September 2014 was a sad time for the Brooklyn music scene. After over a decade as a beacon of DIY culture and seven years as a popular venue for rising bands both local and national, Death by Audio shut down operations on the Williamsburg waterfront.
DBA opened in 2002 as an effect peddle company and artist workspace before transitioning into a venue in 2007. As the neighborhood became more gentrified — one could argue as a result of the interest the music and arts scene had brought there — new developers forced the musical haven out.
Determined to go down with a yell and not a whimper, Death by Audio made their final month in the space a raucous one. They invited back musicians that had graced the venue’s stage over the years, including Future Islands, Ty Segall, Dan Deacon, A Place to Bury Strangers, Deerhoof, Les Savy Fav, and more. DBA co-founder Matthew Conboy captured the entire farewell on camera and cut the footage together in a new documentary entitled Goodnight Brooklyn – The Story of Death By Audio.
Premiering at this year’s South by Southwest, the doc features performances and interviews by the above mentioned artists and others as it recounts the birth and death of one of New York’s last great DIY homes. Rolling Stone just premiered the trailer, which features snippets of interviews from Future Island’s Samuel T. Herring, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, and Segall, as well as some of the people who worked tirelessly to make Death by Audio function. Watch the trailer via Rolling Stone.
Goodnight Brooklyn will premiere at South by Southwest on March 14th.
