Another Hit to the Brooklyn Music Scene: Death by Audio to Close in November
Dammit. Though it doesn’t come as a total shocker — impermanence being an inherent distinction of any DIY music venue — hearing that long-running Williamsburg sweat den Death by Audio will be closing its doors on November 22 is still a tough pill to swallow. More so if this has anything to do with millionbilliontrillion-dollar media empire VICE and its plans to move their N 11th offices into a 60,000 square-foot space on South 2nd and Kent Avenue, which, oh, hey, is part of the complex that DBA has spent its seven years of existence. (At this point, the correlation is speculative… perhaps just an eerily timed coincidence? Right? We hope? Yes? Music-trumpeting media companies aren’t that cruel?)
Seven years certainly isn’t anything to scoff at, even in the life cycle of proper music clubs, with DBA seeing more than 1,000 acts treading through per year, according to a statement released by primary operators Matt Conboy and Edan Wilber announcing the news. The effect pedals company that spawned the live-music space will relocate to a temporary home while looking for a permanent location.
Read an L Mag interview with Conboy and Wilber on the venue’s five-year-anniversary — their hair (see: above) and their hearts have been in this for the long haul — reminisce about a time South 2nd was sushi-less, and get excited for the 75-day goodbye party. Here’s to Ty Segall, an out-of-town DBA staple, as evident in his video for “Goodbye Bread.”
Follow Lauren Beck on Twitter @heylaurenbeck.