In case you all haven’t heard (and if you don’t live in NY it probably doesn’t mean a lot to ya), my friendly neighborhood watering hole/rock club has shuttered its doors, as of March 31st. The town is Brooklyn, the hood is Brooklyn Heights (or Boerum Hill, if ya like), the street is Atlantic Avenue, and the place that I will now thoroughly miss is Magnetic Field.

From the days that Steve Hall and I both moved to the neighborhood from the nearby Carroll Gardens in 2002, we had met many a night at good ol’ Mags. I have great memories there and always loved the staff… big ups to Devon, to name a fave! As a music-lover, I was always the one trying to sway the group towards Mags because I would always hear cool shit there, whether it was a band, a DJ, or simply Lee’s iPod. And it rocked, goddammit! No disrespect, but never would you hear Shakira or the new Timberlake single there. Or the song they did together, because I’m sure they did.
And maybe for that reason it was the great escape. Like the music that was played there, Magnetic Field was the ultimate throwback. A throwback from the days when people knew each other at bars and gathered for the love of music rather than the love of a scene. But maybe I just see it through rose-colored glasses since I spent so much good time there over the past 5 years. Read on to recap some memories…

Some of the things I remember best…

- late night rippin’-it-up on my wedding night

- seeing the Newborn Naturals rock the house

- witnessing, from a cozy barstool, Steve Buscemi read selected Borroughs’ works

- that comedy night thingy where the host was the biggest asshole in the world and they ended up kicking his ass out the door

- the Arthur Lee tribute show

- being a part of the benefit for Question Mark of ? and the Mysterians (tell me, what other bar would do this?)

- always loved the outdoor shows during the Antic (Mary Weiss, Fleshtones, etc.)

- spending the past New Year’s at Mags with the Fleshtones and Black Hollies

- watching Paul almost not make it to the bathroom

- Ted

- Dansettes

You know, I could go on for quite some time with this list, to be very honest with you, but I’d rather link you over to a great piece that I just read about the closing of Magnetic Field in the Voice…

Mourning Magnetic Field: Too Uncool to Be Forgotten

In ‘closing’, I must say that Magnetic Field will be sorely missed by me, and by many people that I have frequented the joint with. I’d like to send out my absolute best to Lee and William, and wish them the best in all their endeavors. Thanks for the memories, fellas! Leave your thoughts or memories below…

Filed in In Memoriam, Music on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 · 7 Comments »