On a recent night in Bed-Stuy, the first set at LunÀtico was slated for 9 p.m., but by the time the lights dimmed, the intimate, musician-owned bar at 486 Halsey Street was already full. To the right, the bar occupied nearly half the room, animated with conversation as patrons of varying backgrounds filled each stool, ordering cocktails like the smoky, mezcal-forward Liquid Love or the crisp, apple-bright Fortunate Isle.
To the left, small two-top tables lined a narrow walkway toward the stage, positioned beneath culturally diverse paintings and other artwork that gave the room the feeling of a lived-in salon rather than a formal venue.
Just before taking the stage, Brooklyn-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Alwyn Robinson sat near the back of the room finishing a plate of slow-cooked roast chicken, duck fat potatoes layered with black pepper and orange zest béchamel. Robinson was headlining LunÀtico, a space whose musician-first ethos closely aligns with his own artistic trajectory.
Photo: Enoch Naklen
Robinson describes his sound as Americana, though the label functions more as a container than a constraint. “It incorporates roots, jazz, blues, rock, soul,” he explained earlier that evening. “There’s some bluegrass elements in there.
There’s no straight and narrow to it. It’s just a broad range.” That openness traces directly back to his upbringing in Marshall, Texas, a small East Texas town situated between cultural hubs like Dallas, Houston, and Shreveport. The proximity fostered an environment where orchestral music, church gospel, blues, country, indie, and alternative scenes all circulated at once. “It is a cultural melting pot,” Robinson said. “All of those things kind of found their way through Marshall.”
That musical expansiveness existed alongside more rigid boundaries. Raised in a military household, Robinson recalls strict expectations around appearance, particularly Black hair. Dreadlocks, long afros, or braids past the ear were not permitted in his high school. It was not until relocating to New York that he began to experience a fuller sense of personal expression. He first grew his hair in free-form locks, later shaping them with intention as his sense of self matured.
Drawing inspiration from jazz figures like Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, Robinson came to view aesthetics and musicianship as parallel disciplines. “The dreadlocks became a spiritual guidance for me,” he said. “I protect what that means for me, which is freedom.”
Before stepping forward as a solo artist and vocalist, Robinson built a national reputation as a drummer, touring extensively with the Americana and bluegrass band Leftover Salmon. That experience exposed him to the scale of the country and the surprising common ground shared across it. “I’ve had the opportunity and the privilege to tour all 50 states. I’ve seen every crack of this country,” he said. Touring also shifted his relationship to music itself, easing rigid academic thinking in favor of feel and presence.
That evolution culminates in Marshall, Robinson’s most recent album, released last month and named for his hometown. Unlike earlier projects, which he describes as exploratory, Marshall serves as a grounding point in both sound and approach.
The record was not created in a formal studio but in the living room of a friend’s Brooklyn apartment, using minimal equipment and close-quarters recording. Planes passing overhead occasionally bleed into the tracks. “It makes you feel youthful,” Robinson said. “It takes away the pressure and reminds you that you can make something meaningful wherever you are.”
When the LunÀtico host finally asked the room to settle, conversation gave way to attention. Robinson delivered an eclectic and measured set that moved fluidly across genres, drawing heavily from Marshall. Performances of “Nose on the Grindstone” and “Foreign Fields” were met with a sustained standing ovation, the audience visibly attuned to the exchange unfolding onstage.
That exchange reflects what LunÀtico has cultivated since opening in 2014. Founded by musicians Richard Julian, Arthur Kell, and Rosita Késs, the bar was envisioned as a hybrid space that paired thoughtful cocktails and food with a genuine commitment to live music. Today, remaining owners Kell and Julian continue to present one of the most varied music programs in the city, supporting artists directly through audience donations.
For Robinson, LunÀtico represents a space that understands musicianship as a lived practice rather than a product. “They take care of the musicians,” he said. “There’s room for all of it.” On nights like this one, that care is tangible, felt as much as it is heard.
LunÀtico is open nightly from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., with happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., dinner service from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and live music beginning at 9 p.m. The venue is located at 486 Halsey Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. A full calendar of upcoming performances can be found at www.lunaticobrooklyn.com.
