from the NY POST: (but I have heard it from the real sources as well, so it is legit)

February 2, 2006 -- THE once-vibrant East Village rock scene faces another demoralizing loss. The Continental, the punk rock dive on St. Marks Place that has showcased the likes of Iggy Pop, Guns N' Roses, the Ramones and Patti Smith over the years, will no longer offer live music. Continental owner Trigger tells PAGE SIX that he plans to close the club in late spring, then re-open it as a "neighborhood bar with a great jukebox, a pool table and cheap drinks. My rents and overhead go up every year. It's become un-doable to have a punk rock club in this neighborhood these days - the crowd isn't there to support it." Trigger said his friend Jesse Malin, who owns Niagara bar on Avenue B, will re-unite his band D Generation to play a send-off show at Continental. "It's breaking my heart to do this," Trigger said. "I'm a musician, too. I held on as long as I could. Once we re-open and the place is full of bridge-and-tunnelers and college kids, sure, I'm gonna have an easier time paying the rent - but it's going to be work, as opposed to a passion." Meanwhile, Bowery bastion CBGB - which launched the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads - is expected to leave by October.

i thought this was going to be about the public schools eliminating whole milk from their cafeterias. just 1% and skim from now on.

but this is sad too.

Quick! Everyone to Seattle!

Not a bad consolation prize. Wish I had access to a neighborhood bar with a great jukebox, a pool table and cheap drinks.

when was the last time anyone went to a GREAT show at the continental...or CBGBs.

yeah, it sucks that cool clubs are closing, but its not like the bands they were booking were anything special...90% of the bands playing there needed a hell of a lot more time to rehearse.

Ive seen plenty of great shows at the Continental...sure most bands are crap and shouldnt be playing out, but there is still plenty of good stuff circulating thru the city.

CB's, I can agree with. it's a dive. sound sucks. sight lines suck. its too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter...and there is a 60% chance of getting an STD going near the bathrooms. The place is only good basded on its name alone...... CB's Gallery on the other hand is pretty decent...

Saw The Wedding Present at CB's in '90 or so. Mindblowing.

Saw The Fleshtones at CB's in '97 or so. Mindblowing.

I've seen a bunch of other shows that were only so-so at CB's. All depends on the artist. A kick-ass band can be splendid in *any* venue.

Coney Island High was no great shakes, but the Ramones were always fun there, and at the old Ritz (now Webster Hall), or at CB's, City Gardens, or whereever else you caught them.

That neighborhood died when K-Mart opened a store on Astor Place.

Wouldn't you say that Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place lost their gritty appeal years ago, and that Continental is just a reminder of what used to be?

of course it has changed.. NYC real estate is way too much of a money maker to leave it all cultural and stuff... I live right behind the K-Mart, and that store sucks....i dont recall what was there before it though..do you? I wish Target would buy em out if anything....

St. marks isnt what it was, but few laces are...I use to love Coney Island High as well....Now it's apartments and a store to be named later.

what can ya do!

brownies is gone. wetlands is gone. continental is gone. isnt elbow room gone? ....theres little left...

if you move can i have your apartment?

K-Mart has been on that corner for so long that no, I do not remember what it was like before it arrived.

Brownies was fantastic when it was around; I caught Champale and Mary Lou Lord there a couple of times. But it's Hi-Fi now, and it's hard to find a spot with an MP3 jukebox loaded with thousands of songs. Beyond that, there's not much charm left to Alphabet City, either.

What is left, though, is Tonic. That is one sweet-ass place, and is highly recommended.

and with the exception of the one day I saw you on the train platform, you never wave from your window!

that's because they keep me chained in the bathroom.

Did you ever have lunch in the "K-Mart Cafe"?

ha, no! such a thing exists? does kathy lee gifford serve macaroni and cheese?

The Scratcher's still there.

Sadly, not anymore. I used to enjoy french fries and microwave pizza with an old girlfriend there. But that was a long time ago, when the neighborhood was simpler and punks used to roam the streets with metal pipes and had the words "Tootie" tattooed on their biceps. Those were truly heady times, that, unfortunately, our children and grandchildren will not have the pleasure of experiencing.

It's all over
when you see a Range Rover
Down on Avenue A

the kamrt cafe was on the second floor, where the DVD and CD's are currently....i remember it well....best shitty pretzels ever!

Brownies is now HiFi by the way. If the new bar that replaces the Continental is anything like HiFi, it's a good thing.

definitely.....I loved Brownies on its own.. great sound for shows...

but the cd jukebox cant be beat....

if new Continental is the same, I'll be somewhat happy....Hi-Fi was a pain inthe ass to walk to.. im lazy.

chris, you interested in wolfmother?? im ognna go grab tix for mondya the 20th, tonie r tommorow.