Located on Cortelyou Road in leafy Ditmas Park, Bar Chord has become one of the best places to see and perform live music in Brooklyn. With colorful band posters adorning the windows, proprietors Jonny and Christy Sheehan have created a space that is open to all and hosts live music every night of the week.
The Sheehans live by their motto “Music Is Love.” It’s something you can feel the moment you walk through the door. A small stage with guitars for sale hanging on the wall is located immediately to the left while a long bar with craft beer on tap and a wide variety of spirits extends towards the back. To the right tables adjoin a colorful mural painted by a local Nigerian artist Laolu Senbanjo, known for doing Beyoncé’s body paint in the “Lemonade” videos. Photos of the bands who have performed here hang above.
Head towards the darker depths, and you’ll find a well-stocked jukebox with a wide variety of music from all over the globe. The back door opens to a lovely garden with tables where patrons can eat, drink, and smoke under a colorful mosaic featuring images of musicians, regular customers, and local personalities.
Meet the Sheehans
So how did the Sheehans end up here? Music has always loomed large in both of their lives. Christy recalls growing up on great vinyl records by Leon Russell and Tom Waits and cites their travels as having opened their minds even further to world music. She states: “Music is like breathing to us. It’s just part of who we are.”
Jonny plays guitar, mandolin, and has been known to join bands onstage on his Cajun rub board. He was a member of the Michael Parrish Band and has jammed with big names like Ivan Neville. Jonny’s brother Bobby played bass with Blues Traveler for many years. He cites all of these experiences as “hugely formative.”
Prior to running Bar Chord, both worked in the music business, Christy writing for TV, Jonny running sound and performing. They met through the East Village music scene, fell in love, got married, moved to Ditmas Park and began their own video production company, all while continuing to harbor the dream of opening a bar.
When a Mexican bakery on Cortelyou Road became available, “We decided to take the leap,” states Christy. It seemed like the ideal music room. Jonny remembers: “It was an energy that you could just feel; that it would be right for a live music room. When we found this space, it was pretty much a disaster, but we had a great team, and we were able to unearth the bones, including an original 1927 tile floor and a huge outdoor garden. Then we did acoustic treatment of the space.”
The Sheehans had a vision of how to design the layout. “One thing we do differently is have the music in the same room as the bar. Otherwise, you don’t get that surprise turn on if the band is in a different room. A lot of people discover music that they otherwise wouldn’t have. That was all based on the bars we loved,” explains Jonny. “Like the Maple Leaf in New Orleans,” adds Christy.
Shortly after opening, the word got out and soon musicians were beating down the door with local Haitian legend Alegba Jahyile being the first to knock. Jonny explains: “He was just dying to get on stage. Alegba hosts an incredible monthly revue with reggae, traditional drumming, horns, keyboards, all mixed into a great gumbo. They do these really cool Haitian full moon celebrations in the backyard. He’s one of our favorite bands. He really is a unifying figure and a great life force.”
‘Music Is Love’
The Sheehan philosophy “Music Is Love” is also palpable in how they treat their musicians, which is to say with respect and by paying them decently, something increasingly rare in New York. When asked why more venues don’t do it this way, Christy laughs: “Because it’s not financially advisable. Our accountant thinks we’re insane. But Jonny and I have had many heart to heart talks about it, and we’re willing to give up a certain amount of income in order to support art. I believe New York has to be a place where working artists can live. I watched the drain of artists move to Austin or Nashville all those places. I grew up in New York where there was music everywhere. I miss that and love that.” About not charging a cover she adds: “Cover charges are a barrier and paying bands is something I believe in my heart because the musicians are working. I wish we could pay more because I think everyone deserves a lot more, but we give what we can.”
Their generosity of spirit is clearly what keeps bringing people back. Jonny states: “What we’re about is creating the environment, letting the band work the room, and build their scene. They have the whole night. They can do three sets or arrange it however they want it. I think that creates a much more conducive environment both for the musicians and the people in the bar.”
Of course, running a bar is not without its challenges.” It’s a hard business. It’s exhausting as you get older, you’re putting our little business fires constantly. But music creates community. For me personally, the live music experience is one of release and connection. It’s something that’s desperately needed,” explains Christy.
Best Bar None
When asked about some of the best moments over the years, Christy recalls Scott Sharrard , the guitarist and musical director for recently deceased Gregg Allman. “Scott had a gig here the night that Prince died. The bar was packed. A lot of people didn’t know who he was, and he just played the shit out of the night. People were just in tears. His version of “Purple Rain” is one of the best renditions ever.”
Jonny remembers muralist Laolu Senbanjo playing with his Nigerian band while simultaneously holding an art show with “various musicians playing among massive canvases all over the bar. It was like you were in The Shrine, a famous nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria. It was awesome.”
The popularity and diversity of the scene also has the benefit of creating cross pollination. Christy explains, “The bands we have recommend other bands like Escarioka (a tropical punk band) who recommended ¿Dónde Estamos? a reggae, ska, Latin band from Newark, New Jersey.”
Their appreciation for musical diversity translates to their politics as well. Signs exclaiming “RESIST” and “Refugees Are Welcome” hold a permanent place amongst the ever-changing band names in the window. Jonny expounds: “It’s certainly important in this community where there are so many immigrants, just to show solidarity. It goes such a long way.” Christy adds: “It’s hard to mix politics with public spaces, even though public spaces are the definition of where politics in its true sense, conversation, should be taking place. But you don’t want to really turn people off too much.”
The Sheehans have held fundraisers at the bar for city councilman Jumaane Williams and envision creating a Bar Chord foundation to benefit immigrant families. In terms of the importance of this kind of activism in the current political climate, Jonny adds: “Those beliefs are things that we stand up for. If you have someone who’s poison, you want to be the antidote.” When asked if music has the power to be that antidote Christy firmly states, “100 percent yes. We’ll always continue to do it. There really is nothing like it. Just when people are feeling really down, it is soul lifting and makes you feel better.”
Bar Chord is a unique place that resounds with positive vibrations. Its seemingly casual atmosphere has been carefully crafted by the worldly Sheehans who are passionate about music and giving artists a place to thrive. With “Music Is Love” as their motto and business model, the Sheehans are intent upon creating community. In a city where great music venues are increasingly disappearing, it’s a rare and beautiful thing. Almost like a well-kept secret. Come feel it for yourself!
Bar Chord is open from 4 pm-2 am and is located at 1008 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11210. Check them out online at www.barchordnyc.com
Mike Cobb is a Brooklyn based musician, writer, and multimedia producer. Check him out online at www.mc-obb.com
