If you missed the Sunday Keene Sentinel, here is a link to the front page story. This is a story of Brattleboro activist Larry Bloch’s (1953-2012) well-known NYC nightclub Wetlands Preserve. At Larry’s request, his first wife and “dream companion,” Laura Bloch Bourque, gathered together the many boxes of carefully saved calendars and photos of their nightclub into one amazing book which must be seen to be appreciated. Bands such as the Dave Mathews Band, Phish, Hootie and the Blowfish and so many others played at Wetlands Preserve in the 1990s.
The Sentinel article tells about the love that went into the writing and publishing of the book. The book itself is for sale at Everyone’s Books on Elliot Street in Brattleboro and Toadstool’s in Keene and Peterborough, NH
You can see sample pages and order online at http://www.frog2princepublishing.com with free shipping until the end of the year.
Learn about Larry’s New York City years (the decade before he opened ‘Save the Corporations from Themselves’ on Main Street in Brattleboro).
Good article
I enjoyed this part:
“A vignette: In 2005, a 50-to-1 longshot named Giacomo won the Kentucky Derby. Seven people around the world hit the superfecta, which involves picking the top four horses in order. It paid a record $864,253 on a $1 bet. Six winners came forward publicly. One did not — Larry Bloch.
According to Laura, he gave all his winnings away to charities and friends in need, from helping a local business avoid foreclosure to launching Brattleboro Community Radio.”
…
Many of us sorta kinda knew he hit it big at the races, but, being polite New Englanders I’m not sure anyone ever really mentioned it or asked about it. Nice to have the official story.
Good article, too.
The dark and melancholic mixed with excitement section
In the 1990s my partner and I had offices just down from the dark and melancholic mixed with excitement section of the meatpacking district, a half dozen blocks below Gansevoort Street in Manhattan. It wasn’t usual to catch some chatter about local scenes, so ‘Wetlands’ and ‘this guy named Larry Bloch,’ were known to me long before I met him up here.
Larry loaned me a DVD documentary of his and Laura’s experience (I have never met Laura or Lisa…) where I learned much more about him and the popular site than I did back then.
dvd
He loaned me the DVD, too. Good overview of the club and the people who made their way through it. Looks like it would have been a fun and interesting place to hang out as it grew into a national scene.
Did you go to Wetlands?
Breathe Deep
In the days before smoke free indoors, I had difficulty with closed smokey places. It’s part of the reason I had difficulty working steady as a sound-man for local bands. I didn’t got to Wetlands but it was talked up quite a bit.
Naturally, I found my fun in other ways (I’m talking good times here!).
Love NYC…wave a magic wand and put me there again….
An interesting tidbit about
An interesting tidbit about Ephraim Bloch, Larry’s father…he was a legend in the bedding industry, known for creating the Bed Sack, as well as a multitude of other home bedding items. I believe the company was started by his grandfather but his father was very well regarded in his field and considered quite an innovator. The following letter details the accomplishments quite clearly.
http://www.homeandtextilestoday.com/article/432975-letter-to-the-editor
Makes his (Larrys) story even more interesting…
Book availability
This book is also available at Turn it Up! It’s not a read from cover to cover book, it’s been called a “Look Book,” something cool on every page, take a look!