Knitting Factory - History

History

The Knitting Factory was opened in 1987 by Michael Dorf and Bob Appel. The original location was in Manhattan on Houston Street, almost equidistant between CBGB and the Bottom Line. Initially, the venue was meant to be an art gallery with a performance space and cafe, as well as a home for experimental music. The club quickly emerged as a home for the sounds that did not neatly fit into the categories of jazz or rock. Artists including Sonic Youth, Sound of Urchin, Cassandra Wilson, Gil Scott Heron, Yo La Tengo, Carl Hancock Rux, Cecil Taylor, Cluster, and Bill Frisell played there. The musicians who would end up forming the band Soul Coughing first met at the Knitting Factory, where Mike Doughty, who would become the lead singer, worked as a doorman. Soul Coughing played many of their early shows there.

As demand grew for recordings of the live performances Dorf and Appel began to tape performances and distribute them to radio stations. Appel left the business in 1991 to work independently in production. Dorf moved the club to Tribeca in 1994, and continued to build the recording and festival businesses. Dorf opened a new club locations in Los Angeles in 2000 under the parent company of Knitting Factory Entertainment.

Jared Hoffman, the founder of Instinct Records, which was acquired by Knitting Factory Entertainment in 2002, took over as CEO of the company from Dorf in 2004. In 2006 he oversaw the acquisition of concert promoter Bravo Entertainment and, in 2008, under the guidance of VP of national operations, Morgan Margolis (with KFE since 2000) re-branded two of Bravo's clubs (one in Boise, Idaho, and another in Spokane, Washington) as Knitting Factory Concert Houses. Knitting Factory Presents now promotes much more mainstream tours throughout the US such as national shows with Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed /Korn tour in 2011. As well as Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, Lady Antebellum to name a few.

In 2007 The Knitting Factory and XMU (XM 43) forged an exclusive partnership for the XM channel to record and broadcast concerts from both Knitting Factory locations. Hoffman left the company at the end of 2008. Morgan Margolis, the main influence behind the current national footprint, took over as CEO in 2008. Since that time, Margolis has aggressively expanded the companies outreach. KFE is now one of the largest promoters in the US with tentacles expanding into venues, label (acquiring a partnership with indie powerhouse Partisan records) management, Broadway, branding, and new bars and restaurants.

In July 2008 the owners announced their move to close the Manhattan location and move to a much smaller space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But they changed their minds and reopened the Tribeca location, and continued putting on shows with bands including The Shells, the Cro-Mags, and New Model Army.

In July 2009 it was reported that the Los Angeles location was closing.

The last show in the Manhattan location however was on July 25, 2009, and was an event called Staff Infection in which staff took to the stage and said goodbye to its beloved club. The last band to play KFNY was 12,000 Trees featuring 3 Knit staffers. The new location was set to reopen in the new Brooklyn location in July 2009.

On September 9, 2009, The Knitting Factory relocated to the former space of the Luna Lounge — itself a Manhattan transplant — at 361 Metropolitan Avenue. This location, completely remodeled, is now in operation and has a capacity of about 300. Improving on the old Tribeca location, the venue now has a full-service and independent bar that is open nightly, and offers special events such as film screenings, comedy, and children's shows. The venue opened with a performance by Les Savy Fav, and has since hosted many nationally renowned acts, such as Glassjaw, Hawthorne Heights, Augustana, a reunited Citizens Arrest, The Radio Dept., Best Coast, Wavves, Wanda Jackson, This Will Destroy You, The Lemonheads, The Antlers, The Lawrence Arms, Foster the People, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Jealous Sound and Gene Ween, as well as various local artists.

On New Year's Eve 2009 The Knitting Factory opened its newest location in Reno, Nevada. The new location is located in the heart of downtown near the Reno Arch. The Reno venue has a capacity of 1265 and averages 18 to 25 concerts a month. It has a balcony that offers a birds eye view the stage. Some of the artists that have played this venue are Willie Nelson, Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Zombie, Skrillex, and Hank III. The Reno venue has been ranked by Pollstar as the 13th highest tickets sales for clubs in the U.S. and has become a catalyst for the Downtown Reno rejuvenation. This location features a smoke free environment and has a full kitchen.