Postcrypt Coffeehouse
Encyclopedia
Postcrypt Coffeehouse is an all-acoustic music
venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel
at Columbia University
in New York City
, run completely by students. Founded in 1964, Postcrypt has hosted many up-and-coming folk musicians, including Jeff Buckley
, Dar Williams
, Shawn Colvin
, and Ani DiFranco
. Additionally, Suzanne Vega
, a graduate of Barnard College
, returns to Postcrypt each Spring to play one secret concert. The young folk singer Anthony da Costa
performs there regularly, and Mary Lee Kortes, of the band Mary Lee's Corvette, has played there along with her husband, the guitarist and producer Eric Ambel
. Postcrypt is one of the few free, all volunteer-run venues in New York. Its size is also notable: according to the fire code, it can legally only host 35 people at a time, giving the venue a very intimate feel, and making it possible to have music without any sort of amplification.
Despite popular conceptions, the Postcrypt location was never a "crypt," but rather a storage closet in the basement of the chapel; it takes its name from the Søren Kierkegaard
book, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments
. This was then shortened to C.U (the initials for Columbia University) Postcrypt to reflect the fact that the venue was in the basement of the chapel.
Since its creation, Postcrypt Coffeehouse has been completely run by student volunteers. It is open each Friday and Saturday night during the academic year from 8:30 pm– 11:30pm, featuring three artists who each play a 45-50 minute set. It is always free and open to the public. Postcrypt is supported by funding from the student government and their sales of coffee, baked goods, and a selection of beer. In a 2006 article about Morningside Heights, the New York Times wrote:
Since that article, the staff of Postcrypt has tried to improve the quality of their coffee, using fair trade
and organic
coffee as part of the effort to go green. This effort has also included the institution of a "Bring Your Own Mug" policy: coffee and locally produced cider is offered at a 50% discount to patrons who bring their own mugs.
, The Salvation Band, Chuck E Costa, and the Columbia based band The Kitchen Cabinet. Postcrypt received a grant from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to partially fund the event.
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel
St. Paul's Chapel (Columbia University)
St. Paul's Chapel is the chapel of Columbia University in New York City. Designed and built from 1904 to 1907 by I. N. Phelps Stokes of the architectural firm Howells & Stokes in an elaborate mixture of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, and Gothic styles, its interior features Guastavino tile...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, run completely by students. Founded in 1964, Postcrypt has hosted many up-and-coming folk musicians, including Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, Dar Williams
Dar Williams
Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...
, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
, and Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
. Additionally, Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
, a graduate of Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, returns to Postcrypt each Spring to play one secret concert. The young folk singer Anthony da Costa
Anthony da Costa
Anthony da Costa is an American singer-songwriter based in Pleasantville, NY. He performs frequently at coffeehouses, theaters, and festivals across the Northeast and beyond. He names Ryan Adams, Dan Bern, and Josh Ritter as some of his biggest songwriting influences...
performs there regularly, and Mary Lee Kortes, of the band Mary Lee's Corvette, has played there along with her husband, the guitarist and producer Eric Ambel
Eric Ambel
Eric Ambel is a New York City-based guitarist and record producer, originally from Batavia, Illinois. He has worked with a wide range of artists including Steve Earle, the Yayhoos, Del Lords, The Bottle Rockets, Joan Jett, Mojo Nixon, Blood Oranges, Blue Mountain, Freedy Johnston and Mary Lee's...
. Postcrypt is one of the few free, all volunteer-run venues in New York. Its size is also notable: according to the fire code, it can legally only host 35 people at a time, giving the venue a very intimate feel, and making it possible to have music without any sort of amplification.
History
The venue was established in 1964 with the help of the campus chaplain, Reverend John Cannon. Cannon and student Dotty Sutherland cleaned and redecorated a small storage room in the basement of the chapel, transforming it into Postcrypt.Despite popular conceptions, the Postcrypt location was never a "crypt," but rather a storage closet in the basement of the chapel; it takes its name from the Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
book, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments
Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments
Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments is a major work by Søren Kierkegaard. The work is a poignant attack against Hegelianism, the philosophy of G. W. F. Hegel. The work is also famous for its dictum, Subjectivity is Truth...
. This was then shortened to C.U (the initials for Columbia University) Postcrypt to reflect the fact that the venue was in the basement of the chapel.
Since its creation, Postcrypt Coffeehouse has been completely run by student volunteers. It is open each Friday and Saturday night during the academic year from 8:30 pm– 11:30pm, featuring three artists who each play a 45-50 minute set. It is always free and open to the public. Postcrypt is supported by funding from the student government and their sales of coffee, baked goods, and a selection of beer. In a 2006 article about Morningside Heights, the New York Times wrote:
One thing you won't find anywhere else is the Postcrypt Coffeehouse, a musty hideaway tucked into the depths of the St. Paul's basement where singers from the accomplished to the totally disastrous perform Friday and Saturday nights. The tiny spot serves $1 coffee so awful they should refund your dollar if you finish it, but makes up for it with free popcorn.
Since that article, the staff of Postcrypt has tried to improve the quality of their coffee, using fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
and organic
Organic movement
The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic farming, which is a more sustainable mode of agriculture...
coffee as part of the effort to go green. This effort has also included the institution of a "Bring Your Own Mug" policy: coffee and locally produced cider is offered at a 50% discount to patrons who bring their own mugs.
Troubles with the University
Postcrypt has faced its share of trouble with Columbia's administration: in 2001, it was nearly shut down because of fire code violations. Later, source of the low lighting has changed from candles to electric lights.Folk Festival
On May 4, 2008, Postcrypt Coffeehouse hosted their first annual Folk Festival, an all-day event on Columbia's campus. All acts featured were completely by Columbia students. The second annual Folk Festival took place on April 26, 2009, and was cosponsored by the environmental group "Greenspiration," as the culmination of a week of environmentally themed events. It featured a mix of both student and professional performers, including da CostaAnthony da Costa
Anthony da Costa is an American singer-songwriter based in Pleasantville, NY. He performs frequently at coffeehouses, theaters, and festivals across the Northeast and beyond. He names Ryan Adams, Dan Bern, and Josh Ritter as some of his biggest songwriting influences...
, The Salvation Band, Chuck E Costa, and the Columbia based band The Kitchen Cabinet. Postcrypt received a grant from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to partially fund the event.