Asterisk

OK. This place was pulling off underground music/​art shows long before all of the Todd P. loft shows, back when your only options for live music in NYC were whatever bands the Knitting Factory/​Mercury Lounge folk deemed profitable. And if seeing a band in a hot, smoke-​filled venue is annoying to you, then you are seriously out of touch and need to stay home and bake cookies with your mom. Enjoy.
That said, Asterisk hosts 2 stages of brilliant live music (most with no intention of monetary gain), and art shows, a beautiful back yard, donations, donations, donations… that’s how it works in the DIY world. Expect greatness.

Another loft venue in Bushwick! They must repaint this place after every show, because otherwise I have no way to explain how the walls can be so white after being so filled with smoke several times a month. Seriously this place is the steamiest, smokiest venue in Brooklyn, easily.
In the summer they open up the really pretty back yard, which is great. In the winter though this place can get downright unbearable, and I’ve had to bail out early a couple times because I thought my lungs might collapse.
But with three performance areas, featuring both local and out of town bands with a focus on noise, experimental and punk rock, it’s usually worth the suffering, at least for a little while. And, as per usual for these places, beer is cheap or you can BYO.