Galapagos Tonite?



There was a time in my life when Galapagos Art Space was my favorite bar in the world. I was a junior or senior in college and I only normally came back to the city on breaks...I used to go out there to see a friend of a friends band called The Others that were really really good. They had good beer at fair prices and it was an incredibly cool looking space. The kind of place I could take friends from out of town to show them a hip spot.

Anyway...one weekend...It must've been the middle of last summer...I wanted to take some kids who were in the city for the weekend out to Williamsburg for a change of pace...we walked around for a while poking our heads into various bars...finally, after no luck finding something they felt comfortable at, I took them down to Galapagos...figuring it would be a chill place to settle down in...

The first sign of there being a problem was that the pool was drained...and this wooden pit just sat there with a sign saying something obvious along the lines of "pool drained"...So the bar automatically lost that *whoh* factor. My friends were not impressed...as we walk in, we realize there's something going on on the stage in the back of the bar. And of course...there stands some skinny guy talking in a sultry voice rubbing his nipples and staring blankly out into the crowd...It was a gay burlesque show.

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm embarrassed by these friends...but there's no hiding the fact they are of the fratty, closed minded persuasion...and they got out of that place before I even realized what was going on. I was embarrassed...partly becuase they made quite the scene leaving, and partly cause I had taken them all the way out to Brooklyn to end up at a gay burlesque show. We got back on the L and headed back to the city...a good hour out of the night we never would get back.

That was the last time I ever went to Galapagos. Not cause I'm ashamed or embarassed of the place...I just havn't made it back...The band I used to go see wasn't playing there anymore, and its just no longer part of my scene. Every once in a while, when I'm with my idiot friends from college, they'll laugh about that "gay bar Jeff took us to once," but besides that, I hadn't thought much about the old spot till yesterday.

I read on Gothamist A&E an interview with an interesting sounding band, Soma, playing a set there tonight...and I really thought I was gonna head out and check them out...But I heard some of the songs off their website, and while they sound good, it wasn't enough motivation for me to round up a posse and trek out there...besides...if I was gonna go to billysburg tonight, It would prolly be to Northsix to see Sons and Daughters.

So why the fuck am I telling this story? Cause there are literally zero attorneys who work on my cases in the office today, and I am completely bored out of my mind. If you're reading this, and you run a blog, could you please for the love of god put something up for me to read?? Anyway...Hearing about a band that was playing there tonight made me remember the good times at this bar, and how I'd like to get back there sooner or later...But not tonight. At least I don’t think...

Here's some shit from Soma off their site...If you like it, go check um out.

Soma - The Latter Day

Soma - No Distractions