Maxwell's

Maxwell's
Maxwell's
11.7.11Maxwell'sByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Address 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA 07030
Location Southeast corner at Washington and 11th Streets
Coordinates 40°44′58″N 74°1′36″W / 40.74944°N 74.02667°W / 40.74944; -74.02667
Type Music venue, restaurant, and contemporary art gallery
Genre(s) punk, grunge, and indie rock
Opened August 1978 (1978-08)[1]
Renovated July 26, 1998[1]
Owner Steve Shelley, Dave Post, Todd Abramson[2]
Capacity 200 (backroom stage)[1]
Website http://www.maxwellsnj.com/

Maxwell's is a music club in Hoboken, New Jersey that also has a restaurant. The intimate venue often attracts a wide variety of acts looking for a change from the New York City concert spaces across the river.[3]

Contents

History

The club was opened in August 1978 by Steve Fallon.[1] When the Fallon family bought the corner building in uptown Hoboken with its street-level tavern, Steve's sisters Kathryn Jackson Fallon and Anne Fallon Mazzolla along with brother-in-law Mario Mazzola were interested in turning the factory workers' tavern (General Foods' Maxwell House Coffee factory was a block away on the Hudson River[4]) into more of a restaurant.[5] The Hoboken band "a" (featuring Glenn Morrow, Richard Barone, Frank Giannini, and Rob Norris; the latter three later forming The Bongos) asked if they could rehearse in an unused back room and play a few gigs in the front for the restaurant's patrons. The live music quickly caught on and Steve started booking bands into the back room. Over time, Steve's booking taste, freewheeling personality and respectful treatment towards musicians made Maxwell's and Hoboken a looked-forward-to stop on many bands' tours.[1][6] By making the blue-collar mile-square city with a rough-and-tumble reputation a cultural gathering place, Maxwell's was instrumental in sparking Hoboken's first wave of early 1980s gentrification — the artists and musicians.[7] In that light, it is also believed that Anne and Mario may have offered the first successful Sunday brunch in Hoboken.[8]

The entrance vestibule to Maxwell's on 11th Street.

Maxwell's, having become so successful that it spawned not only Pier Platters, an independent record store near the PATH train station that Fallon invested in, a whole music and cultural "scene" epitomized by the Hoboken Sound (which was featured in an hour-long television special on a local NYC station),[9] and Fallon's own record label Coyote Records, Steve hired Todd Abramson to take over the booking of the acts in the mid-1980s. Abramson has, essentially, been booking the venue ever since (except for a short period in the late 1990s after Fallon sold the club and Maxwell's was converted into a short-lived brew pub.)[1]

At a time when one of the Fallon siblings wanted to divest of their interest in the business, Peter Buck (guitarist for R.E.M.) bought their piece to help his friend Steve Fallon keep it open as a resource for enthusiasts of new music. Later, Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü, Sugar and a solo career bought out Buck's ownership for the same reasons.

When Fallon wanted completely out, he and his partners sold Maxwell's to William Sutton in December 1995[10] who then planned but failed to turn it into a brewpub.[1] Booker Todd Abramson,[2] Steve Shelley (drummer of Sonic Youth) and Dave Post of the Amazing Incredibles and Swingadelic arranged to bring Maxwell's back, and re-opened it on July 26, 1998.[1] While some longtime patrons miss the more free-wheeling Steve Fallon days, Maxwell's is now as vital a part of the independent music community as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bands

