The Joint Club
Originally opened in March 1966 on Cedar Street 3 near Military Park, The Joint Club (popularly named "The Joint") endured as one of Newark´s premiere rock and roll clubs for over 15 years.
It held a place in history as the first venue that punk classic band The Buzzcocks ever performed in the USA, and has hosted - aside the performers of The Newark Scene - some of rock's elite including: AC / DC, Blondie, The Jam, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, and many more. The Joint Club provided both artist and audience high quality, staging, sound and lights and was one of the best rooms in the city to experience a show. Although it is a 300 capacity room, the layout gave the audience a feeling of intimacy and closeness to the band. The prices were reasonable to help make going to a show at the The Joint one that doesn't break the bank. You could sit down for dinner before the show in the Joint Lounge, with all items on the menu only $0.95 from 4p-10p. Once in the show, you could grab a snack at the food bar in the mezzanine or order from your server. Still hungry after the show, you could join again in the Lounge where your ticket from the show got you in free to see some of the best in upcoming local singer / songwriters performing. From the very start, The Joint Club was a place where blacks and whites could meet for a chat over a couple of beers or just dancing to the wild music of, say, Lynn Little (by the way, the first performer ever at The Joint). The house on Cedar Street was pulled down in 1983 due to minor mold problems. Where it stand there*s today a Starbucks Coffee Shop with "urban opportunities" (bless ya!) Matthew Barrington aka Billy The Shit was band booker during 1971 - 1974. Most of the live recordings was made by Dick Hell and the crew from his OPEN STUDIO.