What do a bunch of band dudes from the Midwest, who now live in Greenpoint, do when not making music together? Easy: they open a bar. Bobby Drake (The Hold Steady, w/o.), Frank Bevan (w/o.), Rob Pope (Spoon), Eric Odness (The Wanted, Primitive Weapons) named Lake Street after a major thoroughfare in Minneapolis, and they want it to be reminiscent of the bars they used to hang out at back home – “kind of old-man divey but cool bars, you know, where they could be sketchy, but not really,” Drake told Bedford + Bowery during a chat at the nearly finished space at 706 Manhattan Avenue, near Norman.
The bar – also owned by Stevie Howlett of East Village spots the Scratcher and Heathers – won’t have live shows, but music permeates it: there are overhead lights made from drums and one of the bathrooms is covered in legendary roadie Hiro Tanaka’s crude diaries of learning to speak English while on tour. (Vintage seventies black light posters will line the other bathroom.)
“We kind of just tried to build the bar we want to hang out in,” said Bevan.
To that end, there will be Midwestern beers (natch), hot dogs, brats, and five TVs. “It’s definitely not a sports bar,” said Bevan, “but we will curate [games] a little bit so that it represents where we’re from.”
The room contains design touches like church pews for seating and a bar top made from an old bowling lane, but Bevan knows he and his partners aren’t reinventing the wheel. “We’re musicians and we’re from the Midwest,” he said. “Are we that different [from other bars]? Slightly because of that, but not wholly. People have done all this shit before.”
Expect, maybe, for the wall sconces made from oxygen tanks that the guys sliced themselves. “That’s never been done before!” Drake laughed.
Five TVs…pass…oh god and he said “curate” games which means there will be sports and yada yada. Sports are huge in the Midwest so idk what he’s talking about. But hey maybe this will be the COOLEST sports bar in greenpoint-Brooklyn.
Oh and how ironic is it that Midwestern transplants will frequent this establishment, what was wrong with the authentic Midwestern bars in their hometown?
I thought this is why you LEFT Minneapolis to come To Brooklyn…
I now live in greenpoint and the two things I miss about Minneapolis are the Triple Rock and the CC Club….sooooo this is PERFECT.
Must there be tvs?
I am from Minnesota. I am not too cool for school. How dare you label all of us as such! You are acting just like the types you cast out!
I hope they show hockey games.
Those “Too Cool for School” types you speak of ARE from the Midwest (and other parts of the flyover).
This sounds great but can you please import all of the Midwestern guys into the bar as well? We’re kinda over-saturated with The Too Cool for School types that frequent these places.
Thanks,
Every Single Chick in Brooklyn
Dear Brooklynitis:
We’re waiting for you here in the midwest where we can afford the rent.
– Every Single Dude in Minneapolis