The first band to play at Maxwell's was "a" which included the three original members of The Bongos (Richard Barone, Rob Norris, and Frank Giannini, who was Maxwell's cook and devised their first menu), fronted by Glenn Morrow (later of The Individuals and founder of Bar/None Records). The Bongos rehearsed in the club by day, were the first from the new crop of bands to be signed to a major label (RCA Records) after a series of British singles and tours, and were seen at the time as ambassadors of the new Hoboken pop scene. In the mid-1980s R.E.M. played there on a frequent basis.[11] The club was important to emerging trends as diverse as punk, grunge, and indie rock of the 1980s and early 1990s. Bands like Husker Du, The Replacements, fIREHOSE,[12] the Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, Fugazi,[13] Archers of Loaf, The Cynics, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Juliana Theory, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Fire in Cairo, Tad, the Melvins, Mod Fun, Mystic Eyes, Nirvana,[1][14] Hole, The Afghan Whigs, The Smashing Pumpkins,[1][15] and G Love and Special Sauce all have played there. Buzzcocks, Blue Öyster Cult,[16] The Fall, the Minutemen,[17] The Mess Around, Robyn Hitchcock,[18] Katrina & the Waves, Flipper, Rain Parade, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cowsills,[1] Wire, The Pogues, Pylon, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Joe Jackson, Schoolly D, Crime and the City Solution, Killing Joke, Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Snakefinger, Living Colour, David Byrne, The Slits, X, Joan Jett, Dick Dale, Royal Crescent Mob, The Stations, The Strokes,[19] Matt Nathanson, John Doe, Mary Lou Lord, Electric Six, and The Ataris also made appearances on stage at Maxwell's. The Bongos, The Cyclones, The Individuals, Urban Allies, Gut Bank, The Fleshtones, and The dB's were mainstays in the beginning[20] with The Feelies playing frequently towards the later half of the 1980s.[21] They continue this tradition today with bands like The Dirtbombs,[22] Lemuria,[23] Crooked Fingers,[24], Stars and Longing for Liberace.[disambiguation needed ][25]

Notable events

Parts of the music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" were filmed at Maxwell's on May 28, 1985.[5] The music video was directed by Hoboken resident John Sayles.[26]

In the early 1990s Maxwell's was voted the "Best Club In New York — Even Though It's In New Jersey" by the New Yorker Magazine.[27]

In the 2005 Village Voice Best of NY poll, Maxwell's was voted "Best Reason to Leave the State for Dinner and a Show". Also in 2005, The New York Times wrote that Maxwell's was "so New York that it's in New Jersey".[28]

New Order played one of their first American concerts at Maxwell's. Depending on who you talk to, either it was a shambles with the band not so ready to play after the demise of Ian Curtis from Joy Division, or it was a fantastic show, according to Tony Wilson, the Factory Records chief who wrote a recollection of the event in an opinion column in London based Uncut magazine's July 2006 issue.[citation needed]

In 1989 the band Nirvana released their debut album Bleach on June 15 and went on tour to support sales of the album. They appeared at Maxwell's on July 13, 1989 and early in the day before the show photographer Ian Tilton took several pictures of the band around Hoboken whilst John Robb interviewed them for a front cover feature for Sounds music paper. The picture of frontman Kurt Cobain has since been used in dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites before and after his death.[29]

The video for the song "Away" by The Feelies, directed by Jonathan Demme was recorded at Maxwell's in 1988. After a seventeen year hiatus The Feelies reunited to appear at Maxwell's in July 2008,[30] and they made appearances again in July 2009 and 2010 .[31]

Live albums

Several bands have recorded live albums at the venue, including the Reigning Sound ("Live at Maxwells"),[32] the Meat Puppets ("Live at Maxwell's 2.08.01"),[33] My Chemical Romance ("The Black Parade Is Dead!"),[34] and Imperial Teen ("Live at Maxwell's").

Ongoing events

In addition to serving as a concert venue, Maxwell's offers monthly swing music by owner Dave Post's accomplished band Swingadelic, provides a forum for local musicians (with its free "New Jersey Songwriters in the Round" concerts), and opens itself up to weekly Tuesday DJ nights. Maxwell's also sponsors monthly art exhibits on its walls, with supporting opening events.

The indie rock band Yo La Tengo rents out the club for the 8 nights of Hanukkah every year, though not in 2006 or 2009.[35][36]

