The Stereo Is Off

According to our buddies at Page Six, Stereo is no more. We can't say we are too sad, our experiences there have been mixed, and in terms of business, the place wasn't all that successful. Crowded yes, but just not that profitable. According to the Sixers, "Club trademark owner Michael Satsky and partner Brian Gefter split from other club part ners and are close to leasing a downtown space for a new venue this year." Probably a good move on their part. These guys are ready to step out on their own and make a go of it. But the real question is: where is there to go? As we have been saying for a while, the place to be is NoChiTo, the little no man's land of space below Nolita and west of Chinatown. You may have heard about some other major players setting up there, and we expect Iron Mike and BG to head down there as well.

On the Circuit: Gifting at Sundance

We're still hanging tough at the dance, coming through with a follow up from the gifting houses that have become even more important the movies. What was hot today? Would you believe Stereo? You should. Celeb highlights included Paris, Jessica Alba, Adrian Grenier, Alex von Furstenberg, and others. Highlight of the day is Mary-Kate Olsen. Iron Mike Satsky cleared out the entire place so mk could grab swag unhindered. No one was allowed in while she was inside, including tom Arnold, who was told he could not come in and turned away. And that's why we love us some MK.

Royal Rumble Follow Up

More from the ongoing saga that is the Tenjune vs Stereo battle, with a Little Birdy saying "FYI....mark birnbaum had a restraining order against statsky. it was comical to see the riff in ny nightlife between the Raleigh (noah jason and statsky) and the Shore Club (tenjune). When will these two year olds grow up and run a company. I guess this is why stereo is no more." First, don't say FYI. Second, thanks for the tip. We have heard there was a major battle for Miami real estate for the annual Xmas/NYE pilgramage south. But it seems it all worked itself out. Or did it? This is so dramatic.

Royal Rumble: Tenjune vs Stereo

A wild story just came across the wire. Let's go straight to the Little Birdy, who says:

a very interesting incident occurred right before New Years, and it has failed to receive the necessary exposure. Recently at Houston's restaurant, the entire EM group was eating dinner. Randomly, Stereo owner Mike Satsky entered the restaurant with one of his associates, and upon sighting Mark Birnbaum walked directly up to him and hit him "open-handed" out of his chair. He then proceeded to put him in a head lock. Eugene and the rest of the TJ managers looked on with shock from there seats while this occurred. After some heated words, Satsky voluntarily left the restaurant. There are reports that Birnbaum is now trying to press charges.

The fight stems from the huge beef between Noah/Satsky and Birnbaum, which I'm sure your well aware of- but I could offer some background if your not. The catalyst of this climatic brawl was TJ stealing away DJ Suss One from Stereo, coupled with Birnbaum sending Satsky texts stating "how good the music is now." Both clubowners are represented by the same publicists (Shadow PR), which is why this entertaining story was killed in the papers.

An open fisted slap to the ground. Fierce. We checked in with a source who confirms the entire incident, saying "it def happened. i thought eugene was slapped also." A double slap? Crazy! First question - why are all these guys eating at Houston's? Nasty. Second - did anyone present manage to get a video of this. We predict high comedy. Maybe we can set up a rematch at a neutral location. Does Touch work for everyone? They probably could use the business.

Stereo Moves to Sundance

After the well-documented and unfortunate events that took place at Stereo last weekend, the entire crew has packed up and moved the operation out to Park City to the Stereo/In Touch/Kenneth Cole house. A reader who got the invite points out everyone's favorite part of Sundance - the gifting! According to the email, the available gifting includes "I-phones, I-Pods, Playstations, Espresso Makers, 5 star vacations, and much much more." Damn! Sign us up. However, our reader also cautions, "for stereo's sake, i hope the Mormans out in Utah haven't gotten wind of their reputation." Here, here.

Passover in December?

Breaking out the unleavened bread in December can only mean one thing. Matzo Ball! Here's one at Stereo, but they happen in most major cities. They even have their own little group. Good for you Matzo Ball. Good for you.

Stereo Turns Two Tonight

OMG OMG OMG OMG! Stereo's second anniversary party! OMG OMG OMG! Fall Out Boy! OMG! Pete Wentz. OMG OMG! Plastic cups and getting bumped into. OMG!

Happy Anniversary.

Love,

DBTH

On the Circuit: Hard Rock Hits Vegas

What: Hard Rock Hotel Hits New York
Where: Stereo, West 29th Street - Chelsea

The good folks from the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas brought their show to New York, hoping to say hello to their New York high rollers and maybe pull in a few new ones. We decided to check it out. Uh, mistake. May we suggest not walking in to Stereo while the sun is still shining. Thank you. On the plus side, the drinks were free. The negatives? Just about everything else. The crowd was 100% suits, mixed with 10 female casino hosts imported for the affair. Thus, said suits spent tried their best to woo the out of towners. (Evidence above) The success rate seemed to be pretty darn low. The drinks came in the Stereo's customary plastic glass, and they were passing around some sort of apps. But really, who is eating anything out of that kitchen? Not us. When having a party, it is pretty hard to achieve negative authenticity, a setting so contrived it reeks of contrivity. We have to hand it to them, because they did in fact achieve it.

After 30 minutes, we had seen enough. We bid adieu to our group and moseyed on out of there. You really can't win them all.

Don't forget to check our Flickr page, full of fresh intelligence.

Power Share at Dune

By all accounts, the folks behind Dune are having a pretty good summer. The place is filled during the weekends. There haven't been any headline grabbing incidents. Missy Elliot even had her birthday there. But we were wondering, who actually owns/runs the joint? All the usual names have been mentioned. Noah, Jason, Jayma, Opie. Oh, and Paige Restaurant Group. Wait, a minute. Paige Restaurant Group? Who are they? After a bit of snooping, it turns out they own Dip in Murray Hill and Honey on the outskirts of the Meatpacking District. You don't say. Their business cards also list Dune as one of their properties. Classy touch. Anywho, with all the players in the Hamptons for the summer, is it possible that the owners of a fondue spot are actually calling the shots? Perish the thought.

Blogging For a Flogging: Stereo

It happened again. We aren't the brightest bulb in the bulb tree, and sometimes we get things wrong. And when we are wrong, we want need to be punished. SEVERELY. This morning we discussed the possibility of Stereo being for sale. A special little birdy with a special little singing voice sung us a clarification song. Apparently, there is really a bar called Secret Lounge. Sounds lame, and since its for sale, it probably is. No matter. Our birdy says, "The Hard Sell venue is actually called Secret Lounge, though I wouldn't be surprised if Stereo was thinking about packing it in too." Oooh little birdy, you're as bad as we are. Maybe you want a flogging too.

Turning the Stereo Off?

This week, the good folks at Eater ran one of their semi-weekly Hard Sell columns featuring a "secret night club" on W. 29th Street that is on the market. We did some sleuthing and determined that current B&T hot spot Stereo is on the market. Random speculation you say? Hell yes. But still, the address Eater gave was 525 W. 29th which is actually the Paul Sharpe Gallery. Stereo is right across the street. Plus, an international nightlife guru and DBTH fan tells us because of high expenses, "the Stereo guys have never made any money." That hurts.

Finally, we have real photographic evidence. KFed was given a mike to perform there. Once that saliva touches your PA system, its definitely time to sell.