On an unassuming corner in Paulus Hook last Friday night, music junkies loitered outside Jersey City’s newest rock venue, I.M. Automata Chino. Nestled next to the Iron Monkey and operated by the same owners, the venue holds 70 people and turns a live rock show in to an intimate engagement.
Once an old Chinese restaurant (hence the Chino), the mostly standing-room venue has all the makings of a Brooklyn underground rock show. With a few scant tables and chairs lined across the walls and a projection screen showing independent movies behind the stage, the venue has been attracting crowds from all over the tri-state area.
Keith Sigel, of Harlem, said he welcomed the new venue. “I’m always excited when one of the outer boroughs starts a new music scene,” Sigel said. “And with the intimacy here, you could really get to know a band.”
Before and after the show, bands linger to have drinks in the cozy space. Brooklyn-based band Honah Lee was excited about a new venue and the chance to build a new fan base.
“It’s nice to play smaller, intimate venues,” said Anthony of Honah Lee, “to get our music out there.”
Dennis, of Jersey City, said the space was a perfect place for live music and that the venue might open up additional room behind the stage once a set schedule is in place.
“I like the fact that it’s new and has a lot of potential,” Dennis said. “This place could be the new Maxwell’s.”
For more information on I.M. Automata Chino, please visit www.automatachino.com or call (201) 435-5756.
Sean Allocca can be reached at current@hudsonreporter.com
Setting a sceneNew rock venue opens in Jersey City
