RIP Tonic

It is with heavy heart that I pass on some sad news to those New York-based readers out there: Tonic is closing. Yes, the same Tonic that Kevo and I named our "Best of 2006" in this post:

Sometimes there are 5 people in the place 20 minutes into the show, with musicians marching on to the different drummer of their own sound, which might or might not involve eastern chants, household appliances, and a brass section. Other times, you've got new-age flamenco-funk moving the ceiling and walls with a house that's been packed since 11. Music is and should be experimentation. It should be new. The old and battered Tonic always is.

Brooklyn Vegan posted on this yesterday, and when I read the news my heart sank. Tonic is closing because the real estate value of it's Lower East Side location has skyrocketed (keep in mind that this area was pretty much considered a slum not even a decade ago) and it has essentially been priced out of the neighborhood. New luxury condos are going up next door.

I don't know if there is anything out there that can takes its place; Tonic has pushed the envelope continually but not many other clubs have followed suit. How many more of these places can NYC lose?