Certain locations have their own destiny. The “Village Underground” is located in the basement of what was once the legendary “Gerdes’ Folk City”. In the 60′s Greenwich Village spawned the folk-rock craze that swept the country, and “Folk City” was at the center of it all. Everybody who was anybody played Folk City in the 60′s. Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Peter Paul and Mary, John Lee Hooker, Richie Havens, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Roger McGuinn, and even the Monkees were regular performers.When “Folk City” closed the country lost one of its most important proving grounds for young talent, and Greenwich Village lost its reputation as the city’s most important neighborhood for live music.When the historic space on 3rd street became available in 2000, Café Wha? owner Noam Dworman saw a chance to rekindle the musical importance of Greenwich Village. Thus the “Village Underground” was conceived to be the very best small club – ever.”If you build it they will come” the movie says. And so it is true. Without any assurance that anybody important would really want to play a 225 seat room, the club was built from the bottom up to meet the standards of the most demanding performers.
The sound and lighting at the Underground outdo most venues twice as large giving the discerning music lover a chance to see some of the world’s greatest performers in an utterly intimate setting.
We like the description that Citysearch has written. “Surrounded by side booths and candle-lit tables, the intimate club’s low stage is bathed in blue light. A step up in the rear–where political posters on naked brick walls recall the Village’s radical bohemian past–more tables, ample standing room and a long, polished bar accommodate the crowd. Sight lines and sound are impeccable”.
