Lucinda Williams to Open Honky-Tonk Bar in New York City

Three-time Grammy winner and Americana music luminary Lucinda Williams is a co-founder and namesake behind Lucinda’s, a new honky-tonk bar set to open in New York City.

Williams teamed with Brownie’s and Lakeside Lounge co-founder Laura McCarthy, as well as East Village bar manager and artist Kelley Swindall to open the new space at 169 Avenue A, where Brownie’s was previously located.

“We are really excited to have a down-home, honky tonk country bar in the East Village,” McCarthy said in a statement. “There is some kind of magic for music in that location. I have felt it since we opened Brownies in the late ’80s. It’s exciting to do this with Lucinda and the team.” 

Dubbed as a “Southern country bar” in a press release, Lucinda’s will open to the public on July 31.

Prior to the public opening, Williams — who is known for Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Little Honey” and “West” — will host a private opening event Tuesday (July 29), where she and her band will perform a set at 10 p.m., following a set by Laura Cantrell at 9 p.m., with DJ Moonshine and DJ Prison Rodeo. That special set will be livestreamed at 9 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Outlaw Country.

The new honky-tonk will highlight Williams’ career, but also pay tribute to the late Jeremy Tepper, her longtime friend and the former program director behind SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country. The new space will feature weekly bluegrass music nights, as well as songwriter open mic nights, and live country music on Friday nights. The venue will also feature live band country karaoke on Saturday nights. The menu will include old-time southern drinks, boiled peanuts, a Williams-curated wine list and more.

Beyond the new bar, Williams released the albums including 2023’s Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart and Lucinda Williams Sings the Beatles From Abbey Road. She also recently released the memoir Don’t Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You.