Saturday evening local DIY venue Cheap Storage hosted their 5th annual “New Years Do Over Party” with promoter Glad Tidings from NY. With the promise of a traditional “watermelon drop” at midnight, music-lovers jumped at the chance to re-celebrate a night that for many, ended up either in a total blur or a total disappointment. On the bill were two of Bushwick Daily’s favorite up-and-coming bands– Future Punx and The Love Supreme, supported by other Bushwick bands Kissing is a Crime and Truthers. What we weren’t expecting was a sudden raid from the police, who busted in, flashlights in hand, during the climax of The Love Supreme’s sexy set. Could it have been be the end of Cheap Storage? Actually, according to Cheap Storage, the cops turned out to be cool, and are The Love Supreme’s newest fans. Read what really happened…
Bushwick Daily Music Writer Lauren Piper enjoys the show!
“Sorry, guys, the cops are here…”
The show, which was pretty hyped for its stellar lineup, went down without a hitch up until the end. The space, which as you might have guess is a former storage venue turned artists loft, was full of friends and good vibes. There was security guards both at the front door and at the door to the roof. Everything was in place for a stellar show, which got a whole lot more exciting around 12:55 when Tim Pioppo, lead singer of the Love Supreme and Cheap Storage tenant, announced the cops were outside, and that they were “gonna do one more song!” Next thing we knew, the 150+ person crowd was being ushered out by yelling police officers, and we witness and a dramatic ID surrendering from Pioppo, who replays his version from an onstage perspective:
….Then the cops popped in and started weaving through the crowd I figured it wouldn’t get any worse if I just kept playing through the last song. They got up to the stage and shined that bright light in my eyes as we finished the last 30 seconds of the song or so. They asked me “Who’s in charge of the band” and grabbed my ID, then told me to tell everyone to get out.
“Did you hear? Our set will end early tonight.”
When the crowd was finally spit out onto the street, there were over 10 police cars in front of the complex, which is located right off the Jefferson stop at 49 Wyckoff St. Many of us, in a booze-fueled fury, defensively shouted things like “It’s not a crime to love music!” while wondering in the pits of our stomachs, could this be the end of Cheap Storage? With Williamsburg DIY-powerhouse 285 Kent folding in a week’s time and the smothering of underground New Years parties around Brooklyn, it seems that the DIY scene is both exploding and suffering, slowly drifting away from obscurity and into the illegal limelight. Many commiserated over drinks at bar Alaska, where the official after party was held, and tensions were high.
Luckily, we were all just being dramatic. After the show ended, things mellowed out. The consequences from the soulful rager? Two noise summons, a semi-stern warning, and some new fans for The Love Supreme! Pioppo affirms: “Later on, they were actually pretty cool about it – Said that there were a bunch of noise complaints, but that they actually dug the band! “If the Sarge didn’t get called in…” that kind of stuff.”
So, stop furrowing your brow, DIY in Bushwick isn’t over yet. Another Cheap Storage tenant chimed in:
I don’t think that this will be the last show at Cheap Storage. We’ve been doing this there for over 3 years, since before this neighborhood yuppified. In almost 6 years of shows like this, saturday was one of the smoothest I’ve ever had. We had no problem guests, everyone stayed clear of the common areas in the building, we left the place totally spotless.
Besides the noise complaints (perhaps from some very uppity upstairs neighbors?) The only damage done was that the line building to purchase the Love Supreme’s brand new 7″ (that we premiered on Friday First column) was shoved out of the venue before they could grab a copy. If you are one of these unlucky souls, worry not–you can purchase the record here. Until the next one, then!
Thanks to Cody Swanson for the photos.
