Sin-é (; from the Irish phrase meaning "that's it") was a music venue in

East Village, Manhattan The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side (Manhattan), East Side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street on the ...

. It helped launch the careers of several noted musicians in the early 1990s.

History

Original café

The original Sin-é, located at 122 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan's East Village, was a small

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

that served food, coffee, and

Rolling Rock Rolling Rock is a 4.4% abv American 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 Anh ...

beer. It was opened by the Irish immigrant Shane Doyle in 1989. The early days saw a number of poetry readings and acoustic sessions. One group that began to attract a wider audience on Saturday nights was the Clumsy Cabaret, a late-night gathering that drew musicians (including many of New York's

anti-folk Anti-folk (sometimes spelled antifolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in New York City, founded by the musician, author and comedian Lach, as a reaction to the commercialization of folk music. It is characterized by its DIY ethos, ...

scene) 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 played for tips. Seasoned performers such as

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

, October Project,

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (25 December 195730 November 2023) was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He won acclaim for his lyrics, whic ...

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...

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Susan McKeown Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. She won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album as a member of The Klezmatics. Early years Susan McKeown was born on Febr ...

, Star Drooker and the band Native Tongue also appeared at Sin-é, giving impromptu performances. The stage was an area where tables were cleared away against a wall. The informal atmosphere and regular audience were instrumental in creating a fertile musical scene that flourished until Sin-é closed in 1996. Jeff Buckley's first release was the EP '' Live at Sin-é'' (1993).

Second incarnation

In 2000, Doyle opened a 380-capacity version of Sin-é on North Eighth Street just off of Bedford Avenue in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

. 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 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 Fis ...

on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

of Manhattan, the last Sin-é was named "Best New Venue" in '' NY Magazine's'' "Best of New York" issue of 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 such as the Seconds and

the Secret Machines Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis ...

. In 2004, the adjoining Sin-e Bar opened by Doyle and two others. The venue and bar closed on April 2, 2007, reportedly due to the area's gentrification.

References

Sources

* Browne, David. ''Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley''. HarperEntertainment: 2001, 2002;
Jeff Buckley Sin-é FAQ
* Wall, Eamonn (2000). ''From the Sin-e Cafe to the Black Hills''.

University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a Non-profit organization, non-profit university press publishing Peer review, peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic comm ...

. pp. 61–64 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sin-E Music venues completed in 1989 2007 disestablishments in New York City Lower East Side Cultural history of New York City Former music venues in New York City East Village, Manhattan 1989 establishments in New York City