Laura Stevenson and the Cans at Bowery Ballroom

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Friday night at Bowery Ballroom, Laura Stevenson and the Cans played another hauntingly good show. Bowery Ballroom is one of the premier music halls of New York City but the building didn’t always have such a happy history. The Beaux Arts building was completed just a few weeks before the 1929 stock market crash and remained empty until the end of WWII. After the war, it went through several iterations of high-end retail shops–jewelry store, haberdashery and shoe store. It then became a destination for lighting and carpet, like its present day neighbors. The space was transformed into a music venue in 1997 and is run by Bowery Presents.

In the basement lounge is the remaining foundation of a three-story brick theater that existed before the 1929 structure. The music hall on the main floor is bi-level with a wrap around balcony mezzanine. “Much of the 1929 construction still remains, such as the brass rails, the brass and iron exterior metalwork, the mahogany lined VIP rooms and the coffer-vaulted plaster ceiling of the mezzanine bar.” [Wiki] For bands, the venue is popular for its great sound system, team of sound engineers and intimate feel despite the 550-person capacity. There is actually an additional VIP room behind the stage. Laura told the audience she came to shows here as a kid, in awe of the bands and how famous they were. Welcome to the big kids, Laura!