By Timothy McAlister

Walking down Avenue A, I began to recognize the cracks in the sidewalk. This was the fourth time in a week I found myself at the corner of Avenue A and 6th Street; time after time, I am drawn into the long-standing Sidewalk Café. Founded in 1985, Sidewalk boasts both a bar and a restaurant (now featuring a new Mediterranean menu that has some bomb hummus), which established the then-new café as a community pillar. However, it was Sidewalk’s stage and the seminal Antifolk Festival that really elevated the nascent café to the national spotlight.

90’s music is known for many things: grunge, rap, ska. But, oddly enough, the decade’s most unique musical movement is one of its least known: Antifolk. A genre that blends a punk DIY approach with a sound all it’s own, the Antifolk movement struggled to find a home until 1993 when the Sidewalk Café’s back room became the performance hub for Antifolk’s wide variety of musicians. 21 years later and that back room is more than just the center of the lively Antifolk scene, it also hosts the oldest open mic in the city.

The man behind the mic, Ben Krieger (pictured above), said the Antifolk scene is where “you let people be themselves and make fun of them when they’re not,” which speaks volumes to the sheer variety of what you can see on the back room’s stage. Some of Krieger’s favorite acts include “Debe Dalton, Steve Espinola, Jagged Leaves, Hamell On Trial, Isto and Dots Will Echo,” some of whom are still ahead in this year’s festival. “I think if you did a show with all of them involved, you’d have a pretty good Antifolk show.” When asked to define Antifolk, Krieger said, “Well that wouldn’t be much fun, would it?”

Many famous Antifolk acts have graced Sidewalk’s stage, the most notable being singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. Others include Jeffery Lewis, Kimya Dawson, and Adam Green (the latter two also known as the Moldy Peaches). Krieger wasn’t there from the start: “Sidewalk was known for its open mic and I’d heard about it for years before I actually had a chance to check it out. I poked my head into Sidewalk some time in 2004, but didn’t actually get on stage until 2005 or so…by 2007 I was spending every Monday there and working as a sound engineer,” he said. Lucky for us and any readers hankerin’ for amazing, unique music, Antifolk isn’t relegated to the history books. It is very much alive, now more so than ever, as Sidewalk Café hosts the Antifolk festival until February 28.

I caught up with Sidewalk Café regular and notable Antifolk artist, Cannonball Statman, to shed some light on the eccentric music genre and historic festival. Statman, New School freshman and Antifolk musician, has made a name for himself on Sidewalk’s stage. After performing at the café for 3 years, he knows Antifolk better than most. He stresses Antifolk’s uniqueness above all else: “the genre is its own form of art.”

The music one hears at the Antifolk festival ranges from rap to indie to spoken word. The sounds defining characteristic is its lack of defining characteristics. And, Statman notes, Antifolk and Sidewalk’s weekly Monday night open mic’s have become more accessible to new-comers. While in previous decades Antifolk’s sound has been defined by a handful of long-time bands, this is no longer the case. The genre is younger than it’s ever been, Statman explains. New Antifolk acts have become increasingly popular; the Antifolk festival is a gathering of young and old Antifolk acts. Antifolk has never been more accessible to new listeners and new artists.

Sidewalk Café is about more than just the artists; it’s just as fun to be in the audience. With an atmosphere bolstered by $3 beer (ask for the Genesee cream ale) and showbiz posters that subtly communicate the rich history of the venue, I didn’t feel like I was watching a show — I felt like I was part of a community. The acts throughout each night’s set effortlessly engaged the audience. Jokes flew quickly from both artists and audience alike. This wasn’t an act separated from an audience; this was a group of friends, each of whom had an instrument and something to say. A historic, amazing festival with no cover charge: do you really need any other reason to visit Sidewalk Café? You can even perform tonight at the open mic if you’re daring. Sign-up is at 7:30 and acts begin at 8!

Sidewalk Café is located at 94 Avenue A, between E 6th Street and E 7th street. The Winter 2014 Antifolk Festival runs from today until February 28. You can see a list of the coming acts here.

Photo courtesy of Herb Scher.