Sin-é
Encyclopedia
Sin-é was the name of a music venue in New York City
which helped launch the careers of several noted musicians in the early 1990s.
, was a small café
that served food, coffee, and Rolling Rock
beer. It was opened by Irish
immigrants Shane Doyle and Karl Geary
in 1989. Originally a hang-out for the city's "New Irish" community, it metamorphosed into a gathering place that fused Irish and New York culture when Doyle began to encourage musicians and other artists to perform in the space.
The early days saw a number of poetry readings and acoustic sessions. One outfit that began to bring in the non-Irish East Village crowd in on a Saturday night was known as "The Clumsy Cabaret", a late-night gathering hosted by Helena Mulkerns and Deanna Kirk
, which drew musicians (including many of New York's anti-folk
scene) in after gigs. Acoustic music sessions took place in a spontaneous and creative atmosphere. Patrons included emerging writers, photographers, artists, designers and musicians. Later, as a more established venue, performers such as Katell Keineg
, Ben Folds
, October Project
, David Poe, Jeff Buckley
, and David Gray
took their first steps in the music business, playing for tips. The early 1990s also saw the weekly Friday residency of Beavis and Butt-Head
directors Mike deSeve and Brian Mulroney's band Porkchop, co-founded by Strokes
guru J. P. Bowersock and featuring Ben Folds' ex-wife and collaborator, Anna Goodman
.
Seasoned performers such as Sinéad O'Connor
, Jeff Buckley
, Marianne Faithfull
, Shane McGowan, Hothouse Flowers
, The Waterboys
and Allen Ginsberg
also appeared at Sin-é, giving impromptu performances. The stage was an area where tables were cleared away against a wall. Iggy Pop
, PJ Harvey
, Jane Pratt
, and Gabriel Byrne
were known to stop by. Johnny Depp
, The Black Crowes
, and U2
all visited the café on at least one occasion. The informal atmosphere and devoted regular audience were instrumental in creating a fertile musical scene that flourished until Sin-é closed its doors in 1996. Jeff Buckley's first release was the EP, Live at Sin-é
(1993), while a double album
, Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition)
, was released in 2004.
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
. Due to problems with the city and complaints by nearby residents, the club closed after only a few months.
of Manhattan, the last Sin-é was built to be the "epicenter" of New York musical venues. It was named "Best New Venue" in NY Magazine's "Best of New York" issue (March 2003). On its first birthday, Sin-é was awarded "Best Place to See a Local Band's First Gig" by NY Magazine (March 2004) for helping nurture acts like The Seconds and The Secret Machines
. In 2004, the adjoining Sin-e Bar opened to expand the total area, with four partners including Shane Doyle and Emily Danziger. The venue and bar closed on April 2, 2007, reportedly due to the area's gentrification.
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...
which helped launch the careers of several noted musicians in the early 1990s.
Original café
The original Sin-é, located at 122 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan's East VillageEast Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
, was a small café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
that served food, coffee, and Rolling Rock
Rolling Rock
Rolling Rock is a 4.5% abv pale lager launched in 1939 by the Latrobe Brewing Company. Although founded as a local beer in Western Pennsylvania, it was marketed aggressively and eventually became a national product. The brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch of St...
beer. It was opened by Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrants Shane Doyle and Karl Geary
Karl Geary
Karl John Geary , is an actor and club owner. He moved to the United States at the age of fifteen in 1987; he later got a green card in a visa lottery for Irish illegals, and ultimately became a naturalized citizen. He has seven brothers and sisters.He appeared in Madonna's Sex book...
in 1989. Originally a hang-out for the city's "New Irish" community, it metamorphosed into a gathering place that fused Irish and New York culture when Doyle began to encourage musicians and other artists to perform in the space.
The early days saw a number of poetry readings and acoustic sessions. One outfit that began to bring in the non-Irish East Village crowd in on a Saturday night was known as "The Clumsy Cabaret", a late-night gathering hosted by Helena Mulkerns and Deanna Kirk
Deanna Kirk
On a summer morning in late nineties, Deanna Kirk took the stage at her music club Deanna's in New York City. The Steinway Grand piano that had once been delivered to the club by Blue Note recording artist Jackie Terresson, like everything else in the place, had been torched beyond recognition and...
, which drew musicians (including many of New York's anti-folk
Anti-folk
Anti-folk is a music genre that takes the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music and subverts it. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next...
scene) in after gigs. Acoustic music sessions took place in a spontaneous and creative atmosphere. Patrons included emerging writers, photographers, artists, designers and musicians. Later, as a more established venue, performers such as Katell Keineg
Katell Keineg
Katell Keineg , is a Breton-Welsh singer-songwriter, based in Dublin and New York.-Early life:Born in Brittany and raised in Cardiff, Katell Keineg is the second child and only daughter of Breton poet and playwright Paol Keineg and his then wife, Judith, a Welsh political activist and...
, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, October Project
October Project
The October Project is a pop / rock band that was signed to major label Epic Records from March 1993 to June 1996.The members of the band during that time were Mary Fahl , Marina Belica , David Sabatino , Emil Adler , and Julie Flanders, the band’s lyricist, who did not perform with the Project on...
, David Poe, 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...
, and David Gray
David Gray (musician)
David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...
took their first steps in the music business, playing for tips. The early 1990s also saw the weekly Friday residency of Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
directors Mike deSeve and Brian Mulroney's band Porkchop, co-founded by Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
guru J. P. Bowersock and featuring Ben Folds' ex-wife and collaborator, Anna Goodman
Anna Goodman
Anna Goodman is an American songwriter who was married to Ben Folds from 1987 to 1992. She co-wrote several Ben Folds Five songs including Kate , Alice Childress , The Last Polka , Alice Childress , Smoke , and Lullabye .Anna was also a...
.
Seasoned performers such as Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, 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...
, Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Shane McGowan, Hothouse Flowers
Hothouse Flowers
The Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock group that combines traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock.-Career:The group first formed in 1985 when Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin began performing as street musicians, or buskers, on the streets of Dublin,Ireland as "The...
, The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
and Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
also appeared at Sin-é, giving impromptu performances. The stage was an area where tables were cleared away against a wall. Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, Jane Pratt
Jane Pratt
Jane Pratt is the founding editor of Sassy and Jane. She currently hosts the talk show Jane Radio on Sirius XM Radio.-Early life:...
, and Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
were known to stop by. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
, and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
all visited the café on at least one occasion. The informal atmosphere and devoted regular audience were instrumental in creating a fertile musical scene that flourished until Sin-é closed its doors in 1996. Jeff Buckley's first release was the EP, Live at Sin-é
Live at Sin-é
Live at Sin-é is a live EP by Jeff Buckley. The four-song EP was Buckley's first commercial recording and was released in December 1993 on Columbia Records. The EP captured Buckley, accompanying himself on a Fender Telecaster, in the Sin-é coffeehouse in New York City's East Village, the...
(1993), while a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition)
Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition)
Live at Sin-é is a 2003 live double album by Jeff Buckley. It is the extended version of Buckley's 1993 EP Live at Sin-é, released by Columbia Records. Recorded over two afternoons at Sin-é, the Legacy Edition is a two-disc set , plus a ten-minute bonus DVD containing brief excerpts of Jeff...
, was released in 2004.
Second incarnation
In 2000, Doyle opened a 380-capacity version of Sin-é on North Eighth Street just off of Bedford AvenueBedford Avenue (Brooklyn)
Bedford Avenue is the longest street in Brooklyn, New York City, stretching and 132 blocks from Greenpoint south to Sheepshead Bay, and passing through the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Flatbush and Midwood....
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
. Due to problems with the city and complaints by nearby residents, the club closed after only a few months.
Final venue
Located at 150 Attorney Street, at the corner of Stanton Street, on the Lower East SideLower East Side, Manhattan
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan, the last Sin-é was built to be the "epicenter" of New York musical venues. It was named "Best New Venue" in NY Magazine's "Best of New York" issue (March 2003). On its first birthday, Sin-é was awarded "Best Place to See a Local Band's First Gig" by NY Magazine (March 2004) for helping nurture acts like The Seconds and The Secret Machines
The Secret Machines
The Secret Machines are a three-piece American alternative rock band. Originally from Dallas, Texas before moving to New York City, they describe their band as space rock. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon and Benjamin Curtis, and Josh Garza...
. In 2004, the adjoining Sin-e Bar opened to expand the total area, with four partners including Shane Doyle and Emily Danziger. The venue and bar closed on April 2, 2007, reportedly due to the area's gentrification.
Sources
- Ryzik, Melena. (March 29, 2007). "Gentrification Blues: Requiem for a Cozy, Unassuming Rock Club"
- Browne, David. Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley. HarperEntertainment: 2001, 2002; ISBN 0-380-80624-X
- Jeff Buckley Sin-é FAQ
- Wall, Eamonn (2000). From the Sin-e Cafe to the Black Hills. University of Wisconsin PressUniversity of Wisconsin PressThe University of Wisconsin Press is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It primarily publishes work by scholars from the global academic community but also serves the citizens of Wisconsin by publishing important books about Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest, and...
. pp. 61-64