Criticism

As a music venue Maxwell's is not very large, in fact it holds only about 200 people[1] and is considered dark.[3] The live music at a club in a residential area has led some neighbors to complain about the noise as well as dancing in the streets during the early days of the club before the expansion into the back room for appearances by musical acts.[1] A Hoboken restaurant survey website gave Maxwell's a rating of 3.33 out of a possible 5 in October 2008.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sisario, Ben (August 30, 1998). "ON THE MAP; In Hoboken, Out Goes the Microbrewery, Back Comes the Music". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/30/nyregion/on-the-map-in-hoboken-out-goes-the-microbrewery-back-comes-the-music.html?scp=7&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  2. ^ a b Todd Abramson is identified as an "owner of Maxwell's in Hoboken" in an article about the breakup of a Hoboken based band in: Woliver, Robbie (April 1, 2001). "A Hoboken Musical Force Is Breaking Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/nyregion/a-hoboken-musical-force-is-breaking-up.html?scp=11&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  3. ^ a b "Maxwell's in Hoboken — Let there be (minimal) light — Photo 1/6 — Metromix Jersey Shore". http://jerseyshore.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/photogallery/maxwells-in-hoboken/570212/content. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  4. ^ Fraser, Caroline (November 20, 1989). "Anniversary: Good to the Last Drop". The New Yorker: 44. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1989/11/20/1989_11_20_044_TNY_CARDS_000351084. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  5. ^ a b Schoemer, Karen (May 3, 1991). "Pop/Jazz; A Crisis for a Hoboken Institution". The New York Times: C 15. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/03/arts/pop-jazz-a-crisis-for-a-hoboken-institution.html?scp=5&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-06-30. "Maxwell's has nevertheless become one of the most famous spots on the small-club circuit in this country since it opened in 1978" 
  6. ^ Scott, Bruce (September 14, 2008). "Silver Jews: Show Review (Maxwell's, Hoboken)". http://www.prefixmag.com/features/silver-jews/maxwells-hoboken/21583/. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  7. ^ See the description of Melissa Holbrook Pierson's book The Place You Love is Gone: Progress Hits Home as reviewed in: Sharpe, Katherine (March 7, 2006). "Books". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-03-07/books/books. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  8. ^ Brunch continues to be sold at the reopened Maxwell's. See: "Maxwell's: Our Menu". http://www.maxwellsnj.com/menu.html. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  9. ^ The special appeared on channel 5 according to Pareles, Jon (October 18, 1985). "Movie Review - - 'Hoboken Sound,' A Rock Documentary". The New York Times. 
  10. ^ Pristin, Terry (September 10, 1996). "A Nightclub's Return". The New York Times. 
  11. ^ R.E.M. (band) appeared at Maxwell's on at least January 30, 1982; October 28, 1982; and November 27, 1982. See:"R.E.M. - Maxwell’s, Hoboken, New Jersey". http://www.remring.com/?q=node/7. Retrieved 2009-06-28. ,"R.E.M. at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ Setlist on October 28, 1982". http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1982/maxwells-hoboken-nj-7bd6f27c.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. , and "R.E.M. at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ Setlist on November 27, 1982". http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1982/maxwells-hoboken-nj-6bd6f276.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  12. ^ fIREHOSE appeared on April 19, 1991. See: "Internet Archive: Free Download: fIREHOSE Live at Maxwell's ? on 1991-04-19". http://www.archive.org/details/firehose1991-04-19.shnf. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  13. ^ Fugazi appeared on October 8, 1989. See: "Internet Archive: Free Download: Fugazi Live at Maxwell's on 1989-10-08". http://www.archive.org/details/fugazi1989-10-08.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  14. ^ Nirvana appeared at Maxwell's on at least July 13, 1989 and April 28, 1990. See: "Nirvana at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ Setlist on July 13, 1989". http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nirvana/1989/maxwells-hoboken-nj-4bd60336.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01.  and "Nirvana at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ Setlist on April 28, 1990". http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nirvana/1990/maxwells-hoboken-nj-13d67d61.html. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  15. ^ The Smashing Pumpkins appeared on February 8, 1991. See: "Internet Archive: Free Download: Smashing Pumpkins Live at Maxwell's Pub on 1991-02-08". http://www.archive.org/details/tsp1991-02-08.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  16. ^ Blue Öyster Cult appeared November 16, 2008. See: "BOC Fans Only Show at Maxwell's — Hobokeni.com - Hoboken, NJ". http://www.hobokeni.com/blogs/primitivesoundsystem/boc-fans-only-show-maxwells. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  17. ^ The Minutemen (band) appeared on October 27, 1985. See: "Internet Archive: Free Download: Minutemen Live at Maxwell's on 1985-10-27". http://www.archive.org/details/minutemen1985-10-27.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  18. ^ Robyn Hitchcock appeared on at least October 27, 1990; December 30, 1990; January 9, 2004; November 14, 2004; March 26, 2005; November 18, 2006; and November 19, 2006. See: "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 1990-10-27". http://www.archive.org/details/RobynHitchcock1990-10-27.cm-s20.