Trashy chic … or just plain trashy?
There’s this MySpace page for this bar in Tribeca that hasn’t been updated since April 2008. It is filled with photos of scantily clad bartenders behind (and on) a weathered old bar. So the initial appeal of Uncle Mike’s (57 Murray St, NYC) was obvious, but when does trash chic become just plain trashy?
I don’t want to be mean, but let’s just say that some things are best left in photos or bedrooms. The preconceived appeal of thongs and fishnets on the braless really didn’t live up to the hype of the outdated MySpace page. Besides, no amount of sex could make up for the weak drinks that were, for their small size, overpriced.
Oh I get it. Sex sells and there were plenty of guys clambering for the attention of the girls while drooling in their beers and tossing money on the bar. After all, guys are guys, skin is skin, beer goggles are beer goggles and lord knows buying a lot of drinks will get you laid. Wait … it won’t? Damn!
Well then, why am I here? It’s my good friend Holly’s birthday. A bunch of us came here to kick off the celebrations because our friend Courtney’s band M.Theory was performing an early set. They’re a fun, party band who deserve much better sound than this place is able to provide.
There’s this unfortunate practice in many live venues where sound mixing equals mindlessly turning up the volume. If the guitar feeds back, turn up the bass. If the vocals are lost to the keyboard, turn up the mics. This continues until there is a buzzing wall of headache inducing racket pounding on the ears.
Luckily, the charisma and energy of the band kept the crowd pumped and sweating in the hot room. As for me, I retired to the bar to bob my head and avoid further volume damage to my ears. Afterward, I was ridiculed for being old.
I denied nothing. I am old.
Loud, bad sound. Tiny, weak drinks. Hot. Trashy. Thankfully this would just be a jumping off point for the night. I really wanted to like Uncle Mike’s. Not just for the ‘Nieces’ (what they call their bartenders), but for it’s facade of an aged watering hole. Plus, the place is pretty big.
Uncle Mike’s has only been open since November 2007. If drink size and potency is boosted, the trashiness could appeal more. If the sound is improved to match the room size, the place could be a contender in the NYC live music scene.
