One of the most unique venues for live music in the area has to be The Winery at St George in Mohegan Lake. If you haven't been there, it is a former church converted into an upscale lounge and restaurant. Its also a great place to see Without a Net play, more on that below.
As for playing rock and roll in a former church, there's more than a little irony here.
This is for every one who has ever sat in a church pew and wondered, what's it all about? Why is Jesus on the cross? And what if I wanted to rebel against religion (within the bounds of morality of course) would I join a rock and roll band? And therein lies the irony - the band performs where the altar in the church was drawing up parallels between the priest serving up the Eucharist and the Disco Cowboy serving up his gospel of funk rock.
As for some history, I found the blog Hudson Valley Ruins which tells the story of the church. What is most interesting is that the church was commissioned by a woman named Aimee Heins in memory of her husband George Lewis Heins who died in 1907. The church was designed by architectural firm Hewitt & Bottomley and built from 1911-12 across the street from the house of Mrs Heins. And that helps to explain what is unusual about this place that I could not quite put my finger on up to now.
Most churches are placed in prominent locations near the center of village squares to meet the needs of a local population. This church is placed at a road side location and with no supporting buildings. And now I know why - it was not built so much to meet the needs of a local parish - but as an object of art at the request of Mrs Heins and as a memorial to her husband George.
Fast forward to the 1980's when the church was last used for religious services, it was then sold by the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish to raise funds for a new and larger location. The building sat idle for many years until it was sold to current owner Tom DeChiaro. After considerable effort to overcome the objections of local authorities and expense to convert the interior, the former church opened for business as The Winery at St George. And the results are spectacular.
As for places to see Without a Net, there is none better than the Winery. Most of the places the band plays are bars and restaurants where the acoustics and lighting are less than optimal for photography. The Winery - on the other hand - is a stunning visual location with excellent lighting and acoustics. It's a great place for the band to perform their craft and an unparalleled location to capture photos and video of the performance.
So join us on Saturday May 16th at 10 PM when Without a Net plays The Winery at St George.
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