Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

I just got a text message from a friend saying he walked by The Raven last night, and it was on fire. I was thinking maybe he meant it was packed, like on fire = hot. Then I checked my email and found this from the co-owner of the Raven, Harold.

"At around 6:25 pm yesterday, Wednesday March 1st 2006, a fire broke out in the basement below Raven. The fire was first discovered by our manager, Paul, as he noticed smoke coming through the floor of our kitchen. Paul went down to the basement and witnessed flames spreading quickly to the wood beams on the ceiling above. He lost no time in getting everyone safely out of the bar and within minutes New York's bravest were on the scene. All the tenants were safely evacuated and thankfully there were no injuries. Unfortunately, Raven is in ruins.

The bar that has become a part of the community, much loved by it's regulars and it's employees and owners, that little corner bar is no more (for the time being anyway). Raven had become part of peoples lives. At least four married couples I know of have met there. And if they didn't meet there some had their wedding receptions there. Raven has played host to Open Mics, political meetings, fund raisers, and some of the coolest DJs in NYC. While every night offered something different, regulars could always rely on Raven being there when they needed them.

We never closed Raven except once and that was for the grand opening party of our Brooklyn Bar, Boulevard Tavern. Raven was open during the worst snow storms, on holidays, and most memorably on 9/11. I can remember dazed customers being thankful for a place to gather. Unpretentious, comfortable, old school East Village, are some of the ways Raven has been described over the years.

It's not easy to describe my feelings right now, it's just barely sinking in. I can only imagine what it might be like to lose a child. Running Raven was never easy for Ria and myself, but we did manage to build a successful business in a very completive neighborhood. We will always cherish our years at Raven and are thankful for all the friends we have made along the way. We are especially thankful for the support from our friends last night. You guys really helped us through our worst night. I can't express how much we love you.

So the question remains, Is this the end of Raven? I know all of you who made Raven their second living room want to know the answer to this. Right now, everything is out of our control. But if the city lets us back in 194 Ave A, I know that we want to rebuild. So if all goes right, yes, this proud bird will fly again.

Oh and by the way, Stolie, our Beta fish did survive."

I had the pleasure of hosting and DJ'ing my monthly party, Dusty to Digital, at the Raven for around 6 or 7 months last year. I'm very sad that this has happened, and I wish Harold and Ria the best. They really are great people and bad things like this shouldn't happen to people like them. But luckily they still have another bar, The Boulevard Tavern, that just recently opened in Greenpoint. So if you're in the area, you should definitely drop in for a drink and show them some support in these complicated times. The Boulevard Tavern is located at 579 Meeker Avenue, between N. Henry and Monitor.

In tribute, here are a couple of songs that I'd like to dedicate to the cast and crew of that black bird in the East Village.

-- The Stranglers: The Raven
-- The Cure: Burn

- LB