August 3, 2011
Tonight another great East Village bar bites the dust. EV Grieve reported yesterday that tonight is the last night for Banjo Jim’s to be open. Banjo Jim’s had live music every night of the week with no cover charge and decent prices at the bar. A new bar is moving in and it’s supposedly going to be an "artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar" tentatively called, The Wayland. It’s supposed to open in the fall and I’ll check it out when it does. But for now, let’s go and say goodbye to Banjo Jim’s.
A crowd has gathered outside of Banjo Jim's on the last night of the saloon's existence.
And here we are, the last night of Banjo Jim's. Let's go inside and see what's happening.
It was crowded inside as expected.
Singer/songwriter is the last person to play on Banjo Jim's stage. He was great and you can check him out here: Aaron Short.
Kevin was the friendly bartender on duty for the last night of Banjo Jim's.
The view of the bar from my perch.
Kevin plays on...
As the crowd listens and takes photos.
Happy feet!
Flyers from gigs gone by line the front window.
The new owners of the bar say that they're hoping to keep this piano. We'll see.
The weather-beaten red stools are part of the charm in here. I doubt they'll survive the re-opening.
A shot of the other end of the curly-Q bar.
The corner of the bar has a comfortable couch lining the walls.
Aaron's set was coming to a close...
He dedicated the last song to Banjo Jim's. It was the theme of Cheers. Listening to it and thinking of bars that had closed since I moved here—The P&G, Stoned Crow, The Rum House, Fedora, Mars Bar—I admit I got a little teary eyed thinking about it. Lots of friendly places with kindred spirits on both sides of the bar are closed and they've either been shuttered or replaced with grim replicas of what they once were. I wonder what this place will be like in six months?
I chatted with Aaron after the show and congratulated him on a good set and for giving Banjo Jim's a decent last night's show.
Aaron packs up...
And it's out the door. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.
And so another door closes in the East Village. In the fall it will reopen and artisanal cocktails will be flowing in this space. Actually, one of the new owners, Robert Ceraso was answering questions in the comments section at EV Grieve and he was being nice and civil, even to wiseasses like me. He promised five buck bottles of Budweisers and at least one beer in the four dollar range. He seems like a nice guy. So did Ted Bundy. We’ll see what happens in the fall. Good luck to the former owners, bartenders, musicians and everyone who was connected to Banjo Jim’s. Another one down.
Further reading: EV Grieve, EVGif, Jim’s Roots and Blues and Now I’ve Heard Everything.
You Might Also Like: Blowing in the Wind, Dust in the Wind and Pissing in the Wind.
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