Weekly jam at the baggot inn, nyc

[CrazyMandolin]

I just wanted to see if anyone on here frequents this jam. I am planning on going this week and I wanted to hear any impressions from the experienced. Is it crowded? deserted? elitist? Will a newcomer get shoved in the corner? Is is just a great time all around?

Please chime in if you have thoughts on this.

[MT_player]

I don't know what the jam scene is like at the Baggot Inn either. Just wondering if you made it down there. How was it? I'm fairly new to jam sessions so I'm a little reluctant to get in over my head

[Cary Fagan]

When I go to New York, about once a year, I go. Been 3 times and have had a good time. It can get very crowded, with people filling the stage and standing below. Almost exclusively songs, maybe one fiddle tune a night. A few people usually do the singing. I've never had the courage to go to the mike, but I do take breaks on the songs, letting 'Sheriff Bob' know with looks that I want one. I advise getting there on the early side in order to get some playing in before it gets really crowded. It also gives more of a chance to meet a few people. The first time I went people weren't super friendly but the second time, a year after the first, a couple of people remembered me and were more friendly. There are people at all levels. I recommend going.

And don't do what I do--think that the old time jam in the front of the pub is the bluegrass jam (which is on stage at the back).

[bradeinhorn]

go while you can! the baggot ends next month! the building was sold.

it's fun, but it's a VERY loud jam. more of a social hang, unless you stick around from 2-5am. then there can be some nice music. i'd say people are generally pretty friendly. occasional jerks, but that happens anywhere.

[Jonathan Peck]

go while you can! the baggot ends next month! the building was sold.

Geeez, I stop going for a few months and they shut the place down. Guess I'll have to head down tomorrow and see what's up. Stay tuned as this jam has survived several location changes over the last ten years. It's bound to turn up somewhere

[bradeinhorn]

go while you can! the baggot ends next month! the building was sold.

Geeez, I stop going for a few months and they shut the place down. Guess I'll have to head down tomorrow and see what's up. #Stay tuned as this jam has survived several location changes over the last ten years. It's bound to turn up somewhere

i think basically it's just been at the baggot and dempsey's. the sheriff and trip are working on a new spot in the area. i'm sure they will have something set, but the the official last baggot jam is may 14.

b

[Matt Hutchinson]

and I was going to head down there when I'm over in New York in June! Oh well, I'll have to find something else to do then!

[bradeinhorn]

and I was going to head down there when I'm over in New York in June! Oh well, I'll have to find something else to do then!

it will likely have found a new home by then. try one of us before you coming.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Thanks Brad, I will. Where's your store by the way?

[Cary Fagan]

Well, I'm sorry to hear it's closing. I hope when if a new place is found, someone will announce it here.

[Jason Kessler]

Just another example of the gentrification that is bleeding this City of it's color. The Baggott was one of the few places left downtown that still had a lively arts scene. The Starbucks that will probably move into the space will be a boon to tourists who crave something familiar, but will contribute nothing to the neighborhood.

I don't want to sound like an old f*rt, but I'm sure I do. I moved here when I was 18; I'm 47 now, and so have spent nigh on 30 years watching my hometown become "Disney presents Manhattan." No, I'm not against progress; I own a co-op and am happy to make a good living here. But, as those of us who live here have seen, as Manhattan becomes more gentrified/expensive, the arts scene has moved out into the boroughs. The demise of The Baggott is just another chapter in the demise of Manhattan, which is becoming, against any possible predictions, boring.

Sorry. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[Jonathan Peck]

I hardly think the closing of the Baggot represents the moving of the art scene to the suburbs. The Baggot is a dump. The acoustics are terrible, air conditioning non-existant, and the college crowd three drinks past loud and drunk. I for one welcome a venue change.

[bradeinhorn]

jonathan and jason - i'm kind of with both you guys.

the baggot is a pretty fun social hang, but i would definitely go and enjoy it more if it was in a quieter place with less crowd. it will be nice at the new venue for awhile i bet...

jason-you should check out brooklyn if you don't already. lots of interesting stuff going on. i'm not a big fan of manhattan either. lately, since starting a new job out here by Park Slope, i go into the city very rarely. I've rebranded manhattan as one of the outer boroughs. Only go in when totally necessary, like my niece's birth, or tim o'brien tonight at joe's pub.

b

[Tom C]

It was sad when the Lone Star Cafe closed...Then the Bottom Line...then Wetlands.

[Jonathan Peck]

For anyone who is interested, Michael Daves hosts a monthly jam on the first monday of each month at the Parkside Lounge on east Houston from 9:30 till midnight. Most of the regulars from the Baggot attend. It's great practice for playing around a single mike, and after midnight, everyone is welcome to stay and hang in the back lounge stage area till closing and jam.

The next jam is this coming Monday the 7th

[Jason Kessler]

Yeah, the Baggot IS a dump, but its loss means one less venue for bluegrass, and I maintain that its loss is entirely representative of Manhattan's waning vibrancy.

CBGB's was a dump too (though that place ceased to be relevant over two decades ago).

I look forward to Sherriff Bob's new venue (even if I was never a huge fan of the clamour), but I fear it'll not be in Manhattan. You're right, Brad; I should be checking out the boroughs more.

It's just disheartening to watch the exodus of the arts from their ancestral stomping grounds...

[CrazyMandolin]

Well I did end up going and Cary's post above is very accurate. I did enjoy myself but it was a little overwhelming. I stayed on stage for about 45 minutes and then decided to bail as it was super crowded and I wanted to catch the earlier of two trains back to NJ. There were some very talented people there; I felt like my mando playing wasn't holding up well in comparison that night I got thrown one break the first song I was up there for (in F of all keys) but none after as the various songleaders seemed to give the nod to the people they knew. I was disappointed that they didn't play any fiddle tunes but I felt pretty good that I either knew the songs they were playing already or I was able to catch on pretty quick. As it was, I got to work on my endurance for awhile trying to chop and be heard among close to 20 people in a crowded bar. The bass player turned and gave me a "look" at one point; at least he could hear me. I don't know if I'll make it back because Wednesdays are a generally bad night for me to head into the city. I will probably be moving to Brooklyn at the end of the summer though and I've heard there's a pretty good scene there. Thoughts?

[JeffD]

lately, since starting a new job out here by Park Slope, i go into the city very rarely.

Are there some jams in Park Slope and environs. BG, OT, what ever.

[mandomurph]

Any new venue for the BG jam at the
Baggot Inn yet? I'm in NY for a week and am looking for a place to play.