SGB: The EV’s Hottest New Underground Scene

A typical night at SGB

If you’re looking for the intersection of music, art and culture and you’re not plagued by fear of the unexpected, try 710 E. 9th St, the home of Subterra Sound, a recording studio that is becoming one of the East Village’s coolest underground art scenes. Art is commonly committed on Wednesday nights, at around 8, but rules-based scheduling is hardly this scene’s jam. 

Located between Avenues C and D, the studio is the home of Subterra Groove Bazaar (SGB), free-flowing community gatherings that bring together musicians, performers and artists of all kinds for impromptu jamming, dancing and unscripted acts of live art.

It started out, and still is, a recording studio. But over time, Sierra Sound has morphed into a sort of social club, community space and cultural center.

SGB seems to be striving to recapture the creativity and energy of New York’s LES underground movement of the 1990s, when all the basements were jammin’ and diverse influences came together to express themselves freely, interact, exchange ideas and create harmoniously in a safe sanctuary. 

The overarching goals of this nascent underground scene are purposely left unclear, and participants are warned to expect the unexpected. For now, though, the plan seems to be simply to bring performers, artists and audiences together to deliver live performances and other acts of artistic creation.

The diverse collection of artists that have joined SGB include painters and other visual artists; musicians from all backgrounds: funk, rock, pop, hip-hop, classical, jazz, even musical theatre. The result has been a captivating fusion of musical experience, living and breathing in real-time.

Anything goes at these sessions. There are never any right or wrong answers. The only stated condition is that participants LISTEN to each other. Among SGB’s mottos: “Together we become even greater than the sum of our parts."

Here’s what Subterra Groove Bazarr might stand for”

Spontaneous
Unique
Bald
Tastemakers
Erecting
Rare
Raw
Aesthetics

Gardening
Real
Opportunities
On
Valuable
Experiences

Being
Actively
Zen
And
Awesomely
Random