Dead Sparrows' Joey Hamm and Graham Finn playing at Thursday Night Live.When the media first covered John Varvatos’ controversial take-over of hallowed punk-rock venue CBGB’s, in 2009, many music lovers were alarmed by the fashion designer’s move. Lower East Side musicians took a stand outside the club-turned-boutique, bearing signs decrying the gentrification of the neighborhood and corporate control in the art world. Perhaps, when VIPs and velvet ropes rolled out to celebrate the opening night, these were not unwarranted fears. But at this month’s Thursday Night Live, nearly two years after the label began putting on monthly free gigs for local bands; Varvatos proved he’s done right by the place with a performance from Dead Sparrows that evoked the club’s former days.
Donning leather and plaid, a mixed crowd of old and young gathered at 315 Bowery to catch the New York City based band, Dead Sparrows, who reunited after a summer hiatus to deliver a set filled with raspy vocals and riff-driven rock. With Joey and Steve Hamm on guitar, vocals, and bass, Graham Finn on guitar, background vocals, and Jon Airis on drums, the band produced an indie sound with roots somewhere between surf-rock and Led Zeppelin. Sipping on chocolate and jalapeno mixed drinks (compliments of Tanteo Tequila) and free PBR, the crowd heard “Boycrush” and “Tower” off Dead Sparrow’s debut album, Into the Nettles (2009), along with some of the band’s newer material, which has yet to be named. A few of the tunes were revamped versions of old Cummies songs; the band’s former name prior to the addition of Finn. Stylistically, Dead Sparrows’ is not something you’ve never heard before, but their appeal is the expert execution of classic rock by talented musicians devoted to the genre. To the Lower East Siders bereaved by CBGB’s transformation, Finn said, “We can pine for the old days or we can get on with it, I choose the latter. Anytime I get a chance to play on the same stage as Robert Plant, ZZ Top, and Perry Farrell, I'm going to take it, you'd be stupid not to!” Dead Sparrows will begin work on their latest album before the year is up.
While Varvatos may be capitalizing on the legendary status of his adopted venue, he is simultaneously responsible for keeping this newfangled shadow of the old CBGB’s alive. And who better to take on such a task than a genuine rock fan with serious financial backing? Though it now houses his somewhat obscenely expensive line of menswear, all of the old night club’s former glory has not disappeared - the walls of vintage posters, stickers, and other relics from the CBGB’s heyday have all been preserved, thanks to the designer.
Clay Wright, who works alongside Victor Caracappa to book the up-and-coming rock bands for “Thursday Night Live”, said they are attempting to bring great music back to 315 Bowery while giving bands a platform to launch off of - much like what the original CBGB’s did for band’s like Talking Heads, Blondie, and the Ramones. Protesters are fewer and fewer these days, “It’s always hilarious to us. [They are] mostly kids who were never around anyhow. We just say: Would you rather it had been a Duane Reade or Chase bank? Come see a show, then tell us how you feel. I mean Arturo Vega (Ramones manager) helped preserve it and loaned old memorabilia for the opening. If ZZ TOP, Alice Cooper, Slash, and Joan Jett are cool with it, we aren't too concerned with kids who never even knew what it was truly like.”
On November 4th, John Varvatos will host an EP release party for a new band that’s been generating a lot of buzz; The Madison Square Gardeners. "These guys are going places,” Wright said, “The Village Voice dubbed them the ‘best New York City has to offer’ right now.”
