A friend of mine told me about Pianos and how diverse are the bands playing there. Punk Rock, Alternative Rock, New Wave… but also a Dj playing Pop/Dance musics! You’ll love it!
Pianos is the perfect combination of bar food and live music in the trendy Lower East Side nabe.
Pianos is a Bar/Club that features live music, Djs and also offers a variety of cocktails and tasty standard bar food. It’s spread in 2 floors, with a back room on the main floor and an upstairs lounge. From the outside you don’t realize how awesome the place is.
As soon as you step inside you feel like you’re in a basement, because of the brick walls and wooden ceiling beams. Come on, that’s pretty cool. It’s so NYC! And, you’ll find a pretty trendy, modern crowd there.
Now, let talk about the name. Is it a piano bar? Does it actually have a piano? The answer is: nope. Pianos used to be a store that sold pianos, and the new owners decided to keep the name and the old sign: New & Used, Bought & Sold. No doubts it keeps the place more mysterious and interesting.
A friend of mine told me about the venue and how diverse the bands that play there were. Punk Rock, Alternative Rock, New Wave… but also a Dj playing Pop/Dance musics.
Well, I love New Wave! So, I checked out their website and chose the date that suited me best. I chose a day that a Punk Rock/New Wave band would be performing and invited a group of friends. We were all excited for the upcoming adventure!
The day to visit Pianos finally arrived. Hooray!
We arrived at Pianos in time to have some food. The staff was great. The bar menu was nice, with options of salads, burgers, fries… and we ordered different appetizers so we would share everything among ourselves. We were able to taste several dishes and everything was delicious.
What can I say about those mozzarella sticks? They were damn good! I don’t drink alcohol, but my friends ordered some beautiful cocktails. According to them, they were really good too. We had a great time eating and chatting, but we were ready for more. We bought tickets for the main room, in the back of the bar.
There was a stage in the room, and I was thrilled! The room was not too big and not too small. It had enough space to bring everybody together to enjoy the good vibes. We danced and laughed for hours. The band was amazing! It was like a journey into the 70’, 80’ and 90’s.
For a couple of hours I felt like I was an old school New Yorker. The one I grew up watching in movies. Ahhh, music is ageless, isn’t it?
Time to check out the second floor. The upstairs lounge was free!
The DJ was spinning eclectic dance music. We hit the dance floor one more time. If I could describe the experience in one word, I would repeat it 3 times: Fun, fun, fun! What a night!
If you are not into Punk Rock like I am, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect rhythm for you. You can always check their website and see the calendar of upcoming shows and DJs. Tickets are affordable and the bands are truly talented. Most of them of national expression.
I just caught myself humming a song by Billy Idol I had the pleasure to listen to that night:
“…Dancing with myself, oh oh dancing with myself…”.
So why don’t you go there and dance with yourself as well, and with a group of friends? Make sure to arrive early, otherwise you might have to wait outside, in a long line.
Don’t forget your ID and go hit the dance floor. Don’t forget to share your photos with us, we’d love to see them!
If you enjoy these types of spots, you’ll also love Rockwood Music Hall that is just a few blocks from Pianos, as well as Brooklyn Steel for bigger shows and last, Sofar Sounds, if you’re into private music gigs in secret spots around town!
Hours: Open daily 2pm – 4am
Location: 158 Ludlow Street
Text by our Contributor: Rafaela Azevedo
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Pianos NYC
*Last Update on March/2020.*
