L'amour (venue)
L'amour was a musical venue in Brooklyn, New York, run by Mike and George Parente, which opened in 1981 and closed in February 2004. L'amour was promoted as the "Rock Capitol of Brooklyn". It is commonly pronounced "La-Morz" by patrons. The venue was known as a familiar venue for some of rock music's biggest, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, and Kiss. But as familiar as it was for the biggest and best, it was for the up-and-comers. L'amour was never afraid to book over a dozen local acts to open up for a headliner and frequently featured underground bands from across the country and even across the globe.[citation needed] L'Amour has closed down and is not planning on returning to the club scene.
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[edit] History
[edit] L'amour East
The original L'amour East, located on Queens Boulevard in Queens, not only had rock performers but also was the host of many "Freestyle" acts back in the mid to late 1980s. In the late 1980s, the club hosted some of the top Hair Metal bands of the time. Although it shared the lighter side of the metal scene (as opposed to L'amour in Brooklyn), it will be remembered as one of the top metal clubs in the country, only next to The Whisky, The Troubadour, and its Brooklyn counterpart.[citation needed]
At one point, it was one of the top five night spots in NYC. Due to Big Al and Big Rob's opening of 7700 Club Wednesdays, the "Freestyle" movement took off, and L'amour East became a dance club.
L'amour East and L'amour Far East were not open very long in comparison to the original Brooklyn L'amour. L'amour East, riding the coattails of the Brooklyn club's fame, only lasted a few years, and L'Amour Far East was an insignificant club that folded soon after opening.
The original L'amour in Brooklyn remained a relevant part of the rock/metal scene for almost 25 years.
[edit] NYHC
In its later life, L'amour gave rise to some of the most promising acts in the hardcore scene. Some of the pioneers of this genre give credit to L'amour for starting and or lifting their career to new heights.[citation needed] Such bands include Biohazard, Madball, Agnostic Front, Pro-Pain, Sick of it All, Candiria, Full Blown Chaos, Most Precious Blood, Sworn Enemy.
[edit] Notable acts
Some notable acts that performed at the venue are Type O Negative, Iron Maiden, Nightwish, The Ramones, Poison, LIPS, White Lion, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Overkill, Toxik, Carnivore, Lillian Axe, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax, Amorphis, In Flames, Covenant, Moonspell, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Hatebreed, Dream Theater, Faith No More, Faith or Fear, Voivod, Soundgarden, Slayer, Last Rites, Testament, L.A. Guns, Murphy's Law, Sepultura, Exodus, Stryper, Playground, Powerhouse, Big Bad Wolf, Saigon Kick, Trip, W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Ace Frehley, Richie Scarlet, Zebra, and Rat Race Choir.Cities a local heavy metal band headlined and opened for many acts as (metallica,Anvil,Joe Perry Project,Anthrax and many more
[edit] L'Amour In Print: "Rock Capitol of Brooklyn"
Long-time L'amour DJ Alex Kayne has put the tales of his time at L'amour into print in a book entitled Rock Capitol of Brooklyn: The History of L'amour, the World's Most Famous Heavy Metal Nightclub. The photos for the book have been attributed to Frank White. The book is set to be released in the fall of 2012, and a FaceBook page named L'Amour Book has been set up for L'Amour patrons and bands to friend and send in photos and stories about their most memorable times at the venue for inclusion in a section of the book. L'AMOUR BOOK PRESS RELEASE
[edit] DJ Alex Kayne
A name that is synonymous with L'amour, DJ Alex Kayne is considered the venue's most popular and influential DJ. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he started out as a mobile DJ in the mid 70s. His club DJ career began at just 18 years old when he beat a multitude of other DJs, winning a borough-wide turntablist "Battle of the DJs" mixing contest at the Night Gallery Discothèque in Brooklyn. Word spread quickly and Kayne began DJ-ing in several local clubs. Over the years, he has worked at various clubs large and small in and around the New York City area. Kayne came to work at L'amour in 1979 and DJ'ed at L'Amour on and off until the venue closed in December 2009. He is the venue's original metal DJ, and its longest resident DJ. His raspy, booming voice and more importantly his unique brand of rock and metal spinning style gave the venue its unrivaled personality, directly contributing to the venue's worldwide fame. He is widely credited as the first club DJ in New York to spin Metallica, Biohazard, Y&T, The Rods, TNT, Queensryche, Anthrax, Megadeth, Manowar, White Lion, Helix, Talas, Motorhead, Metal Church, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Slayer among many others, breaking and expanding their notoriety on the east coast. His production company ROCKMACHINE CONCERTS presents original hard rock/heavy metal shows throughout the tri-state area. With a career spanning more than 30 years, DJ Alex Kayne is still actively working the New York club scene where he is highly regarded and respected as a legend among rock and heavy metal DJs.
[edit] DJ Chuck Kaye
This local New York metal DJ from Staten Island was known as "The Roar of L'Amour". Kaye was the house DJ at L'Amour in the classic years of 1984 to 1988. Now the famed acting coach Jagger Kaye.
[edit] DJ Michel Gutman
L'Amour Far East's (later Showcase) only DJ (after the opening night, when WBAB's Fingers hosted the show), Michel Gutman was a favorite among everyone who attended. Blending a mixture of all types of metal/hard rock, Michel would spin everything from Pat Travers and Queen to Slayer and Exodus (and everything in between). At a time when records were on their way out and cd's were just getting hot, Michel had a huge collection of both, able to satisfy everyone's musical tastes.
[edit] References
- Kurutz, Steve (2004-03-07). "NEW YORK NIGHT LIFE; At Least the Fans Will Keep Their Hearing" (Website). New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E2DA113FF934A35750C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- THE LAMOUR BOOK 2
- Neilstein, Vince (August 9, 2007). "LEGENDARY BROOKLYN METAL CLUB L’AMOUR REOPENS DOORS…" (Website). MetalSucks. http://www.metalsucks.net/2007/08/09/legendary-brooklyn-metal-club-lamour-reopens-doors.
