I've been living in Ridgewood since the '80s with a brief stint in Middle Village. They recently had an article that said Ridgewood was the 4th "hippest" city in the WORLD. I was like, yeah, right! If you like obnoxious hipsters, lots of shuttered storefronts, and dirty streets/sidewalks. Coming to TV Eye for the first time the weekend that just went by has me now thinking, "Hmmm...Ridgewood, quite possibly, really IS cool!" I'm basing that opinion solely on TV Eye!!!
Came here to see Jon Spencer and the HITmakers on Saturday. It's so nice to only have to walk 5 minutes from your home to see a show. It's glorious! It's very unassuming on the outside. Without the neon sign lit up at night, you wouldn't even know what this place was. It's on a block with residential houses, a laundromat, and a gym.
There's no security checking you before coming in. Thought that was odd for a venue. As soon as you walk in you have the main bar area. Very punk and sleek if that combination makes any sense. There's a decent amount of seating at the bar and leather booths/chairs along the wall. They even have a telephone booth with a rotary dial phone. So stinking cute! Real-lit candles at every table. The coat check is to the right of the bar. The bathrooms were spotless. It's one big unisex bathroom with about 8 or so stalls. Right before you enter the ballroom for any shows, there's another little bar area with more seats. To the left of the ballroom is where they have the band's merch and where they sell food. Also, some tables to eat there as well. I didn't have any food, but what they had there looked good. Lots of vegan options. To the left of that is the outdoor area where they have brunch when it's nice out. A good-sized area with lots of picnic tables.
Now, the ballroom is pretty small. Probably only holds a couple of hundred people. The soundproofing is amazing at this place! So much so that we were at the bar drinking while the DJ was spinning and the 2 opening bands were playing and we didn't even know! Glad we didn't miss who we went there to see. As soon as you enter the ballroom, you have the sound booth to your left and a tiny bar to the right which is extremely convenient. It was very packed but we wormed our way up to the front. A good size stage with red, velvet curtains. The sound is great. I have ZERO complaints about this place. I had a blast. It's not the kind of place that will showcase bigger bands but it's great for indie/smaller bands. The drinks were cheap and STRONG!
As we walked outside, I felt like I was transported to a different world. Back to reality on a COLD, windy night. TV Eye is the best. It makes living here all worth it. Especially when I just had to walk a few blocks to get home. read more