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 1990-12-30". http://www.archive.org/details/RobynHitchcock1990-12-30.cm-s20.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 2004-01-09". http://www.archive.org/details/rhitchcock2004-01-09early-schoeps.shnf. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 2004-11-14". http://www.archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2004-11-14.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 2005-03-26". http://www.archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2005-03-26.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 2006-11-18". http://www.archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2006-11-18.sp-cmc-8.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. ; and "Internet Archive: Free Download: Robyn Hitchcock Live at Maxwell's on 2006-11-19". http://www.archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2006-11-19.at831b.flac16. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  19. ^ The Strokes appeared on May 28, 2001. See "The Strokes". http://www.thestrokes.com/. Retrieved 2009-07-02.  and "The Strokes at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ Setlist on May 28, 2001". http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-strokes/2001/maxwells-hoboken-nj-5bd60b10.html. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  20. ^ Robert Christgau compares The Bongos and the The dB's to The Individuals (active only from 1978 to 1983) at Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: The Individuals". http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Individuals. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  21. ^ "allmusic ((( The Feelies > Biography )))". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4243/biography. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  22. ^ The Dirtbombs appeared April 6, 2008; July 11, 2008; and October 15, 2008. See "the dirtbombs: tour North America/Australia 2008". http://www.thedirtbombs.net/tour_na.html. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  23. ^ Lemuria (band) appeared June 7, 2009 and on May 9, 2006 with Kind of Like Spitting. See "hearts and crap: past shows: 2009". http://www.lemuriapop.com/shows.html. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  24. ^ Crooked Fingers appeared on October 19, 2004. See "Crooked Fingers Live at Maxwell's 10/19/2004 mp3s". http://www.emusic.com/album/Crooked-Fingers-Crooked-Fingers-Live-at-Maxwell-s-10-19-2004-MP3-Download/10843944.html. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  25. ^ M., Tina. "Maxwell's Bar & Restaurant - Hoboken, NJ". yelp.com. http://www.yelp.com/biz/maxwells-bar-and-restaurant-hoboken. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  26. ^ "Glory Days Video". VH1 Classic. http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/975/106385/Bruce_Springsteen/Glory_Days/index.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  27. ^ "The New Yorker Digital Reader". The New Yorker. January 21, 1991. http://archives.newyorker.com/default.aspx?iid=15792&startpage=page0000011&xml=derek. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  28. ^ Doughten, Kevin (October 9, 2005). "MUSIC; Shed a Tear for CBGB, But Maxwell's Is Still Rocking Hard". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E2DB1E30F93AA35753C1A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=2&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-09-30. "But when the fanfare fades and the lights finally dim at CBGB, at 315 Bowery on the Lower East Side, the region's lovers of underground music will still have Maxwell's, a club so New York that it's in New Jersey." 
  29. ^ "07/13/89". http://www.livenirvana.com/pics/8907it/index.html. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  30. ^ Pareles, Jon (July 3, 2008). "A Low-Profile Band Reaches Its Next Stage After a Break of 17 Years". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/arts/music/03feel.html?scp=16&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-06-30. "“Endless possibility/Time is right for us to be,” Glenn Mercer sang when the Feelies performed at Maxwell’s on Tuesday night, at this New Jersey band’s first public show in 17 years. “Time — right — now — tonight.”" 
  31. ^ "The Feelies at Maxwell's (Hoboken) on 3 Jul 2009 – Last.fm". http://www.last.fm/event/1011905. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  32. ^ "Reigning Sound". http://www.grunnenrocks.nl/bands/r/reigningsound.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
  33. ^ "allmusic ((( Live at Maxwell's 2.08.01 > Overview )))". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r584668. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  34. ^ "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade is Dead!". http://www.mychemicalromance.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  35. ^ Ratliff, Ben (December 23, 2008). "Music Review: Hanukkah With Love and Noise". The New York Times: C5. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/arts/music/24teng.html?scp=3&sq=Maxwell's%20Hoboken&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  36. ^ Thompson, Elizabeth (December 13, 2008). "Calendar: HANUKKAH IN HOBOKEN Light the Menorah with Yo La Tengo". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-12-10/voice-choices/hanukkah-in-hoboken. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  37. ^ "Maxwell’s Bar & Restaurant - Hoboken 411 » Hoboken's Leading Web Community". October 19, 2008. http://hoboken411.com/archives/58. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 

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