Saint Vitus
A Brooklyn bar and live-music venue associated with heavy metal, hardcore, punk, experimental music, and independent cultural programming.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Saint Vitus, also known as Saint Vitus Bar, was a bar and live-music venue in Brooklyn, New York, identified especially with heavy metal and adjacent underground music communities. Its original venue opened in April 2011 at 1120 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint. The approximately 2,500-square-foot space had previously been used as a plumbing school and, earlier, as a social club. The founders initially conceived it primarily as a metal-themed bar that would host occasional concerts, but the venue quickly became a significant booking room for loud, independent, and experimental music. The business was founded by Arty Shepherd, Justin Scurti, and George Souleidis, together with two undisclosed silent owners. Matthew Maddy designed the interior, helping establish an atmosphere centered on metal culture rather than a conventional nightclub presentation. The name referred simultaneously to the influential doom-metal band Saint Vitus, songs associated with Bauhaus and Black Sabbath, and Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. The first concert was performed by Liturgy on May 6, 2011. The namesake band Saint Vitus appeared there on September 25, 2012. During its early years, writer and curator Brandon Stosuy booked groups including Converge, Deafheaven, and Iceage. David Castillo served as talent buyer, and Saint Vitus developed a reputation as a compact but influential room where established artists, emerging acts, and reunions could perform in an intimate setting. The venue hosted metal, doom, sludge, hardcore, punk, noise, alternative rock, and other forms of heavy or unconventional music. Its calendar also included author events, book signings, conversations, benefit performances, art exhibitions, and community activities such as weekly metal-yoga sessions. Saint Vitus became notable for events that extended beyond its regular club schedule. In 2014, surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performed an invite-only set there after Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guest vocalists included Joan Jett, J Mascis, Annie Clark, John McCauley, and Kim Gordon. Other notable appearances included performances or events involving Tony Iommi, Carcass, Judge, Gojira, Anthrax, Megadeth, Thursday, Killing Joke, Blink-182, Saetia, and many other artists. The venue also served as the setting for the music video for St. Vincent's “Fast Slow Disco,” released in 2018. The brand expanded into recorded-music activity in 2013, when Shepherd and Castillo established Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise. The label's first cited release was an album by Sannhet. Saint Vitus also marked its fifth anniversary in 2016 with five nights of concerts featuring Pallbearer, Corrosion of Conformity, Royal Thunder, and 13th Chime. In 2023, the venue announced a large oral and visual history book documenting its first decade, created by photographer and employee Nathaniel C. Shannon. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Saint Vitus to close temporarily. In April 2020, it launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking emergency support, with a stated goal of $15,000. The campaign ultimately raised more than $125,000 in under two months, demonstrating the strength of the venue's audience and artist network. The original location was shut down by the New York City Department of Buildings on February 16, 2024, following multiple violations, including missing maximum-occupancy signage and problems involving assembly and drinking certifications. The closure occurred during a performance by Balmora, who were opening for Mindforce. Saint Vitus Presents subsequently continued arranging shows at other New York venues. In August 2024, the business stated that the Greenpoint location was permanently closed. Reference material also records a July 2026 announcement of a planned Bushwick location at the former Brooklyn Made site; the operating status of that announced location is not independently established here.
History
Saint Vitus opened in April 2011 at 1120 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Arty Shepherd, Justin Scurti, and George Souleidis founded the venue with two silent owners. The premises had previously housed a plumbing school and a social club. Designer Matthew Maddy shaped the interior around a heavy-metal bar concept, while the name connected the business to the doom-metal band Saint Vitus, references in the work of Bauhaus and Black Sabbath, and Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Liturgy played the first show on May 6, 2011. Although the founders had initially imagined occasional live performances accompanying the bar, the concert program rapidly became central to the business. Brandon Stosuy helped book early artists including Converge, Deafheaven, and Iceage, and the venue became a destination for heavy, experimental, and independent music. Its programming broadened across doom metal, sludge, hardcore, punk, noise, alternative rock, and related scenes. The namesake band performed there in September 2012. The venue's profile grew through unusual bookings and special events. It hosted a Tony Iommi book signing, appearances by major metal and punk acts, author events, artist discussions, benefit shows, and performances by artists who normally played much larger rooms. In April 2014, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performed an invite-only Nirvana-related set at Saint Vitus immediately after Nirvana's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Joan Jett, J Mascis, Annie Clark, John McCauley, and Kim Gordon joined them as guest vocalists. Saint Vitus also supported recurring cultural programming, including Metal Yoga Bones sessions and art events curated by Karlynn Holland under the title Dreams Were Made For Mortals. In 2013, co-founder Arty Shepherd and talent buyer David Castillo launched Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise, beginning with a release by Sannhet. In 2016, Saint Vitus celebrated its fifth anniversary with five nights of concerts. The venue later appeared in St. Vincent's “Fast Slow Disco” music video, released in 2018. Its reputation extended beyond New York: music publications characterized it as an unusually important room for loud music and as a leading metal bar in the city. The pandemic created a severe operating challenge. Saint Vitus closed under COVID-19 restrictions and launched a Kickstarter campaign on April 7, 2020. Although the target was $15,000, supporters contributed more than $125,000 in under two months. In 2023, the venue announced Saint Vitus Bar: The First 10 Years: An Oral and Visual History, a 346-page book by photographer and employee Nathaniel C. Shannon, with contributions and interviews involving figures such as Dave Mustaine, Laura Jane Grace, and Chuck Klosterman. On February 16, 2024, the New York City Department of Buildings shut the venue during a Balmora performance opening for Mindforce. The cited issues included absent maximum-occupancy signage and deficiencies involving assembly and drinking certifications. Shows continued at other locations under the Saint Vitus Presents banner, but in August 2024 the venue confirmed the permanent closure of its Greenpoint address. Artists and bands including Thursday, Chelsea Wolfe, Ethel Cain, and Saetia publicly acknowledged the venue's importance after the closure. Reference material further records a July 2026 announcement of a future Bushwick location at the former Brooklyn Made site; its eventual operating status is not confirmed in this dossier.
