man, fuck 2020. this really sucks. our favorite DIY venue, NG2BC in New Haven has now closed. add that to the list of great venues lost this year: MAC650 in Middletown, the Acoustic in Bridgeport, The Church in Hamden, The Wherehouse in Hartford, one56 in West Haven, and Bebbs. but out of all of those, the ones that hurts my heart the most is NG2BC, Never Get 2 Be Cool. in case you never got a chance to go, NG2BC was a family-run spot in New Haven — a big basement with great parking, cement floors, and (somehow) two bathrooms. home turf for spit-take and Jenny Genius. it got loud, it got weird, but it always, always stayed friendly.
thank you, NG2BC, for existing and for being the best.
it is hard for me to estimate how much NG2BC and its proprietors, Dan, Maggie, and Joe Katz contributed to the connecticut music scene over the course of this three-year run. not only was NG2BC a space for CT bands to come and cut their teeth, but it was a newbie-friendly venue for people to come find great music. it played host to SO many great touring bands — i seriously don’t know where to find good non-CT music now that NG2BC and MAC650 are closed. their venue was a dream! it was a tightly run ship. three of four bands, with usually one or two touring acts, come thru and play 30-minute sets a piece. there were couches. there were friends. there was even a little table in the back that had used albums and books for sale.
this summer, i got a chance to interview Maggie and Dan Katz to talk about their band Jenny Genius, and we spent some time talking about NG2BC and sharing memories. you can find that podcast episode embedded below.
a few stray memories from more recent NG2BC gigs:
halfsour (Massachusetts) bringing cupcakes for a CT friend’s birthday, and Hellrazor being loud as all fuck.
La Neve’s (Rhode Island) incredible (and incredibly loud) set, in which a cardboard cutout of Bernie Sanders attended.
Lung (Ohio) rocking the fuck out with a cello and drums. and later that night, Shellshag ending their set by putting their guitar in the ceiling.
Large Print (Wisconsin) putting on a wonderfully serene and dreamy set.
the benefit show with Eel People, Olive Tiger, and Two Headed Girl, all putting on special sets.
and literally any Perennial set.
