The Know (Portland, Oregon)
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The Know was a bar in northeast
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, in the
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.


Description

The Know, located at 2026 Northeast Alberta Street near the Alberta Arts District in Portland's Vernon neighborhood, was a
dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and local clientele. ...
and
music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...
known for hosting
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
, heavy metal, and
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
music. In 2014, Matthew Korfhage of ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...
'' called the venue "a ramshackle, graffitied, dirt-cheap drinking hole that has become Portland's most reliable home of punk and hard rock". In 2016, ''Willamette Week'' Matthew Singer described The Know as the city's "premier bastion of noise" and "Alberta's lone holdout of dirty Old Portland", with sticky floors from spilled beer and bathrooms that "would give veterans of
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...
's heyday flashbacks".


History

The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers were an American rock band formed in Natick, Massachusetts in 1970 by Jonathan Richman. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist ...
Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic an ...
performed two series of multi-night stands at the venue, in 2010 and 2012. In 2014, the building which houses The Know was put up for sale. Owner Ryan Stowe confirmed that the bar had two years left on its lease. He hoped to continue operating on Albert Street but expressed concern over rising rent costs and said the venue might need to relocate. Stowe told ''Willamette Week'', "We had an empty lot across the street from us for almost eight years. Then a bunch of stores went into the Acme Glass building, all these places that had been there for generations. The owners saw dollar signs and sold the building." In 2016, the venue announced plans to close by the end of the year due to rising rent costs. Stowe said:
I honestly can't believe we're closing up shop on Alberta. So many awesome shows and regulars, but the damn money moved in and they'd rather have a boutique salt shop where we are now than a very real, down-to-earth bar and venue that has meant so much to countless people and bands over the last 12 years... The yuppies won this round, but we'll re-open in a better place, away from 'Division St. Northeast.'
The bar's final show was scheduled for November 30, 2016. Stowe intended to reopen at another location.


See also

*
List of dive bars While the definition of a "dive bar" varies, the following is a list of notable establishments which have been described as such. A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Know 2000s establishments in Oregon 2016 disestablishments in Oregon Defunct dive bars Defunct drinking establishments in Oregon Defunct music venues in Portland, Oregon Defunct nightclubs in Portland, Oregon Defunct restaurants in Vernon, Portland, Oregon Dive bars in Portland, Oregon Punk rock venues Rock music venues