Hank’s Saloon: The Movie
World Premiere Photos – Jan. 26, 2026
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Get the “Hank’s Saloon” Experience!
On Saturday, May 30th, beloved local Brooklyn venue Sunset Stoop will host an exclusive ticketed screening of my feature documentary “Hank’s Saloon” in their spacious (and covered) back yard.
As a very special treat, there will be a LIVE musical performance directly after the screening—featuring one of the movie’s main attractions, high-octane honky-tonkers Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers. Plus some special musical guests. And yes, the rumors are true–that includes an ultra-rare appearance by Uncle Leon!
Unlike some of our other events, you must have a ticket to see this screening!
Tickets are $12, and are available here:
Get Tickets for “Hank’s Saloon” at Sunset Stoop
You do not need a ticket to see the band.
Let’s be honest: Sunset Stoop is way too clean and pleasant-smelling to ever truly replicate the feel of being at Hank’s Saloon. But this may be the closest we ever get to recreating the legendary Hank’s honky-tonk nights. Come for the movie, and stay to experience all the musical magic, Hank’s-style!
What’s Next?
Starting in the spring of 2026, we will be hosting a series of secret screenings in various smaller venues around New York City, and beyond.
Bars, art galleries, garages, bodegas… If you’ve got a space with a screen and a willing audience, we’ll show our movie there!
These events will NOT be advertised on social media.
To find out about them, you must sign up for our exclusive e-mail list, using the form on this page.
If you have a space and are interested in hosting a screening, please sign up here
THE STORY
In 2018, I was invited to film Hank’s Saloon in the final months before it closed down forever.
Built in 1850, this rickety little building existed as a bar, under various names and owners, since 1904. Prior to becoming Hank’s, it was known as the Doray Tavern, a nondescript hole-in-the-wall that—depending who you ask—was either the quintessential “creepy old man bar”, or an oasis of safety and camaraderie in what could otherwise be a troublesome neighborhood.
In 2000, under the ownership of local biker Dave Sheeran, it took on the name Hank’s Saloon—along with a new, hot-rod-flame paint job. The bar soon became a favorite hangout of local punk, rock, jazz, soul, and honky-tonk musicians. With the demise of legendary Manhattan music clubs such as CBGBs—and the rent-driven migration of performers and artists to Brooklyn in general—the bar’s reputation as an anything-goes hub of local music and culture only intensified.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the property changed hands several times. Due to a dizzying series of defaults and escrows—fueled by an explosion of real-estate development in the neighborhood—rumors of the bar’s impending demise could be heard as early as 2006.
Despite this, Hank’s Saloon’s newfound reputation as a must-see music venue and icon of “authentic New York” only grew. But it remained, at its core, the kind of smelly beer-and-whiskey dive where anyone—and I mean anyone—who knew how to tip a bartender and stay out of a fight was welcome.
Hank’s officially closed at the end of 2018.
As of 2026, the original building is still standing, and still empty.