Ditmas Park's Newest Venue: The Whiskey Cellar at Sycamore

I finally checked out Sycamore's basement space this past weekend and wow, it's a beaut! The room is intimate, but not small by any means. When I stopped by there were 4 rows of wooden benches facing the stage, but they can be moved and rearranged to accommodate the various performances hosted there. One long L-shaped bench wraps around the side and back of the audience area. An antique wooden cabinet with bottles of whiskey sits just off of stage right. And the whole place is lit by candles resting over the L-shaped bench. It is far and away the nicest basement in a bar this blogger has ever seen.

My first experience in The Cellar was pretty great. I crept down the steps as quietly as possible to a completely silent room. 20-30 people were watching a guy on stage with a guitar and the highest falsetto I've ever heard come out of a man's mouth. Next to him was a girl who kind of looked like Bjork. Her hair was parted over half of her face and her head was sunken in bashfulness. She was playing a saw with a bow. The only thing I could think was "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" Then at the height of the awkwardness came a loud "pppphhhbbrrrtttt." I looked over to see the culprit- a baby whose mom was now cracking up. People near me started laughing and pretty soon the whole room was giggling. I don't know the guy who was performing, but my snap judgement was that he took his "art" very seriously, so It was pretty hilarious to see his gift to the world interrupted by a loud baby fart.

The band I went to see, Mattison, was amazing. And I was really surprised that at the beginning of their set, when I was still upstairs in the bar, I couldn't hear the bass or drums at all. Hopefully the neighbors above and around Sycamore are appreciative of their soundproofing efforts with the Cellar. Other spots on Cortelyou should take note (looking at you, Solo and Vox Pop).

For the full list of shows at the Cellar, check out sycamorebrooklyn.com.