User:Stunpage/northsix

Northsix was a DIY music venue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. It opened in the spring of 2001 and was one of the first of a wave of music venues to open in Brooklyn. The space, located at 66 North 6th Street, was originally a mayonnaise factory and was leased by the venue's owner, Jeff Steinhauser, in 1999 with the purpose of establishing rehearsal spaces for musicians and eventually expanding to a live music venue. Soon after signing the lease, investors began to emerge and the process of establishing a live venue began. Upon overcoming a number of legal hurdles, the venue opened in 2001. Though there had been several DIY venues in the area over the years, Northsix was the first legal music venue to open in Williamsburg.

Northsix maintained an eclectic booking schedule and was host to countless notable music/comedy performances- among these were My Morning Jacket, Broken Social Scene, Sonic Youth, Ween, Dismemberment Plan, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, They Might Be Giants, Gogol Bordello, Wolf Parade, Of Montreal, Wolfmother, Versus, Spoon, Hot Snakes, Jonathan Richman, Robert Randolph, Queens of the Stone Age, Mars Volta, Deerhoof, Lightning Bolt, Animal Collective, Franz Ferdinand, The Rakes, Kaiser Chiefs, The Kooks, Polyphonic Spree, OK Go, The Fall, The Gossip, ESG, Hank Williams III, The Hold Steady (debut performance), Battles (debut performance), Larry Harlow, Lungfish, Sebadoh, MC5, Dillinger Escape Plan, Danielson Famile, Circulatory System, The Bravery, Blue Cheer, Joan Jett, Black Dice, Beirut, Black Sheep, Melvins, Mudhoney, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Todd Barry, Marc Maron, Rich Hall

Northsix was named BEST NEW ROCK CLUB in 2002 by THE VILLAGE VOICE, and BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE in 2002 by NY PRESS.

Northsix was the location for the opening scene of the 2003 Richard Linklater film SCHOOL OF ROCK.

Northsix hosted a 3 night run of critically acclaimed Elliot Smith shows in June of 2003, which would turn out to be his last New York performance before his death later that year.

Northsix was shut down by the FDNY (Fire Department of NY) on March 15, 2003 over a controversial booking of the band LEFTOVER CRACK. The FDNY has cited an expired permit as the reason for the vacate order, but it is widely believed among those in the NY music scene that the action was in retalliation for booking a band that had openly criticized the department. The venue was able to reopen after a month of negotiation with city officials.

Due to excessive gentrification and, subsequently a major rent increase, the venue was sold to New York-based concert promotion company, Bowery Presents, in the beginning of 2007. The venue was remodelled and renamed The Music Hall of Williamburg.