ShapeShifter Lab

This is not for everybody. If you are open to explore another jazz scene in Brooklyn, this works perfect. Very relaxing open space. For me, sound is good even from the side bar. Luckily I have not seen the show failed me. And finally they accept credit card.

A friend rented this space out for a private party and while it’s a nice layout, spacious, and the place looked cool, the service was unnecessarily bad. Two bartenders standing idly at an empty bar managed to ignore me for several minutes and then made me feel like I was doing something wrong by ordering a drink. Later when I asked for a water the guy sighed in my face and went and filled my glass with warm water from the tap… instead of directing me to the water-​dispenser that I later learned was on the other side of the bar. It wasn’t a big deal but was annoying considering that this was someone’s birthday and she could have held it elsewhere at a venue that actually wanted the business.

I paid for streaming to see a live performance at Shape Shifter Lab, it was terrible, not the performance, the site, no full screen view, sound was horrible and only a side view of the band, the view should have faced the front of the stage not the side and the sound production was super horrible, so horrible I had to write it twice. I felt like I was ripped off by paying for the streaming. They absolutely know about the sub par streaming service. You can’t make money by ripping off people, ripped off people tell other people. If their business tactics don’t change their door will be padlocked very soon.

It’s a good space and I went to watch Earthdriver’s event tonight (which was fabulous). The ticketing system needs improvement, though. The line was long and the woman taking orders was flustered and was calling me and my friend over to buy a ticket long after we had purchased them. Also, would be better if the bathrooms were both unisex. What I really like is the size of the stage in comparison to the size of the audience. The stage is almost bigger than the audience which guarantees an intimate show.

What an awesome place. Great vibe and refreshing music scene. Went to see Fabian Almazan last night and had such a wonderful night! The staff was great and the artists seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Definitely go if you’re feeling some great music and nice vibe!

Great place. Sound system is terrific. Been there five or six times and music is always great. Nice staff. Sets start late, but the place is so mellow (and the pre-​music sounds so interesting) that it doesn’t really matter.

This place exploits musicians like no other place in New York City
I was told all policies and fees upfront, so I am not complaining about not having been informed.
Still, if you want to play here as a band with little to average following, be prepared to basically give all your money to the venue. If you draw less than 29 people, you only get 30% of the door (take into account that this venue is basically out in the sticks. Brooklyns nowhere land). On top of that they charge insane amounts for recording video or audio and rehearsal space. No outside videographer allowed, no recording allowed. All has to be done in house. And the fees are unbearable for a low income NYC musician who puts all his finances into music. Recording audio is 250 $ PER SET (!) and recording audio anywhere upwards $ 200. They take a huge cut out of your ticket sales and they charge $ 9 for a beer. The band gets absolutely no drink tickets or food/​food discount. Clearly, the owners have no understanding whatsoever what it means to be a musician in NYC.
It’s a miserable location to begin with. Rude and unresponsive staff (I have sent a handful of emails that remained unreplied and had to follow up multiple times on things), completely unfair ticket cuts (30% for the artist), way overprized beverages for this location (beer and wine between 9 $ and 15 $) and an overflow of policies like «we throw out your recording if you don’t pick it up within two weeks» don’t really help to make this place a charming venue that supports the arts. It exploits them.

Stopped by for the first time with a couple of friends to hear the group Koplant No perform. Never realized that this place was here after hanging out in the area for so long.
Venue is very cool and laid back, acoustics are good as well. We’ll be going back the next time we are in the mood for some smooth jazz.

ABSOLUTELY UNPROFESSIONAL LIARS!!!
After booking a date here, and planning a multimedia show here for one and a half months, they canceled my event two hours before I was to load in. Their initial reason was, and I quote,“We are being forced to shut down for the week due to internal business issues.” However, they were open for business the very next day. When I asked about having a sit down meeting to know why my show was canceled and discuss reimbursements, Matt Garrison is totally unavailable.
After a spearheaded statement via email conversation, he decided to confess the truth about why my show was canceled:
«You have no idea what is going down. You actually should be thanking me for making sure of protecting your artistic interests in the long run. „Dirty work“… What a joke. You don’t have a clue.
Refrain from coming to useless conclusions. Have a sit down with Fortuna, figure out what needs to be done and get it over with.
We offered you everything for FREE. Find the date and make your project function. If you do NOT want to proceed, that’s fine. Don’t waste more time or energy. Just get to it. Yes or no…
Because Fortuna and I are having a difficult time agreeing in how to proceed with business/​personal matters. Your date reached a climax. It may not be the last event to end up in such a manner. It could happen again today depending on how the next hours unfold. I’m not coming in today because i will only work under specific conditions.
It’s not about you at all. We were both mortified that it came to canceling the date but it HAD to happen.
You definitely have my personal apologies for it coming to that. I’m sorry.
Please meet with Fortuna and settle on a new date. I personally promise and guarantee that whatever internal disagreements we may have will not affect the new date you both settle on.
Book it.»
As the son of a great, and a union musician, I expected better from Matthew Garrison and I GOT BURNED!!! He is the most unprofessional business owner I have ever come in contact with in new york! He is not trying to create a sense of community amongst musicians here. He is a greedy, money hungry coward who is only chasing checks.

