Cocktail conductor Jason Mendenhall and kitchen commander Robert Ceraso have been known to throw impromptu free food and booze parties at their neighbourhood bar in Alphabet City with a last minute Twitter heads-up, but even if you’re not the sort who’s on the lookout for something to do at 2am on a random Tuesday in Manhattan, events at The Wayland are well worth keeping up with.
Although it’s located within one of the world’s most full-on cities, The Wayland’s vibes are more relaxed and countrified. Flanked by two community gardens, the bar has been put together (and that’s definitely the apt expression) by Evan and Oliver Haslegrave of hOmE design studio with vintage artefacts and design motifs redolent of the Delta and the rural South — although one of the main features, the salvaged wooden boards, came from a school just up the street. American roots music forms the spine of the venue’s entertainment programme; think blues and bluegrass, soul, rock, funk and hip hop depending on when you stop by.
