315 Bowery, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.A. That address might not mean anything to the average rock n’ roll fan, but certainly the name CBGB means something. Picture this: it’s a Friday evening in the summer of 1974, August specifically, and you and your closest buddies decide to go to the local rock club for the night. You’ve never heard of the band. Apparently, this is their first gig, but you shrug and say, “Fu*k it, let’s go; it’s Friday night!” You enter a club with walls entirely covered in posters and graffiti. Your nostrils quiver at the stench of sweat, beer and weed, which is strong enough to take a few years off your life. Abrasive, loud, chanting music fills your ears and as you make your way through the haze and to the stage you see four guys with leather jackets, all behind their respective instruments. That would be soon-to-be punk rock figureheads, The Ramones, playing their very first public show. That night was just one of the legendary concerts that would be held within those four walls.
It’s the club that fueled the punk rock movement in the New York City region. Though the acronym itself, CBGB, stands for “Country BlueGrass Blues,” the venue ended up putting on largely rock shows. The club closed its doors in October 2006. Hosting over 50,000 bands in their time, CBGB has certainly solidified its place in rock n’ roll history. In December 2023, the building still remains despite the venue being closed for over 15 years. In its place lies a luxurious men’s clothing store, John Varvatos, which opened in 2008. Varvatos has styled many iconic rock musicians, including Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, and many more in his time as a menswear designer.
As a young rocker, I have always dreamt of what it would’ve been like to play a show at the infamous CBGB. While that is no longer possible, it is still possible to visit the site. While in the city to see the final KISS show, I decided to make a stop at 315 Bowery. Without doing any prior research into what the once booming music venue is today, I walk past the Joey Ramone Place street sign and I realize I must be at the right spot. There is still a similar overhang above the entrance, however instead of saying “CBGB & OMFUG”, it says “john varvatos.”
Photo: Sbazzone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
I open the heavy glass door that safeguards the luxury storefront and enter the building. Immediately, I am taken aback by the place. While it may not exactly look like what it used to, much of the dingy concert venue remains frozen in time. The postered-up, graffitied walls are still standing. Above my head is a big, fancy chandelier that easily costs more than the original club itself. In the front entryway of the store, there are vintage guitars, Marshall amplifiers, and walls covered in records behind shelves full of just that.
As I walked further into the deep store, I looked to my right and saw a long checkout desk, which was once a long bar. On the wall behind the desk, guitars are hanging, and a white neon sign says, “Long Live Rock.” Despite being somewhat remodeled for over a decade, the room still oozes rock n’ roll energy. As Debby Harry of Blondie said in the New York Post, “Some kind of mythological energy still exists [at 315 Bowery].” Even my dad remarked, “it still smells like a dingy club.” In the middle of the store is a low stage, built after Varvatos moved into the spot, which occasionally hosts small-scale concerts. Getting toward the back of the store there is a “Gabba Gabba Hey” sign, paying homage to The Ramones who cut their teeth in that very room. I had to take a moment to just take it all in – a 360 degree glance into music history.
CBGB welcomed countless female musicians who were vital to the acceptance into the “boy’s club” that was and often still is the rock scene. From Blondie to The Runaways to Patti Smith and more, the club didn’t care if you were a man or woman, all you had to do was be a badass rocker and you were welcome. This was an acceptance unheard of in the early ‘70s, which is one of the reasons why CBGB holds such a special place in my heart as a young female musician.
While 315 Bowery may not be home to CBGB anymore, John Varvatos has done a standup job preserving the history of the place which rockers of all ages still visit today. As a young rock musician and aficionado, I’m grateful that places like this still exist. There truly is nothing that compares to walking into a place like CBGB or The Rainbow or the Whisky A Go-Go for someone who wasn’t around to experience the prime time of hard rock.
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Shannon Wilk is a Connecticut-based bassist and photographer. Since beginning her career in 2019, she has made waves in the live music scene and the digital world, playing legendary stages such as the Whisky A Go-Go and Monsters of Rock Cruise, as well as accumulating over 1 million views across online platforms. In addition to her blossoming music career, she showcases her passion for music through concert photography and journalism. From KISS to Foo Fighters to Yungblud, Shannon has captured rock royalty through her lens.
