BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Bed-Stuy music fans will no longer have to worry about traveling to Bushwick or Williamsburg to support local talent.
Beast of Bourbon, a new bar and BBQ restaurant from the owner of Black Swan, is set to open in May at 708 Myrtle Ave., bringing with it a space to hear live music. And the owner, Sureshan Pather, says he wants to showcase local talent.
"I know there's a lot of great musicians, locally," Pather said. "I want it to be very 'do it yourself.'"
The roughly 6,000-square-foot space will also serve over-the-counter BBQ and offer 50 beers on tap. The meat, cooked by Black Swan chef Adam Schere, will be sourced from local farms, and all of the beer, wine and spirits will be from the United States, Pather said.
A nod to the Australian rock band of the same name, Beast of Bourbon is billed as a venue for "BBQ, beer and rock 'n' roll." In addition to the live music, the owner included in the plans a separate bar area with a jukebox featuring a hand-picked selection of 100 CDs, featuring punk and post-punk bands like the Bad Brains, the Cult and Nick Cave.
Pather envisions that space, which will also feature a second floor with a pool table, as a more laid-back environment, where couples and friends can go to relax.
"It's a great place for an older couple to have a dirty night out," Pather said. "Get a little too drunk and have a laugh. Put some money in the jukebox."
Now 44, Pather started Black Swan at 1048 Bedford Ave. after owning an aquarium store in Manhattan for 20 years.
After moving from the East Village to Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2006, Pather said he was struck by the sense of community, which he said reminded him of what the East Village was like when he first moved to the United States 25 years ago. In 2010, he opened Black Swan, hoping to add something special to his new home.
Now, with Black Swan coming up on its 3-year anniversary in April, Pather hopes he can take what he's learned in his time in the neighborhood and do the same thing with Beast of Bourbon.
"I know the mistakes, what's a waste of money, what's not," Pather said. "But I'll put in the same amount of love and attention. I don't think that's different."
