CBGB, the legendary club which was a stomping ground for the original New York City punk scene of the mid-1970s, is back in the spotlight with a feature film starring Alan Rickman, plans for a traveling festival, and possibly a new venue.
Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) will star in CBGB, a feature film about the NYC club due to start shooting late summer, directed by Randall Miller and written by Jody Savin. According to the BBC, Rickman will play the club’s owner Hilly Kristal in CBGB, which will tell the story of how he opened the venue in 1973.
CBGB closed its doors in October 2006 after 33 years, but it’s now going on the road to scores of small clubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn this July as part of a four-day festival named in its honor, according to The New York Times. The festival, which will sport film screenings, panels, and over 300 bands, will eventually culminate in a large Central Park Summerstage concert on July 7th and will showcase acts like post-post-post punks Rocket From the Tombs and 80’s hardcore group The Cro Mags, and other lesser known bands as well. The organizers modeled this new festival after Austin’s SXSW annual gathering.
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