Good variety of wines :)

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the cutting edge of sound as art, you should spend an evening at ShapeShifter. To call it «experimental» elevates the concept. I’ve seen dozens of the musicians who’ve performed here. And I say performance cautiously. The music is created as much as performed. The space is comfortable. The staff are passionate. And the vibe can redirect your life. I took some lessons in improvisation from Matt, and I think it added years to my life. And to top it off, Fortuna makes the best cup of coffee in the Canal.

A great spot with great sound. Unlike the Manhattan venues this feels like you are sitting down with friends. In the couple of shows that I’ve heard, the artists seem to be more willing to play out and more likely to take chances. Last night, Jack DeJohnette did a bass drum solo for several minutes and the audience was mesmerized. At a Manhattan club, the audience would have started talking after 30 seconds.
They are just getting started, so for large events the organization of tickets is still a little rough, but the staff are invariably polite and helpful. About 10 different beers and 8 different types of wine are available. You pick it up at the bar and bring it to your seat.
I love having this alternative to the Blue Note, Iridium, etc. which have a distinctly older and more conservative crowd, a much more formal atmosphere, and higher ticket prices. Here, you can hear people who are not «known» almost any night of the week. It has the feeling of a really creative club and not a museum.
I can’t imagine the the work that it takes to start a place this, but I’m just happy they did and I hope they flourish.

Came here for the jack dejohnette show. Reasonably priced 25 dollar tickets. Jack et al were really good. It was a good performance, in a terribly run place.
I expected a much more professional bar or club with a will call window or booth … not the Blue Note, necessarily, but not a garage full of art students on perpetual break either. Aloofn and dismissive (and infuriatingly slow) service was standard issue. I felt like I was invading some Pratt dorm party. Entire audience had to wait outside for an hour before the show — even ticket holders. Each ticket holder received a carefully drawn (with a sharpie) picture of «hello kitty» (honest to God) as the entry «stamp», which, of course, meant an excessively long wait outside in the cold before being permitted to enter Shapeshifter Lab. Then for the second set, we had to go outside and do it all again. Worse than a frat party. These folks do not have their act together yet; unfortunately they really seem to like it that way. I asked a friend who lives around the corner (who invited me to this show) and this is not a fluke: it is standard operating procedure at this Very Special Venue. I almost didn’t bother going back for set two. At least the performance was memorable in a good way — second set was better than the first, which made this night not a complete drag.

I saw a really great jazz quartet at Shape Shifter Lab this past weekend after an impromptu invitation from a friend. It’s a large, open, loft-​like space with exposed brick, tucked away on a one way street in the Gowanus that I didn’t even know existed! It struck me as a welcoming space from the first moment I entered. There was a small cover for the band, and they had a little café serving beer, wine, and snacks for the show. They also have some interesting art that is for sale. My friend was checking out one of them, and I must say I couldn’t help but pick a few faves out of the collection myself. Check out their calendar and go see some cool stuff!

This is a cool spot. No liquor yet, but apparently coming soon! For now, water and juice.
I watched a jazz performance here with a friend. The place has about 100 seats, but can fit about 200. The structural beams in the middle of the room can be a pain if you’re sitting offset from the stage, but still good acoustics and nice décor. I liked the art work set into the walls.
I hope to visit again!

Cool, industrial-​like space that opened about 2 months ago. Exposed white-​washed brick wall with local art on the walls. Small intimate setting, maybe only 100 in the audience. Came for the Jeff Ballard trio on a Monday, ⁶⁄₄. Cash only for tix at the door. Liquor license in the works, should be up as early as next week. Juice available for now, pay whatever you want as a donation.