2014 CBGB Festival - Schedule, Ticket Info, and More

CBGB the club is just a memory, but its namesake music festival in New York is back for a third year. The 2014 incarnation, which runs from Wednesday, Oct. 9th from Sunday the 12th, once again features live music, film, panel discussions and workshops, and more. (You can find the full CBGB festival schedule here, and a similar version at Brooklyn Vegan.) The events take place at various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

It's baaaack! See details on this year's CBGB Festival below.

Billy Idol gives the keynote address (along with an acoustic performance) at Center 548 (548 W. 22nd St.) on Thursday, well timed for his new album and autobiography. (Listen to Idol talking about his book on WNYC's Soundcheck.)

Among some of the other highlights of this year's CBGB Music & Film Festival: a free show at Bowery Electric on Thursday, and The Muffs at the Bell House and Macy Gray at City Winery, both on Friday. (See the full club show schedule here.)

And again, CBGB Fest will feature a free concert in Times Square: this year's (on Sunday) features Jane's Addiction, Robert DeLong, Devo, Surfer Blood and We Are Scientists. The show kicks off at 11 a.m., with Surfer Blood scheduled for 1:15 p.m., Devo at 4:30, Robert Delong at 5:25, and Jane's Addiction at 6:25 (all taking place at the Times Square South stage).

Film events include the world premiere of "Hardcore Devo Live;" "The Winding Stream," a film on the amazing musical legacy of the Carter and Cash families; and a 30th-anniversary screening of "This is Spinal Tap."

Each club show, film screening, and panel is individually ticketed; there are no all-festival passes. See specific links for music tickets, film tickets, and tickets to talks, panels, and other special events.

For more takes on what to see at this year's CBGB Festival, check out articles from the New York Post and Rolling Stone (all written a few weeks ago, before final schedules were issued). And follow CBGB on Twitter for updates.

2013 CBGB Fest Is On Now: Picks on What to See

The second-annual CBGB Festival is underway at venues near and far from the original Lower East Side club, and music lovers will be able to continue their festival bingeing when the CMJ Music Marathon starts on Oct. 15th. Here are some places to find listings of the many events, with picks by music critics and other sources.

The CBGB Festival is back, with shows throughout the city.

See the official 2013 CBGB Festival schedule to get the lay of the land for the showcases, panels, films, and more still to come. The Village Voice offers its picks for bands and speakers to see, and for music-only events, check out the Oh My Rockness guide to the CBGB Festival.

As with last year's CBGB Fest, there will be a free concert in Times Square with multiple stages, and it's taking place tomorrow from 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. The festival says there will be five stages and more than two dozen bands and performers. The South Stage will feature Lisa Loeb, The Wallflowers, a DJ set by James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem), and My Morning Jacket.

The North Stage will have "up and coming artists," the site says, as well as supergroupthe Divine Fits and Brooklyn indie favs Grizzly Bear. There will also be music on acoustic stages.

Last year's free Times Square show was fun (though eerily sparsely attended until the late afternoon), and featured performances by The Hold Steady and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, among others. 

Out in the clubs, tomorrow features highlights including Bell X1 at Bowery Ballroom and Meat Puppets at Brooklyn Bowl. On Sunday, the festival's final day, the schedule looks to be all films, except for one notable live music event: legendary rock and jazz drummer Ginger Baker at Iridium.

Saturday: Two Great Free CBGB Fest Shows (and Maybe Record Temps)

The two free CBGB Festival concerts on Saturday should be great, presuming you can tolerate what might be record-high temperatures in NYC. The thermometer is expected to hit between 99 and 102 degrees, depending on which forecast you read, and the SummerStage venue in Central Park has no shade whatsoever. I'd guess there won't be much shade at the other free show, in Times Square, but there are supposed to be vendors there, which might provide a bit of relief from the sun.

Below are details on the two shows, taken from the CBGB Festival website (which often had limited info on events, such as mentioning the Times Square show without providing a link to any information on it.)

The set times for the Central Park show match what SummerStage sent out via Twitter Friday night, give or take five minutes. SummerStage says that doors for the show will open at 2 p.m., and the line to get in will form before then. It's hard to say how early you should get there to be guaranteed getting in, but I'd recommend checking SummerStage's Twitter feed on Saturday, which during regular SummerStage shows posts updates on how long the lines are to get in. (You can check the CBGB Twitter feed, but it doesn't seem to be updated as often.)

It's even harder to predict how things will play out at the Times Square concert, since it's not a regular venue but a large, blocked-off area of the streets. I can't remember any concert event of this size being held in Times Square.

Free CBGB Festival concert in Times Square, Noon to 6 p.m.
(Stages on Broadway at 46th St. & 51st St.)

• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• The Hold Steady
• Duff McKagan's Loaded
• Superchunk
• Glint
• Upper West
• Zulu Wave

Free CBGB Festival concert in Central Park, 3 to 8 (?) p.m.
(Rumsey Playfield, center of park near 72nd St.)

