luxx

Luxx - the infamously described “Coney Island bumper car ring" club in Williamsburg - is going gay.

Perhaps chasing the recent cultural fascination with all things gay – perhaps just chasing the all mighty dollar - Luxx is re-christening itself as a gay disco. This decision was made rather quickly at the end of the summer; nearly two years after it first opened its doors.

As many people are quick to point out, Luxx has always been “in between.” Local indie rock had Wednesday nights, rock on Saturday evenings followed by DJs, Friday evenings were some sort of dance / gypsy raves, Sundays saw Terrorsex Cabaret, and for a while electroclash was the fashion as well. A happy medium seemed to have been struck between various forms of music and everyone seemed to get along.

The Makeover

But as this summer drew to a close, one of Luxx’s three owners decided he wanted to sell his shares and buyers for those shares appear to be a team of gay promoters, according to Eben Luxx, one of the original three owners and whom the club is named after. Though it has not been finalized as of September 18, “it will go through,” he said. The expected date of the change is the end of October.

Eben Luxx found out a change was being considered the last week of August; something he describes as a surprise. “It’s unfortunate. I love live music. I’m sorry to see this, but I’m ready to move on. Running a club was difficult. However, I’ll miss the variety of music and people there.”

The decision was definitely sudden, according to Todd Patrick, who was the club’s manager until August 27. “There was no notice. Nothing,” said Patrick. “I disagree with the change he [John McGillion, the third owner] is planning for Luxx. I wasn’t given a chance to turn the place around.” Indeed. Patrick was hired in June; he was “begged” to become manager by the owners.

Similarly, Matt McDonald – who had recently left the Knitting Factory as a booker – was wooed to Luxx in July as its booker. He pulled off some “amazing coups,” said Patrick. “Matt was booking bands that would usually play at Irving Plaza. He did a great job.”

But come the CMJ Festival at the end of October, McDonald will most likely be out of a job as well. Time was what McDonald needed to get attention and focus back on Luxx, according to Patrick, because the club’s past reputation as the mecca of electroclash had to be overcome. “Things were beginning to warm up,” said McDonald. “I always figured that by September I could have gotten something rolling because the summer is always a drag.”

The Before

The electroclash phenomenon – which the gay community seemed to identify with - might be the main reason for the proposed changes. At the height of its popularity, a weekly dance party called Berliniamsburg drew huge crowds and lots of money. However, electroclash was merely a fad and early this summer Berlianiamsburg was forced to close.

As McDonald and Patrick tried to turn the club around over the following two months, business was slow due to re-establishing Luxx’s rock identity, construction on the Williamsburg bridge, the usual summer slowdown, and the smoking ban. However, according to McDonald, the last weekend of August and the first two of September were pretty strong in terms of attendance.

That seems not to be enough. Patrick believes that McGillion remembered the money from the electroclash parties and saw the poor business over the summer as indicative that rock would not save the club.

And McGillion has a reputation for changing bars until they make money. Besides having interest in various bars throughout Manhattan, he is a partner in the Abbey and the infamous Metropolitan bar, which has had more facelifts than Joan Rivers.

And After

Aaron Lazar, lead singer of The Giraffes and doorman at Luxx, said the stereotype that gay men have tons of disposable income probably played in to the decision. However, he doesn’t think this change will succeed. “A gay party thrown earlier this summer with Manny Parrish didn’t draw a crowd. The gay community in Manhattan has plenty of places to go; why are they going to come to Brooklyn? And I don’t believe that gays in Brooklyn are into the uber-disco scene that Luxx is rumored to become.”

But he said, the trend seems to be catching on, as he heard a rumor that the Rock Star Bar is changing to a gay disco as well [as of this writing, this rumor has not been confirmed]. “The demographics in the neighborhood are changing, and higher income level people are moving in, but the going-out scene has changed. Williamsburg is no longer the place to be seen.”

One local promoter, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Turning Luxx into a gay disco is a bad idea … people in the dance scene are fickle - they need something new to keep them entertained all the time. Luxx will have to get a major face lift to no longer be associated with electroclash anymore - new name, decor, everything … On the flip side, school is back in session, and for the next month, you’ll see more kids in attendance at [rock] shows [at Luxx]. So just when Luxx has the potential to start making money again, it’s closing.”

Closing Credits

Jeff Wengrofsky, who runs Terrorsex Cabaret (“an intersection of music and vibe on a sassy, saucy night”), has been throwing his monthly parties at Luxx for 11 months now. Wengrofsky was surprised at the proposed change, but hopes he can continue on at Luxx.

“Luxx is great. It has a great energy and reminds me of the old clubs; it has a certain decadence and deviance I love. I have no problem staying on at Luxx; provided we can still have live music - and the flavor of the party is not changed to ‘specifically’ gay.”

He had not had a chance to talk with management before our interview. However, during our interview, a Manhattan club called with an offer to host Terrorsex Cabaret if need be. “I have not made a decision, but it’s nice to not worry whether Terrorsex will continue. It appears the vultures are already swarming.”