Burning Down the House:The Story of CBGB

Mandy Stein presented the film Burning Down the House:The Story of CBGB at Tribeca Film Festival this year. Her mother, Linda Stein was the co-manager of The Ramones. The film follows the rise and fall of CBGB, a NYC performance venue for musicians from the 70s through it's closing in 2007. Before I left for the film, I asked my daughter if she had ever seen anyone perform there. She said she saw one of her friend's "crappy bands" play there. Interestingly, that was exactly the kind of band the venue catered to. Yes, many successful bands evolved out of CBGB, but it was intended to be a venue for all aspiring musicians. The documentary is still evolving, but even in it's present form it's pretty cool.