I think I have mentioned a number of times in my writings how I am a former Metal drummer but that I have always had a love for the six-string, even though I never managed to learn how to play it. Despite this being the case in my day, when the chance to see what was happening at the Brooklyn Bowl for the Brooklyn Autumn Guitar Show arose, I headed down there with my good buddy and fellow Blogger Skeleton Pete and hopefully spark you readers into checking out the next event. This would also be my first time at the Brooklyn Bowl and this establishment is located down in Williamsburg Brooklyn off N11th Street on Wythe Avenue.

As we walked past the building over to its side entrance I saw the poster of the up coming events. As you can see there is a lot going on here. The space is actually a bowling alley but there is also a concert space and full stage to let you get your music Jones on.

Here’s the poster used to spark the masses to attention about the Brooklyn Autumn Guitar Show. It was being hosted by DJ Uncle Mike and Lisa Sharken. I actually know Lisa from my own photo pit adventures and was happy to be there to support their event.

Before I continued along, I wanted to showcase the actual bowling alley for you. The Brooklyn Bowl has eleven lanes and they really look nice. I am a casual bowler but I did feel like doing a few frames after seeing the place today. Maybe I will come here soon with my Pop as he loves the sport and is kind of good at it. The 300 Game trophy he has firms up this belief for me.

These were some decorations on the wall that you see as you enter the main room. I liked their quirkiness so I snapped a photo. They are some kind of carnival game thing if memory serves me. If not, they surely reminded me of them.

Here’s another shot. There were two walls of these things.

When you walk into Brooklyn Bowl, directly ahead of you is the Blue Ribbon restaurant and I did not snap a photo of this even though I would eat here later. I did snap a visual of the bar that was to my left and was the lead over to the event space. Yes it looks empty in the shot because it was early. This soon changed and it was rather busy. There are a lot of great beers on tap and the venue is around the corner from the Brooklyn Brewery.

Now onto the guitar show and I will let the photos do the talking for the most part.

Time for all the musicians in the venue to get their checkbooks out.

There was a lot for sale today. Musicians even brought guitars they no longer wanted and were interested in swapping or selling to the other patrons of the event.

I was not initially paying attention when I read this sign and thought it said “Nickelback” and that made me laugh when it found me remembering a recent tweet that I read. Perhaps you have seen it but if not, I will share it with you. It said “WARNING: If you see a link that offers you free tracks from Nickelback’s new album DO NOT CLICK ON IT. It goes to a link with free tracks from Nickelback’s new album”. I know its terrible to say that but you cannot argue the humor in it.

It was instead the fine folks at Nicerack NYC who offer a lot of different services from rack management to tour preparation. Musicians take note. Let the experts do some things for your benefit.

These next few shots are all Nicerack NYC.

So many guitars. I did see one snare drum though and neglected to take a photo of it. Silly me for thinking of a wry comment so long after I had left the event.

Here’s Miss Rachael Becker who runs Heavy Leather NYC. She makes custom leather guitar straps. I’ve seen her stuff and know that K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) and even the mighty Lemmy (Motorhead) use them, so that is cool stuff. Rachel didn’t have her own table for the event but some of her distributors did she told me.

Down the aisle I discovered that Miss Jodi Head was there and showing off some of her latest creations. She has been around for awhile and makes custom straps and other accessories. She even had a drumstick bag which was nice.

Here is the one and only Jodi Head herself.

This batch of effects is all Pigtronix stuff. I didn’t know what everything did but they sure made some great sounds. Technology has sure come a long way since Les Paul invented his first effects box hasn’t it.

These guitars I really loved the visual aspect of.

Here’s our own Skeleton Pete and Chihoe Hahn who is of course the main brain behind Hahn Guitars.

Some fine acoustic guitars. This section seemed to be focused on the builders.

Someone at the event was selling a guitar signed by Korn.

Here’s a little more of a close up of the signatures.

Pete obliged me with some photos of some of the nice people we met. Here I am with Miss Jodi Head. I told her that the flash blinds me so I had to sport the shades. She said this happens to her as well.

This next shot was actually taken first and hence my shades decree. That’s an old friend in Metal Tommy Falanga. A local musician who also helps out on the Heavy Metal Mayhem show that Mike Catricola does. Today he was helping out the Lang Amplifiers table but sadly none of the gear had made it to the event. Instead T was taking names to send out the announcement when they would be showcased.

I was really enjoying myself by this point and snagged a shot with the event coordinator Lisa Sharken. She is a cool person and she did a bang up job on this guitar event. They had a nice crowd for much of the day and if you are a guitarist who missed this one, you should be ashamed of yourself. Kudos to Lisa and Mike for getting this all together and to the Brooklyn Bowl for being such a great hosting space.

Closing up I had to say that this was a very nice time and if a mere former drummer can enjoy himself then I am sure you could as well. There was a lot of nice stuff for sale and trade and a ton of great innovations being showcased. I enjoyed the Brooklyn Bowl as an event space and absolutely loved my cheeseburger from the Blue Ribbon restaurant. Sorry that I didn’t take any photos of that. You will just have to trust me on its overall awesomeness. The beers were good also 🙂

Check out SkeletonPete’s take on the Brooklyn Autumn Guitar Show “HERE”

Important Links:
Brooklyn Bowl: http://brooklynbowl.com
Hahn Guitars: http://hahnguitars.com
Nicerack NYC: http://niceracknyc.com
Pigtronix: http://pigtronix.com
Lang Amps: http://www.langamps.com/
Heavy Leather NYC: http://heavyleathernyc.com
Jodi Head Designs: http://jodihead.com