Comments (0) Best Small Venue - 2011
Is there a new name for the basement of the old CBGB space yet? The legendary rock venue lives on with an entrance tucked away on Extra Place (the only other business on the alley right now is a newish branch of the Oaxaca taqueria) and a slowly growing number of gigs over the last year. It's a place for one-off shows and word-of-mouth industry fetes for the most part, though there have been plenty of amazing free events open to the public. To give an idea: The Roots performed there during Fashion Week; the Alabama MC Yelawolf performed there; and a clutch of music blogs hosted a five-day series of shows in the space during CMJ last year. As a venue, the place is small but not cramped. There are two bars and just enough standing room to guarantee that you'll inadvertently dance against a stranger during your time there. And even though the bathrooms have been fully remodeled into luxuriously modern stalls, there's something about this place that still feels divey, punk-rock, and too cool. In a good way. Extra Place, Manhattan (10003)
