Maxwell’s in Hoboken to Close in July

Maxwell’s, the Hoboken restaurant and bar that has been one of the most influential indie-rock clubs in New Jersey, is closing down at the end of July, The Star-Ledger reported.

Todd Abramson, the club’s booking agent and co-owner, said the bar’s business was declining as Hoboken has become a more upscale town, dominated by pricey condos and sports bars. When the bar and restaurant opened, rents were affordable and Hoboken attracted artists and musicians, nurturing a vibrant rock scene, he said. “The culture in Hoboken is driven by reality TV now,” Mr. Abramson told The Star-Ledger. “A lot of the bars downtown are fighting with each other for who has the most giant TVs. That’s what Hoboken nightlife has become.”

Mr. Abramson said the club would stage a concert on its last night â€" July 31 â€" featuring the band “a,” which was one of the first groups to play at Maxwell’s back room in the 1980s. That group included members of the Bongos and Glenn Morrow, who went on to found Bar/None Records. “I think we’re going to go out the way we came in,” he said.