- 2026
Bushwick location announced
[1]Reference material records an announcement of a future venue in Bushwick at the former Brooklyn Made site.
- 2024
Greenpoint location closed
[1]The Department of Buildings shuts the venue in February; the business confirms permanent closure in August.
- 2023
Ten-year history book announced
[1]The venue announces a 346-page oral and visual history documenting its first decade.
- 2020
COVID-19 relief campaign
[1]A Kickstarter campaign launched during the pandemic closure raises more than $125,000 against a $15,000 goal.
- 2018
Saint Vitus appears in St. Vincent music video
[1]The venue is used as the setting for St. Vincent's “Fast Slow Disco” video.
- 2016
Fifth-anniversary concert series
[1]The venue marks five years with five nights of shows led by Pallbearer, Corrosion of Conformity, Royal Thunder, and 13th Chime.
- 2014
Nirvana-related invite-only performance
[1]Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic perform with guest vocalists after Nirvana's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
- 2013
Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise is established
[1]Arty Shepherd and David Castillo create a record-label and merchandise operation, initially to release an album by Sannhet.
- 2012
Namesake band performs at the venue
[1]Saint Vitus plays Saint Vitus Bar on September 25.
- 2011
Saint Vitus opens in Greenpoint
[1]The original 2,500-square-foot bar and music venue opens at 1120 Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn.
Products and positioning
An intimate, artist-focused Brooklyn music venue and bar positioned at the intersection of heavy metal, hardcore, punk, experimental music, and underground cultural programming.
Music venue programming · 2011
Live concerts
Saint Vitus's core offering was a tightly curated calendar of concerts spanning heavy metal, doom, sludge, hardcore, punk, noise, experimental music, and alternative rock. The room's small scale made it suitable for intimate performances, one-off appearances, reunions, warm-up shows, and artist bills that connected underground scenes with better-known touring acts.
Hospitality · 2011
Bar service
The venue was designed first as a metal-themed bar, with drinks and a music-oriented social environment forming an important part of the Saint Vitus experience. The bar operated alongside concerts and other events at the Greenpoint location.
Record label and merchandise · 2013
Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise
Established by Arty Shepherd and David Castillo in 2013, Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise extended the Saint Vitus identity into recorded music and merchandise. Its first cited project was an album by Sannhet.
Cultural events · 2011
Special events and cultural programming
Beyond concerts, Saint Vitus hosted book signings, readings, artist conversations, benefit events, art exhibitions, yoga sessions, and other community-oriented programs. These activities broadened the venue's role from a club into a gathering place for music, visual art, publishing, and subcultural communities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Saint Vitus COVID-19 Kickstarter
United States
Saint Vitus launched a Kickstarter campaign on April 7, 2020, after pandemic restrictions forced the venue to close. The campaign sought $15,000 in emergency assistance and ultimately raised more than $125,000 in less than two months.
Outcome. The campaign substantially exceeded its stated target and provided emergency financial support during the forced closure.
Brand decisions
2026
Planned relocation to BushwickStrategyBackground
Following the permanent closure of the Greenpoint venue, reference material records plans for a new Brooklyn location.
Action taken
Saint Vitus announced a proposed Bushwick location at the site formerly occupied by Brooklyn Made.
Aftermath
The operating status and opening date of the announced location are not confirmed in this dossier.
2024
Continuation through Saint Vitus PresentsOtherBackground
The Greenpoint venue was shut by the New York City Department of Buildings over multiple violations and could no longer host shows at the original address.
Action taken
Organizers continued presenting concerts at other New York venues under the Saint Vitus Presents banner.
Aftermath
The original location was later declared permanently closed, while the Saint Vitus identity continued to be used for off-site programming.
2020
Emergency crowdfunding during pandemic closureStrategyBackground
COVID-19 restrictions halted live events and deprived the venue of normal concert and bar revenue.
Action taken
Saint Vitus used Kickstarter to solicit direct audience support.
Aftermath
The campaign raised more than $125,000, well above its $15,000 target.
Crowdfunding raised. $15,000 target → More than $125,000 raised (April to approximately June 2020)
2013
Expansion into recorded musicStrategyBackground
The venue had become a recognized platform for underground music and sought an additional way to support artists and extend its identity.
Action taken
Arty Shepherd and David Castillo created Sacrament Recordings and Merchandise, beginning with an album by Sannhet.
Aftermath
The move added label and merchandise activity to the venue's bar, concert, and cultural-programming model.
Sources2 sources
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