The Living Room was a music venue on Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was originally established on

Stanton Street Stanton Street is a west-to-east street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the neighborhood of the Lower East Side. The street begins at the Bowery in the west and runs east to a dead end past Pitt Street, adjacent to Hamilton Fish P ...

of the Lower East Side in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1988. The Living Room was co-owned by Steve Rosenthal and Jennifer Gilson. The Living Room has showcased some of the best of New York City’s

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted t ...

alt-country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

, and rock. It moved to Brooklyn in 2015 before closing in December of the same year. Norah Jones Cannes 2

This music venue has been called "an incubator of talent," and has been described as "a much mellower and tidier successor to

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kr ...

." Some considered The Living Room as The Bottom Line of the "small bankroll" live rock venues.Sisario, Ben. (2007, December 14). Live rock on a small bankroll. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', p. E1. Other comparable venues include The Saint in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and The Cellar Door in Georgetown,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The Living Room's line-up featured four or five singer-songwriters a night, yet the club did not typically charge a cover. It did have a one drink minimum and a recommended $5 donation for the bands. Some of The Living Room's sessions were recorded. In 2002 a CD, ''The Living Room - Live in NYC - Vol.1'' (Stanton St. Records), featuring live recordings from The Living Room was released. The CD included performances by

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

Jesse Harris Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright. Early life and education Harris and his twin si ...

Malcolm Holcombe Malcolm Holcombe (born September 2, 1955, in Asheville, North Carolina) is a singer, songwriter, and performer. Biography Early history Holcombe was born in Asheville, N.C. and raised in Weaverville, N.C. in his teen years, he played in local ba ...

, Rachel Loshak, and Chris Moore.Bessman, J. (2003, March 15). Words & Music: The Big Winner. ''Billboard,'' p. 36. The Living Room's patrons and performers have been characterized as a "close-knit family..." Those who have performed there include

Joseph Arthur Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years through ...

Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic ...

Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic '' Grosse ...

, David Ford,

Beatie Wolfe Beatie Wolfe is an Anglo-American award-winning, multimedia artist and musician described as a "musical weirdo and visionary" known for seeing music differently and creating new formats for music and art in the digital era. These projects inclu ...

Ari Hest Ari Hest (born 16 June 1979) is an American singer-songwriter from the Bronx borough of New York. Biography Early life and education Hest's father is a college music professor and his mother a cantor. His older brother, Danny, is Hest's forme ...

Jesse Malin Jesse Malin (born January 26, 1967) is an American rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter. Starting his performing career in the New York hardcore band Heart Attack, and rising to prominence as vocalist of D Generation, a solo recording arti ...

, Madeleine Peyroux, Jason Reeves,

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has s ...

, The Little Willies, Ane Brun, The Shells,

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

, Martha Wainwright and Lizzy Grant (now known as

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

Additionally, The Living Room had a smaller more intimate upstairs area known as Googies Lounge. Live artists used to perform every night of the week.

History

Gilson, who is married to Rosenthal, first opened The Living Room in a former fried chicken joint a few blocks from the latter location. In 2003, the club moved from

to its second location on Ludlow Street, which had a main music room, front bar area, and upstairs lounge. The venue closed on December 21, 2015.

References

External links

Gelber, Linus, "Room With a Few: The Living Room Plays Favorites
, 2000-09-26 {{DEFAULTSORT:Living Room 1988 establishments in New York City Music venues completed in 1988 Drinking establishments in Manhattan Music venues in Manhattan Nightclubs in New York City Lower East Side