Bushwick’s music and arts scene is set to expand this fall, with a new venue putting New York City artists in the spotlight.
Elsewhere, a new multiroom live performance space, is slated to open in November at the site of an old warehouse. The former owners of Williamsburg’s Glasslands “partyhaus,” Jake Rosenthal and Rami Haykal, have teamed up with longtime friend Dhruv Chopra to give the Brooklyn scene another shot after their breakout venue closed in December 2014.
“We came to Bushwick for the same reason a lot of our friends were, which was that it’s cheaper,” Rosenthal says. “A lot of affordable loft space in Williamsburg has totally dried up and is almost impossible to find.”
The joint’s main attraction the Zone One, one of two performance spaces, will feature shows headlined by local bands seven nights a week.
“We’re really going all across the map. We’ve got everything from rock to pop to rap to techno parties and house parties planned,” Rosenthal explains. “We’re really focused on music that’s sort of changing the game and is visionary in some way, no matter the genre.”
Parquet Courts, No Age, Palm, Humans and TOMI, among others, are already on Elsewhere’s opening month bill.
To keep the creative juices flowing, Elsewhere plans to launch a local art program that’ll financially support musicians and artists in the area. A portion of all ticket sales will go toward the Landscape program, which will showcase art installations in the space’s outdoor courtyard gallery, The Skybridge, an idea that originated with the since-shuttered Glasslands.
“One of the things that I think made [Glasslands] so special, was that it involved both the art and the music community. We knew we wanted to bring that spirit into the new space,” Rosenthal says. “We’re trying to take an art program that was friends- and family-driven at Glasslands and make it an even bigger platform where visual art is seasonally rotated in a commission-based program that really tries to find emerging and mid-career visual artists to help beautify the space.”
Similarly to The Public House, a popular art space in the nabe, a second-floor cafe/bar at Elsewhere called The Loft will serve up small bites and coffee daily. It’ll be open afternoons ahead of performances for happy hour cocktails and mix up drinks for partyers throughout the evening.
There’s even a little something on the docket for outdoor movie fans. You won’t have to head to Brooklyn Bridge Park to curl up under the stars next spring. The hall also plans to host screenings on its rooftop bar, set to open in 2018.
Elsewhere will be located at 599 Johnson Ave. Elsewhere will be located at 599 Johnson Ave. An event schedule and ticket information is available at elsewherebrooklyn.com.
