BAR — The Stephen Talkhouse

A book about a very small bar with an outsized place in music history.

For nearly two years, we worked with the Stephen Talkhouse to document the history of one of Amagansett’s most iconic music venues. The project began with decades of archives and grew into an extensive process of research, interviews, photography, writing, editing, and design.

Since 1987, the Talkhouse has been a home for live music, welcoming more than 80 musicians who have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. From John Hammond, Taj Mahal, Mose Allison, Richie Havens, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and Junior Wells to Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Suzanne Vega, Coldplay, The Killers, Mumford & Sons, and many more, an extraordinary range of artists have passed through its doors.

Because no single voice could tell the story of the Talkhouse, the book’s preface is deliberately told by many. Artists, musicians, bartenders, owners, friends, and members of the community each contribute their own memories and perspective, creating a collective portrait of a place that means something different to everyone who has passed through its doors.

We brought these stories together with archival photographs, personal stories, interviews, and ephemera, creating a lasting record of a place that has remained remarkably small while becoming an outsized part of East Hampton’s cultural life.

A record of the people, music, and community that made the Talkhouse.