CBGB

Hilly Kristal opened this venue in nineteen seventy three with the intention of hosting country, bluegrass, and blues music. The name of the club functioned as an acronym for those three genres. Despite the name, the stage became a primary incubator for the punk rock movement. Performers like the Ramones and Blondie defined the sound of the venue by playing original music instead of covers. The interior became famous for its layer of decades worth of stickers, posters, and graffiti that covered nearly every square inch of the walls and bathroom stalls.