Blondie are among the bands taking part in a final attempt to save the legendary New York punk club CBGB, whose building lease is not likely to be renewed following falling outs with it's landlord, the Bowery Residents Committee, over rent rises and the club's inability to meet them.
As previously reported, a number of high profile figures have been lending their support to the club ever since its future became insecure, either by helping raise money to help them fight a legal battle to stay in the building, or by offering to mediate between the club and their landlords. And those supporters don't just come from the punk scene the club is famous for - New York mayor Michael Bloomberg offered mediation services this week, labeling the club "a great New York City institution."
The club's owner, Hilly Kristal, welcomed the mayor's support, and urged him to live up to his promise. He told the BBC: "We are doing whatever we can to stay here which includes encouraging people who are in a position to do something about it. The mayor said the other day that he wants to keep us here, but we don't know what is going to happen. C'est la vie. I just hope the he can back-up what he said. I pray that he will."
The rent dispute has been running for a while now. A New York court recently ruled Kristal did not owe back payments on rent rises set by the Bowery Residents Committee because they did not bill for the new amounts properly. However, that doesn't stop the landlords refusing to enter into a new lease unless new higher rent levels are accepted.
Lending their support, Blondie are appearing at a CBGB Forever concert-come-rally organised by Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.