessed over the years.

The late great Sidewalk Café certainly deserves its own painstakingly researched tome someday, but suffice to say that in its day it was the type of space that is quickly becoming a memory here in NYC: a late night venue with live music every day, where anyone could get on stage and do anything, and you wouldn’t get kicked out for not having any money. A true community. When we talk of spaces where you peek your head in late at night to find an incredible band blowing the mind of all three people in the audience, that’s the kind of magic you found at Sidewalk. You also found lovingly curated bills featuring packed rooms and bands you never heard of but were perfect for the space: and one night we wandered in to see a friends’ band but ended up being blown away by this incredible performance by Miwa Gemini instead.