You may have heard the buzz about new venue, Trans-Pecos, to the neighborhood! The venue is in Ridgewood, located just off the Halsey L train at 915 Wyckoff Avenue, we welcome it with open arms (and ears!). The spot, which is the latest of DIY supremacist Todd Patrick‘s ventures, is an “all-ages music venue for ‘new music’ (aka noise, avant composition, artistic rock, etc).” We caught last Saturday’s show, which featured Brian Chase’s experimental/ percussion-based drone project as well as local outfits Hubble and Napoleon. Read on for photos and details about the new space.
Trans-Pecos (pronounced “trans peak oh’s”) is named after a region in Texas, bound by the Rio Grande river on the South and West and by the New Mexico border on its north. The area itself comprises 11% of the state of Texas (roughly the size of South Carolina) and also is home to the most diverse scenery, topography, and plant life in Texas. A metaphor for the Ridgewood / Bushwick dynamic? Probably more relevant to Todd P’s hometown in Richardson, Texas.
The venue, Bedford & Bowery reported, “will double as a neighborhood bar on nights without shows, plus a gallery, and a separate gallery and show space in the basement to open at a later date.” Housed in the Old Silent Barn Space (it shuttered over two years ago following a massive robbery), Trans-Pecos features much of the original wall art, scattered across the large white walls as a peeling tribute.
Brian Chase’s Quartet
The space features a large main room, with beautiful clusters of tiled windows, a small pocket of a room (perfect for a gallery) and an unfinished downstairs, cast in red light and with murals in a similar style to those seen at Todd P’s now-defunt venue 285 Kent. Much of the venue still feels (and is) very unfinished, adding to its lofty charm, and its legitimate DIY roots. There’s no bar as of yet, so bring your own or pick some up from the gas station around the corner.
On Saturday, the venue held a decent crowd during the “Trans Culture Party” that will be a regular(?) event at the space. The 40+ person group was quiet and respectful during the Brian Chase/Richard Hoffman/Jaie Gonzalez/Angus Tarnawsky Quartet, who filled the space with methodical drone rhythms and sounds. Hubble, an artist on Brooklyn-based Northern Spy Records (who will host a weekly Thursday show there) raced through his set next, with distorted rhythmic finger-tapped guitar and powerful vocals. Lastly, Napoleon (who we featured as a Listening Party) jazzed up the midnight hour with their slick 80’s rock sound, guitar sound gliding through the crowd.
Hubble was up next…
And Napoleon ended with a Dance Party!
Trans-Pecos has a impressive lineup of shows over the next few weeks, so get over there to check it out. Also follow them on Twitter for updates.