• Guided By Voices - 6 p.m.
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - 4:45 p.m.
• The War on Drugs - 3:45 p.m.
• Cloud Nothings - 3 p.m.

Needless to say, the heat and humidity will keep some folks away, and cause others to stay a shorter time than they had planned. If you go, make sure to use plenty of sunscreen, keep hydrated (with water, not beer or other alcohol!), and stay safe.

If you're not up for being outdoors in the steambath, there are plenty of CBGB Festival events in the great indoors. (See schedule for times, links to tickets, etc.) Music events include:

• Soft White Sixties, The Young Things, Raccoon Fighters, and The Head at the Studio at Webster Hall
• D Generation, Romans, Brass Knuckle Evangelists, and The Bamboo Kids at the Bowery Electric (SOLD OUT to general public; first come, first served for pass holders)
• Mongrel Bitch, The Whores, A Devil's Broadcast, Brunch of the Living Dead, Drugstore, Bannor at Hank's Saloon

Movies on Saturday include a showing of the 1980 cult classic "Times Square" at 2 p.m. and Sid and Nancy at 7 p.m.,  among many others.

Inaugural CBGB Festival - What to See, What's Free

As mentioned here back in May, the inaugural CBGB Festival takes place this week (July 5th through 8th), and besides having more than 300 bands playing, there's a full-fledge movie festival with some great rock film. Oh, and a music conference, film conference, and a spirits festival (now that's something I haven't heard of at most festivals).

The CBGB Festival includes music galore, including two free concerts.

And in addition to the previously announced free SummerStage concert featuring Guided by Voices, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and more on Saturday afternoon, there's another huge, multistage free show in Times Square that same day, which will feature food vendors, music shop booths, and other attractions, according to Brooklyn Vegan, in addition to live music.

So who's playing the Times Square concert? BV speculates that Superchunk, the Hold Steady, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah may be on the bill. [Update: also confirmed for the free CBGB Times Square show are Duff McKagen's Loaded, Upper West, Zulu Wave, and Glint.]

As of now you can buy passes for the non-free events of the music festival for only $79, which is more than reasonable considering all the acts playing (although many showcases are going on simultaneously, and you'll need to get to venues early since it's first come, first serve).
 
See the CBGB Festival music page for details on all the showcase acts and venues, and see the complete music schedule for who's playing where and when. Some of the acts playing on each day:

Thursday, July 5th: Richard Lloyd, Agnostic Front, The Rattlers, Tuff Darts, David Johansen, Glen Matlock, the Sick F*cks, Tommy Ramone, Steve Almaas, The Baseball Project, Craig Finn, FIDLAR, My Pet Dragon

Friday, July 6th: Willie Nile, Redd Kross, Reggie Watts, Elliot & the Ghost, Sick of It All, Cro-Mags, JD Samson & MEN, So So Glos, DJ Jonathan Toubin, PS I Love You, Donovan Frankenreiter, Sick F*cks, Wyldlife

Saturday, July 7th: Guided By Voices, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The War on Drugs, and Cloud Nothings (all in one FREE show at Central Park SummerStage, starting at 3 p.m.), as well as the other free concert at Time Square. There are also for-pay shows at other venues with sets by D Generation, The Whores, and more.

Sunday, July 8th: Fishbone and Paranoid Social Club

CBGB to Return with July Music Festival; Club Being Planned

Live music under the CBGB name will return to New York in the form of a four-day festival in July featuring a free concert in Central Park. And the organizers are looking to a open a new CBGBs club in the city at some point.

The legendary CBGBs name will grace a music festival... and maybe a club.

The inaugural CBGB Music Festival will take place July 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th at 20 clubs around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Bands include veterans such as Willie Nile, Rocket from the Tombs, David Johansen (of the New York Dolls), the reformed D Generation (featuring Jesse Malin), and Guided by Voices as well as newer groups like Cloud Nothings, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The War on Drugs, and Vision of Discord.

The Cro-Mags and Sick of it All are also in the lineup, as well as The Baseball Project, the supergroup consisting of Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck and Mike Mills (from R.E.M.), and Linda Pitmon.

The CBGB Festival will also feature films and conferences.

The schedule hasn't been announced yet, but venues include Arlene's Grocery, Bell House, Joe's Pub, Le Poisson Rouge, and Highline Ballroom. There will be about 300 bands taking part, according to the New York Times (their article also describes the investors in the new CBGB effort and their future plans).

The group that owns the CBGB name is sponsoring the festival, and is hoping to re-open a New York City club with the legendary name. The group is said to be looking for locations below 14th Street, and is seeking to own the building the club will be in. This would avoid the problem faced by the original CBGB and many other New York clubs: having to close down when their landlord jacked up the rent to unsustainable levels.  

The free Central Park concert of the CBGB Festival will feature Guided by Voices, the Pains of Being Pure of Heart, Cloud Nothings, and other artists. The concert is set to run from 3 to 7 p.m.