Marking a rock-n-roll milestone, live music venue Brooklyn Bowl is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2024.
When co-founders Charles Ryan and Peter Shapiro, with financing from Alex and Arthur Cornfeld of ABC Properties, opened the doors in the summer of 2009, Williamsburg had shed its past as a rough-around-the-edges artist haven and had morphed into a hipster hangout. The pair's previous experience running the live music venue Wetlands in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood gave them a framework of what they wanted for Brooklyn Bowl.
Shapiro said the stage at Wetlands didn’t have good sight lines, so the owners worked hard on the vibe and atmosphere to ensure everyone enjoyed the show. At Brooklyn Bowl, Shapiro was insistent on everyone seeing the show by installing 14 large LED screens above the 16 bowling lanes.
“The Brooklyn Bowl idea pushed what a live music venue could be,” said Shapiro, a native New Yorker whose first live concert was Madonna at Madison Square Garden in 1984.
Shapiro sees Brooklyn Bowl as an updated and upgraded version of Wetlands, but said some of the concept was inspired by the Rock 'n' Bowl in New Orleans, which also has multiple bowling lanes and a stage for musicians to play. He also owns the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., which opened in 2012.
Located in the former Hecla Iron Works Building at 61 Wythe Ave., the 23,000-square-foot venue is the world's first L.E.E.D. certified bowling alley. It features 100% wind-powered electricity, LED stage lights– which use 90% less energy than typical stage lights– with recycled materials used for the stage, both bars and the bowler's lounge floor.
Brooklyn Bowl has carved out a unique identity by blending live music, bowling, and a food menu curated by upscale restaurant Blue Ribbon, famous for its fried chicken and sushi, into a combined experience.
Over the years, the venue has been used for funerals, memorials, weddings, retreats and meetings.
"We try to use the space as a communal home," Shapiro said, mentioning the venue hosting National Record Store Day, a day of vinyl record digging, exclusive releases, DJs and live music alongside Dogfish Head beers.
"One of my favorite places in all of NYC to hang out hands down is Brooklyn Bowl. The music, the bowling, the vibes, the sweet peeps who work and, of course, the beer list," said Sam Calagione, brewer and founder of Dogfish.
In addition, the venue is known for its outstanding acoustics, with special help from the bowling pins.
“We have special technology on the bowling pins to make them quieter," Shapiro said.
Not that the clank of a falling pin can drown out the sound of world-renowned bands who have played there like The Roots, Elvis Costello and Robert Plant.
DJ Questlove’s Bowl Train party has also been a programming staple. The drummer, record producer, DJ, filmmaker, music journalist and actor has been presenting his signature event since 2009, featuring soul, Hip-Hop and rare grooves to the backdrop of classic Soul Train videos playing on giant screens.
Shapiro said some of the musical highlights of the last decade include a surprise set from Guns N' Roses in 2013 and Toots and the Maytals in September 2009. The latter show was the first ticketed event after the venue opened its doors in July 2009.
The Brooklyn Bowl team has been putting on a slate of live performances all year to mark the 15-year anniversary, including from Lettuce, Grace Potter, Chad Smith, (drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Chris Robinson (Black Crows lead singer).
Prepared to be bowled over as the celebration continues through the end of the year, including upcoming shows by Stetsasonic on Oct. 5, Cool Cool Cool and Funk You on Oct. 17 and Louis Cato Presents: Nothin' But The Funk on Dec. 14.
