Industry Lounge & Gallery hosts final jam session in Huntington, looks to relocate music venue

Industry Lounge & Gallery, a quirky, colorful arts and music venue in Huntington, has announced that it will cease hosting live music at its current location after this weekend and find a larger spot for performances and other acts.

However, the venue's art gallery space will remain open.

“Industry is not closing,” co-owner Emmanuel Cris said in an interview with Newsday on Friday. “The music aspect of it got too big and too popular. Industry was a niche, hidden spot and it just needs more room. We never intended for it to get as popular as it did.”

Industry is an intimate, 2,000-square-foot space that started as a small art guild in 2018. Co-owner Zach Silletti, who showcased his neon art at Industry, came up with the idea to host independent musical acts and open a bar on premises during COVID. The musical aspect of the business took off — so much so that it has outgrown its 16-foot stage and a space that accommodates less than 100 people.

"It’s gotten too big for a spot that only has one tiny bathroom,” Cris said.

Silletti, who grew up in Huntington, wanted to give musicians a chance to perform and find new audiences.

“The whole thing I tried to start was to find the acts of today that we’ll end up talking about 40 years from now,” Silletti said. “That was the goal. Somehow, people started catching on and I’m super grateful for it.”

Mr. Rooster, a Long Island-based swing/rock/bluegrass band, has performed many times at Industry, with an upcoming show this Saturday. Central Islip resident Tom Bauer, who heads up Mr. Rooster with his bandmate Dave Ferro, said that Industry was a unique place that he’ll miss in its original form.

“At Industry, it doesn’t matter who’s playing,” Bauer said. “The crowd of people who go there know what they’re getting into and they’re unbelievably supportive.”

The Huntington Arts Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes the arts in the community, expressed some sadness that Industry was relocating its music and bar space. But Executive Director Kieran Johnson said that he’s looking forward to its next chapter.

“It’s a loss to the village to lose such a unique space, and a place that cultivated creativity,” Johnson said. “They support a lot of local, original bands, where Long Island can be a large swath of cover bands. They supported original content.”

Industry will host “one last jam” on Sunday at 8 p.m., where any musician who wants to participate can get on stage one last time, Silletti said. Anyone who performs at the jam will also sign the gallery’s door before leaving — a longtime tradition for bands who play at Industry — which will be preserved as an art piece.

Silletti said that he’s currently scouting locations for a larger music venue, preferably in or close to Huntington Village. He plans to spend the summer looking for the right space but acknowledged that it’s bittersweet losing the intimacy of the original venue. 

“For the past seven years, that place has been my home,” Silletti said. “My goal for the next space is to continue giving bands a chance to show what they’ve got.”