In case you didn't get the memo, New York's Knitting Factory has officially moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it's hard not to take it as a symbol of the times. The Knitting Factory first opened on Houston Street in 1987, a major part of the 80's artistic boom of SoHom, and it didn't lose any of its influence when it moved to TriBeca in 1994. The venue was known to cater to many left-of-centre avant-garde and experimental acts, including Sonic Youth, John Zorn, and Soul Coughing.

In recent years, however, other music clubs like the rise of other spots like Bowery Ballroom and The Mercury Lounge began to rise in influence, stealing coveted acts away from the once cachet-laden Knitting Factory. As a result, the club began booking fewer noise and jazz acts and moremore flavor-of-the-month blog bands. Meanwhile, the once-vibrant artistic community was dwindling in TriBeca and rents were rising exponentially. After flirting with the idea for years, the Knitting Factory finally closed its doors and got ready to reopen elsewhere.

It would be hard to think of a more suitable location than Williamsburg, Brooklyn, an area that is currently experiencing an artistic boom of its own. For the first time, however, Knitting Factory is moving into the scene and not helping bolster it, and with the promoters pursuing more commercial endeavors in Boise and California (including booking mainstream acts like Puddle of Mudd), Brooklyn hipsters may see the club more as an intruder than a member.

How the club establishes itself will be crucial to its ongoing survival in the new borough. Will it continue to book bands that will guarantee an easy buck, or will it try to recapture some of the old left-of-centre magic? Is this a new chapter for the iconic music venue or is it time for the Knitting Factory to pass the torch and call it a day?