For the last five years fans of grunge, heavy metal and punk rock have converged on a small club called the Black Thorn in the North Central Bronx. We're sorry to say that owner Nickey Camp has decided to close the club, saying the loss of the club's profitability in the once thirsty neighborhood can no longer sustain his club. Norwood, a community that had once supported two-dozen bars thanks to the large Irish population, now has a handful of bars on the strip as the Irish community has migrated to Woodlawn and Yonkers.

     Black Thorn's final show was held unannounced on Friday, July 27. Bands at the final show included No Way Out, id, Daily's Gone Wild and Homicide High. Outside the club and speaking over the blaring music, Camp said, "It's been a great five years but now there's not enough interest to support Rock N' Roll seven nights a week. It's over." He added problems with the community as well as local police solidified his decision to close.

     Mike Forte of Yonkers, the lead singer of the band No Way Out, which was playing its fifth date at the club, said after his set, "It sucks, but what are you going to do. It was a real good run and we always have an awesome time playing here." He added that venues that play hard-core in the Bronx now total zero. With a ten-dollar cover charge split between the bands and the club, these guys are definitely not in it for the easy money.

     Carlos Aguilera, a bartender at the club stated, "I just came back three weeks ago but I was here when they opened. I'm gonna miss this place, I had a lot of fun but I'm not going to miss the drive and paying the tolls from Queens." Luckily, Carlos has two other jobs so he's not too worried but stated that one of the problems with the local club scene is that people don't want to travel for music unless it's an MTV favorite, whom they don't mind traveling into Manhattan and shelling out $40 to see.

     About 60 music fans turned out for the final show but most left early or stayed for a specific band. Meanwhile, Homicide High was ripping up the place with their high-octane guitar and pounding beat as Terminator 2 was playing on two televisions. Greg, Faygo, Ricky and Danny of Homicide High shared the spotlight during their final show at the Black Thorn by inviting two friends to sing some of their songs. After their set singer Faygo Joe told the audience, "Catch you all later, see you around."

     "It's my first time at the club but I've been following this band for about eight months," recalled Morris Park resident Melissa Masullo, who was there to see the Morris Park-based band "id." She continued, "I was so surprised to find a rock club in the Bronx. I've lived here for two years and I never knew about this place." She added that she usually travels to Manhattan to see bands like this. The group opened with the intro from The Gambler before they broke into their own music and the singer would fall to the floor and go into convulsions.

Continued on the next page

Return to BANDWIDTH's Main Page