Where in New York City can I take some parents to hear the Blues?

June 11, 2013 6:04 AM

My friend's parents are going to be in town from June 14-17, and they want to see some Blues. Anyplace with Jazz is apparently a no-go; has be be Blues exclusively.

Quoting an email I got from the friend in question:

My parents and I have a long and colorful disagreement over the definition of the musical genre "the Blues". Hard-pressed to name a single band as an example, my father threw out the Chicago Blues Festival, and the local Jackson, Michigan Blues Festival as examples.

Places that have already been ruled out:

• B.B. King's (preemptively vetoed as too expensive and too touristy)
• Terra Blues (evidently the parents in question were shushed in there for being too boisterous)
• 55 Club (Not reliably blues-only, also nothing at all on the dates in question)
• The Groove (Not reliably blues-only)

Evidently Fat Cat's is under consideration, the only problem reportedly being that Fat Cat's is not necessarily a place where the music is central to the experience, and many patrons aren't there for the music.

I'm totally at a loss as to what to suggest.

posted by Sokka shot first to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (2 answers total)

Best answer: This calendar from the NYC Blues Society might give you some ideas. I would have recommended Terrra or 55 Club, but they seem to have been ruled out. Yeah, a show at Fat Cat may have to contend with stray ping pong balls and the sounds of billiard breaks, but I've seen some great music there.

Rents are getting too high for a lot of venues to survive in NYC and you're left with the places that the tourists keep afloat.
posted by theory at 6:30 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: So maybe the name of the place should rule it out, but I was thinking of heading to Jazz 966 this Friday. It's a jazz club in a senior center on Fulton in Brooklyn and has been on my list. Blues guitarist Sa-Ron Crenshaw is playing Friday at 8:15. $20 donation, but bonus it's BYOB!
posted by icaicaer at 7:02 AM on June 11, 2013 [2 favorites]