Common Threads by The Raving Knaves

Venue Review: New York Pizza comes alive.
—Dave the Knave (Photos by Richard Krol)

New York Pizza deserves a lot of credit for contributing to making Greensboro “the loudest city in North Carolina.”

The little pizzeria on Tate Street has had bands in the past. One of my former groups, Sin Tax, played a show there with the Malamondos in the early 2000s. But there was no money or even a drink deal, back then, at New York Pizza.

Manager Rosie Fernandez has made it one of the best local venues for bands in Greensboro.  New York Pizza has a strong social media presence and photographer Richard Krol has been contracted to diligently photograph and post shots from every performance. Free photography for musicians is almost as good as free beer. Best of all, Fernandez posts door personnel at both entrances who exact $3 from every patron. Then, at the end of the night, each band gets an envelope of lucre. Bar prices are LOW. I bought a round for an employee and her boyfriend and it was $5.00, plus tip! (Maybe I got a discount?!)

Sure, you have to bring your own PA, but I caught the Leeves’ show on May 12 and was blown away by how good their piecemeal rig sounded. The acoustics are good and the intimacy of the space is ideal for engaging the audience.

The patio allows for a spillover crowd and a place for smokers where the band still sounds like a good stereo at a modest volume. As a performer, I feel compelled to turn around and give a show to the outsiders during our sets.