INTRODUCING 'FOLLOW THE SOUND'
A new video series I just launched about "ghost" music sites
A couple of months ago I walked across Sunset Boulevard, from Hollywood to West Hollywood, taking photos of the sites of old record labels, recording studios, nightclubs etc. It was well received here on Substack, so I wondered if this would work as a series. I did did a similar walk in New York but never posted it, thinking maybe it would work better in a video format. So I came up with Follow the Sound. The places I’ll initially visit are spots I have some connection to from my days as a music journalist. Gentrification and changes in the music business have led to so many spots being closed, torn down, or completely altered. These short videos then also tell a story of real estate development as well as music. Manhattan, once the site of so many studios and nightspots, has so ghosts spots due to skyrocking rents. Eventually I’ll expand to other cities but Manhattan, particularly downtown, is rich in sites that fed a dynamic musical culture.
The three in this initially post are 24 Bond Street, 112 Greene Street, and the corner of 17th Street and Broadway. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel where these videos will live. Feel free to share any stories about these sites and suggest others.