The name of now-defunct iconic New York hardcore and punk rock venue CBGB will be put under the hammer.
CBC News in the US reported that the name, which is synonymous with the development of American punk and hardcore, is up for sale. Lawyers for the estate of late CBGB founder Hilly Kristal are looking for buyers who would be "best for the brand and Hilly's legacy". Through the 1970s the club was the birthplace of the punk movement in the US, hosting bands like The Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads. In the 1980s CBs became a hotspot for hardcore, its weekly Sunday punk matinee becoming an institution for acts like Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, Gorilla Biscuits and Sick Of It All.
The club closed in 2006 due to an ongoing dispute between Kristal and the property's landlords. Kristal passed away in 2007, and rights to the name were purchased by a pair of marketing executives who created a company dubbed CBGB Holdings. That firm filed for bankruptcy in June without hang fully paid the estate. A bankruptcy judge ruled last Wednesday that Kristal's estate were the rightful owner to the club's assets.
