I’m bored . . . there’s nothing to do.  

December 28, 2018

It’s not just our kids wailing this common complaint.  Many a Hudson Valley resident has groused this grievance when facing an entertainment decision.  When it comes to amusement, our region is brimming with a variety of opportunities guaranteed to please the persnickety as well as delight live music devotees.  For someone new to the region, plugging into the local live music scene can be a daunting challenge. While social media certainly makes it easier to initiate a search, the results are numerous and scattered.  Finding a platform that produces an easy-to-search result is key! I rely on HearItThere.com (HiT) and passively await my twice-weekly emails before deciding how to spend my precious-little free time. HiT is helpful because it lists a wide variety of live music and comedy events within a short car ride from my home in Northern Westchester and the emails are organized by genre.

Let’s face it, 2018 has been a complicated year for #LiveMusic.  Some of my favorite music venues have closed, and some new ones opened up.  It’s difficult to keep up with the changes. Why just this week I learned about another that opened months ago!

Thanks to social media postings sad news spreads quickly.  We jointly mourned the closing of these that shut their doors in 2018:

  • 12 Grapes, Peekskill, NY
  • Johnny Utah’s. So Norwalk, CT
  • Armonk House, Armonk, NY
  • Mexicali LIve, Teaneck, NJ
  • BB Kings, NY, NY
  • Rascal Flatts, Stamford, CT
  • Brian’s Backyard BBQ, Middletown, NY.
  • Seaside Tavern, Stamford, CT
  • Cabaloosa, New Paltz, NY
  • The Oasis, New Paltz, NY
  • Club 33, Poughkeepsie
  • The Spinning Room, Tannersville, NY

As a champion of #SupportLiveMusicVenues, this shortlist just breaks my heart.  There are many reasons why a live music venue might fail; poor location, bad vibe or no budget for promotion comes to mind.  However, I believe the music-appreciating community has the ability to reduce future closings by patronizing our local #LiveMusicVenues.

Luckily there were new openings to replace those that have closed such as:

  • 12 Peekskill Lounge, Peekskill, NY
  • Good Choice Kitchen, Ossining, NY
  • Crystal Bees, Southington, CT
  • Juddy’s Place Sports Bar & Cafe, Danbury, CT
  • Freebird Kitchen & Bar, White Plains, NY
  • Moonlight Cafe & Caterers, Brewster, NY

What do you say we resolve to get out and enjoy Live Music more in 2019!

What better time to exercise a resolution than on New Year’s Eve?  There are a variety of live music options within an hour’s car ride anywhere from your home.  I can’t stress enough, if you have a favorite spot; these businesses are counting on you. The last things we want to see are more closings and fewer options for a night out.  Everyone has an important role. From the venue, musician, servers, chef and bussers. When we go out and enjoy the happening, our attendance keeps those folks working, while our ears and hearts benefit from the experience.

Click here for a great list of New Year’s Eve Shows in the region. 

Will you join me this year to keep Live Music and our favorite music venues open?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the list of venue’s opening in 2019 were longer than those closing?   Let’s work on that together, shall we? I am making it my personal mission to tell you more about live music venues via this blog in 2019.  Please send me your suggestions for what venues to visit and blog about. I look forward to hearing from you.

I am no music expert. I am a blogger who’s lucky to interview original musicians on Jacque’s Giant Music Show, a weekly radio program / podcast that is streaming Thursday nights 7-9 pm EST at TheBeatOfTheValley.com and archived on Soundcloud.com/JacqueButterfly. #MyMusicMusings are my random thoughts and opinions about music matters. If you’d like to have your music or live music venue mused upon, please contact me at JacqueButterflyPresents@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading, Jacque