NYC Musicians Play to Indoor Audiences Again

The Red Lion reopened and featured many live music acts, including Carl Banks (above)

Musicians in New York City can now play to indoor audiences in restaurants at 25% capacity and can play one hour later, until 11 p.m., thanks to further relaxations in COVID regulations this past weekend.

In a series of announcement over the past week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo first announced that he would permit 25% indoor dining in New York City on Valentine's Day. He then advanced the opening by two days. Lastly, he extended the restaurant curfew from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. beginning on Valentine's Day.

Cuomo has not yet provided any concessions for the larger entertainment venues like Radio City Music Hall, the Hammerstein Ballroom, the Beacon Theatre, and the Broadway theaters, all of which closed at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020; reopening dates for these venues have not yet been announced. Large and small music clubs including Terminal  5, Sony Hall, the Village Vanguard, and the Bitter End, already closed for nearly a year, also have no reprieve in sight. The governor's sights have been squarely on the eateries, perhaps due to the ongoing pressure applied by the hospitality industry.

Sour Mouse NYC resumed its music program on February 14 with a jazz open mic.
Pictured above, Tori Gee was among the opening day vocalists.

Cuomo first allowed 25%-capacity indoor dining in the fall of 2020. During that approximately eight-week window in the fall, an upsurge in reopened restaurants rebuilt a live music circuit. Numerous restaurants that never hosted live music before began showcasing musicians. Customers enjoyed folk, Jazz, pop, rock, soul and world music at no charge. Even after the construction of outdoor sheds for customers, many of those same venues then closed their doors, many restaurants closed again when the governor suspended indoor dining in early December, citing an anticipated "holiday surge" in coronavirus infection spread. Restaurant owners closed their doors again, believing that outdoor, take-out and delivery service combined with harsher weather would not sustain sufficient business.

Many popular downtown venues that featured live music in the fall remain closed at present. City Winery, the Blue Note, Café Wha? and Groove, have not yet announced a reopening. These venues may delay reopening until the governor permits a larger indoor capacity, perhaps 50%.

Strange Majik at Marshall Stack on February 13 played to 25% indoor capacity

Where to Find Live Music

With the reinstatement of limited indoor dining, Fine and Rare, the Red Lion, and Sour Mouse NYC are among downtown's music-oriented establishments that reopened this past weekend and are presenting live music again. All three venues had presented live music in the fall but were closed for the past two months.

The Red Lion resumed its music program with a three-hour performance by Anya Aliferis & Alex Kerckoff on the first night of indoor dining on February 12, followed by three acts on both Saturday and Sunday, ongoing with one artist nightly. Fineand Rare recharged its jazz series on Sunday with the Brandi Disterheft Duo at 4 p.m. and Brian Newman at 7 p.m., and will continue hosting music every night except Mondays. Sour Mouse NYC, which offers billiards and ping pong along with music and art, on Sunday featured a jazz open mic in the afternoon and rhythm and blues jams with Rahj Mason in the evening, and will henceforth showcase jazz, rhythm & blues, and rock artists on Thursdays through Sundays.

Indie-pop band Duefunk performs on Wednesdays at Baby Brasa

The Anyway Café, Caravan of Dreams, Marshall Stack and Rue-B, all of which hosted live music throughout the winter to outdoor audiences, continue their music programs, but with the addition of a few indoor tables and chairs. Baby Brasa continues to serve bands and customers in its massive curbside cabana. Musicians at the Corner Bistro and Joey Bats Café continue to perform to audiences which are largely outdoors in a curbside shed.

The later curfew has allowed restaurant owners to move the performance times later. Performance times at the Anyway Café were 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. They are now 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Performances at the Red Lion were 6 to 9 p.m. They are now 7 to 10 p.m.

Cuomo also made two other announcements in the past week that signaled the future expansion of entertainment options. He said that 10,000+ capacity arenas and stadiums could admit ticketholders at 10% capacity under strict restrictions beginning February 23. This will draw fans to sporting events, but no concert promoter has announced yet an interest in promoting concerts at 10% capacity. Cuomo also introduced the NY PopsUp series which will launch more than 1,000 largely unannounced entertainment programs throughout New York State beginning February 20. Likewise, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio this past week announced Open Culture, a program which will expedite street activity permits for local arts and cultural organizations starting March 1.