Country in the City: Lucinda Williams’ East Village Honky Tonk Bar Reaches Its First Anniversary

Country singer Lucinda Williams, photographed above performing at Lucinda's in January. Her East Village honky-tonk bar has enjoyed resounding success in its first year.

Lucinda Williams lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee, but the Grammy Award-winning country music artist has roots in New York City’s East Village, where she lived for a time as a budding singer-songwriter on First Avenue and East First Street. A year ago, Williams lent her name to a southern-style honky-tonk bar named Lucinda's at 169 Avenue A. She partnered with musician Kelley Swindall and former Brownie's proprietor Laura McCarthy to open the neighborhood’s first-ever country music bar.

Williams has performed at Lucinda’s twice so far. Popular mainstream artists including the Black Keys and the Lemonheads also performed underplays there in recent months. Most of the entertainers are locals, however, with traveling musicians passing through from time to time.

The site has a long history as a music club under many names, starting as Brownie’s from 1989 to 2002. The present incarnation of the club is the most exciting in decades, showcasing live music seven nights each week, including Americana music performances, weekly bluegrass jams, weekly songwriter open mics, free country dance instructions, even country karaoke with a live band. Lucinda's live music calendar is posted on the club's website, although the club's social media posts more immediate updates.

Lucinda’s first anniversary falls on July 31. Below is a look at some of the musicians who have performed there in the past week. All photographs are by Everynight Charley Crespo.

Kelley Swindall at Women of Americana at Lucinda's on July 20

Belle and Chain at Women of Americana at Lucinda's on July 20

Allison Kelly at Women of Americana at Lucinda's on July 20

Sam Brown at Women of Americana at Lucinda's on July 20

Disterbenz at Women of Americana at Lucinda's on July 20

Travis Stephens at Lucinda's on July 20

Christian Apuzzo at Lucinda's on July 22

Felix Slim at Lucinda's on July 23

Weiran Zeng at the weekly Songwriter's Open Mic on July 19

Mark T at the weekly Songwriter's Open Mic on July 19

Related Article:

Country in the City: Where to Find Live Country, Bluegrass, and Americana Music in NYC (2025)

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The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's July and August calendars.