Ghost Ship Death Toll Rises To 36

Last week, a fire broke out at an Oakland warehouse and loft that housed a DIY space called the Ghost Ship. Described as “a center of the Oakland community,” the space was hosting an electronic music show that night, leading many to jump to conclusions that the victims were irresponsible ravers partying in a dangerous building. In reality, if blame is to be placed anywhere it’s on the housing crisis in Oakland. Artists simply can’t afford to rent proper spaces to house DIY venues, which often double as safe spaces for marginalized groups. And it’s not limited to Oakland; as this article by Meredith Isaksen states, “The economic trends in Oakland and the circumstances leading to the Ghost Ship fire are a magnification of what many are experiencing across the country.” Read it here, and watch Patti Smith dedicate a song to the victims of the fire below.

New Venue, Brooklyn Steel, Announced

The Bowery Presents has announced a new venue, Brooklyn Steel, which will open in Williamsburg at 319 Frost Street. With a capacity of 1,800, that will make it the “largest general admission venue in Brooklyn.” Bowery Presents partners John Moore and Jim Glancy promised “easy access to bars and restrooms, to unobstructed sightlines and state-of-the-art sound and acoustics” in a statement on the Bowery Presents website. 40 bathrooms and a good view of the bands sound nice, but can we get Glasslands back too?

Some of the first artists to perform at the new venue include The Decemberists, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Two Door Cinema Club, Animal Collective, Perfume Genius, Whitney, Tycho and The Black Angels. More details here.
Read This: Why We Can’t Forget About Meg White

Remember all of those debates about whether or not Meg White was a good drummer? I never found any problems with her playing; she had a simple style that fit well with the type of music The White Stripes played. So why did so many people insist on tearing her down? Kayleigh Hughes breaks down the meaning behind all of those “pervasive, heavily gendered critiques of whether or not Meg White is a good drummer” in this excellent Watt article.

Elvis Guesthouse Closing After NYE

2016: the year of venue closures. We’ve already lost Palisades, Manhattan Inn, Aviv, and Market Hotel (temporarily). Now, the owners of Elvis Guesthouse, a bar that’s the Manhattan counterpart to BK’s Baby’s All Right, have announced it will be closing at the end of December. [Insert joke about Elvis leaving the building].

NEWS ROUNDUPGhost Ship Tragedy, Venue News and Meg White