Tonic
A Lower East Side staple long before the Lower East Side became the gentrified mess that it now is, Tonic is the center for experimental and avant garde jazz music in New York City. It is a small and intimate venue that still charges relatively low prices for tickets to shows. Tonic usually showcases two different musical acts each evening. The music is curated by a rotating band of musicians so every night you will hear something a little bit different. Tonic always runs the risk of going out of business because of the nature of the experimental music that the club exhibits. Tonic accepts donations on its website in order to keep the music alive.
I stood in line for an hour once to hear John Zorn play music with Mike Patton. It was well worth it.
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