Show Review/Access Report: TV EYE + Theophobia

In which a venue was almost perfectly accessible and I evangelize for my favorite local band

Image: Matt Ellin and Dylan Greenberg of Theophobia. Dylan has bright pink hair and is in a wedding dress. Matt is in a mesh shirt and flamboyant military style jacket. They are standing in a graveyard. Both have glam eyeshadow and lipstick.

Before the discovery of half/access I used to take notes at every venue I went to. Now after the demise of that database I'm back to scrounging up what information I can from websites and reddit, so I thought I'd start posting those venue notes the way I'd been meaning to.

TV Eye in Ridgewood is one of the more wheelchair accessible bars I've been to in NYC so far, which doesn't mean it's perfect, but it is significantly ahead of many others I've been to (not including the ones, of course, I can't get into at all anymore now that I'm using my chair nearly full time.)

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Theophobia play this past Monday, my favorite glam rock band, to celebrate the release of their excellent new EP Most Wanted Woman in Estonia/Chili Dog Incarnate. This new set of songs was recorded by Paul D Millard who has elevated the band's sound to a new level that I'm really really excited about. (From Paul’s website: Recording, mixing, mastering Weird music without computers)

Now clearly, this is not an unbiased review, at least regarding the music. I have been a fan of Theophobia for a long time, since they occasionally practiced in what was technically the living room of an old and extremely narrow railroad apartment of mine.

But, as someone with a lot of chronic pain and very limited mobility, I take what I recommend leaving the house for seriously, and I hope you check them out.

Influenced by musicians like Sparks and Jim Stienman and incorporating surreal and irreverent humor into their energetic performances, Theophobia are brilliant and earnestly weird in a way every quirky Brooklyn hipster wishes they were.

That theatrically is supported by some really skilled musicianship and creative, evocative lyricism, especially on the part of guitarist/singer/songwriter Matt Ellin. If you've been a little bored of the art you've been seeing lately and you miss a sense of glam in your musicians, or you want to see a band who recently passed out celery during their set, check them out.

And luckily, I was able to get in to this show in my wheelchair. Theophobia also tends to attract a friendly kind of crowd and I've been comfortable in the GA section in my chair at every show of theirs I've been to. They also were on a stacked line up with I’m Going To Marry Your Dad and Dexter the Angel, two more excellent acts who much like Theophobia were bursting with energy and unafraid of a little artistic confrontation. I regret that more about them didn't make it into this write up because my hands are starting to hurt, and I haven't even got to the venue details yet.

Image ID: A screenshot of text on TV Eye’s Website that says “Is TV Eye accessible? Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible through the patio.”

Speaking of the Venue:

I used a Merit Sport Powechair during this review, and for this show I did not contact the venue for accommodations, I just showed up. It also is limited to the areas accessible to the audience. If you've had a different experience with a different mobility device write in to let me know! While they do NOT have much access info on their website, they do have pictures here.

Location:

1647 Weirfield St

Ridgewood, NY

Off the L & M Train

Accessible stop is Myrtle-Wyckoff (M, 12 min walk)

Wheelchair accessible:

Bar, show floor, all gender bathrooms, patio are all wheelchair accessible.

-Entrance: Here is the biggest flaw. The front door is not wheelchair accessible, but up one steep step, so you need someone else to open the door and get someone from staff to open the side accessible entrance. Maybe there's a bell that I haven't spotted? However someone smoking outside the venue spotted me and immediately offered to go ask security about the door for me, so I didn't have to wait in the cold, but I'll be reaching out to them about this soon to see if there's a buzzer I didn't notice or if they could make some improvements.

The side door, once opened, leads through the patio and quickly into the bar. Once you actually make it in to the venue, I found it to be smooth sailing.

-Bathroom: The bathroom is all gender. It has one wheelchair accessible stall at the end of the row (relatively narrow but not a total squeeze). The stall itself was much roomier than I expected and I could turn and park fairly easily. The sinks are roll under.

-Bar: The bar was large enough to move around in comfortably in a power chair. Which is rare in my experience. (This obviously fluctuated as the venue filled up but in the rooms are a good base size.) Seating in booths around the bar.

-Show and show floor: There were no seats and no ADA area in this room. However, I also had not asked for a chair or if an area could be cordoned off. Please feel free to fill in my knowledge gaps here! Fast moving lights were used during the show hut not strobes.

Reentry:

Wristbands given out. I was able to go out to the smoking area and come back with no issues.

Jump the line option:

Unfortunately I have no info here since I got there so early there was no line.

Parking/street drop off:

I took a wheelchair Uber to and from this show. The street itself is quiet enough that it was not stressful getting in or out of the van, and there is a driveway pretty close to the front of the venue, so there is a curb cut nearby. Keep in mind that it can be hard to get wheelchair accessible Ubers after a certain time of night. I was taking a gamble here.

Transit:

The closest accessible stop is Myrtle-Wyckoff (M, 12 min walk)

Image ID: TV Eye’s neon sign of a blue eye radiating red beams

TLDR:

Overall Accessible: Yes

Biggest flaws: getting someone to let you in and a lack of access info on the website.

Greatest strengths: Big and roomy, reentry from an accessible patio, all flat once you get inside

Comparable bands: Lemon Twigs, Greta Van Fleet, Will Wood, Meatloaf, Gogol Bordello, Rock bands in the Muppet universe probably

Rating: Worth leaving the house for

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