Frequently Asked Questions
How about parking?
There is plenty of parking on the street and a large public parking lot just east of the club on the same side of the street.
When do the shows start for real? When do the doors open?
Doors open one hour before the announced show time. We start shows no later than one half hour after announced show time. Occasionally it will be slightly later if the show is poorly attended. If there is an opening act (rare) the headliner will start shortly after the opener is through.
How can my band play at the Talkhouse?
E-mail us the type of music, number of sets you can play (one is pretty worthless for us) and most importantly let us know about your local or regional following. You must be willing do do your own promotion (in addition to what we do automatically) and expect to play for the door during the off season.
How do I get there?
There are very good directions that you can access on this website. There are also links to the Hampton Jitney (which drops you off a 5 min. walk away) and the Long Island Railroad (a bit further away). For them you might consider calling a local cab company (like Amagansett Taxi 631-267-2006) so they can meet the train. If you are coming from Connecticut (the New London Ferry number is 860-443-5281) bring your car as there is no easy or cheap way to get from Orient Point to here.
Are there reserved seats and tables for all shows?
No, we take the tables out for some "dance oriented" shows. These include shows like The Radiators, 7 Nations, and all the reggae and hip-hop shows. Shows that have only one "General Admission" price are typically those that have no assigned seating. What is the difference between VIP (seating) and General Admission tickets? VIP seating gets you a reserved seat up until the announced showtime. A general admission ticket gets you into the club only. If you get here early you can get a seat at the bar, but if the show has sold well you can come late but you might have to stand. For some shows that are dance-oriented we have no reserved seats so that people can dance. For thase shows all tickets are the same price.
If I purchase a VIP Ticket, how long will you hold my seat?
A VIP ticket guarantees a seat until the announced showtime. If you know you will be late try to call and we will hold your seats later.
How about General Admission?
General Admission tickets get you in the door. To get the best bar and rail seats try to come as early as possible. Doors are usually open at 7:PM and many regulars are here at that time. For certain sold out shows lines do form as early a 6pm.
What are Box Office hours? How can I speak to a human?
In the May-Sept season there is usually someone in the office between 11am and 5pm. Off season we're in and out, but if you leave your name and number and the best time to return the call we will get back to you. We leave the message machine on during the evening and it's pretty thorough about the performance and the schedule. Unfortunately, you can't count on getting a human after show time.
If you sell out a show can I still get in?
When a show is sold out you can come to the door when we open (one hour before the announced showtime) and put your name on a list. When the announced show time comes (and the bulk of the ticketholders are in) we will admit people off the list in the order in which their name appears. We make an effort to get everyone in but if you're on the waiting list you will be standing.
Can I request a certain seat? How many people at a table? How do I get the good seats?
You can always request a certain seat when you order but there is NO guarantee that we will be able to accommodate you. Some tables have as many as 15 seats. Some only 4. The earlier you buy the better chance you have for the best seats. Can I stay for the second show? Can I stay for the Late Show? For National Acts with two shows, We have a policy of clearing the house so the people with tickets for the second show have access to all seating. You may stay for the late show unless it is also a National Act (such as Terrance Simien, etc.)
How do I get Free Tickets?
Get on the e-mail list. We have free tickets and special promotions all the time.
What is your ticket policy?
TICKET POLICY All sales are final. No refunds. Exchanges can be made within 2 weeks with tickets! WAYS TO BUY TICKETS!! - ONLINE: Go to the Tickets Link and buy them using a Credit Card! BY PHONE WITH A CREDIT CARD: Just give us a call and you can purchase the tickets over the phone with a credit card (Mastercard, Visa, and American Express). We will send them to you or hold them at the door! - PUT A NOTE AND A CHECK IN THE MAIL: Send us a check in the mail for the exact amount of the tickets (made out to the STEPHEN TALKHOUSE) and a note with all your information and we will send you the tickets! - BUY THEM IN CASH AT THE DOOR THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW: Since we don't have an open box office for advance sales, you can only buy tickets in CASH at the DOOR the night of the show. VIP SEATS VIP tickets ensure seats at a table. The table assignments are arranged based on the order of ticket sales and the size of your parties so that we can best accommodate everyone. You may ask for a specific table, but it is never a sure thing. Table seats are only held until announced show time. GENERAL ADMISSION General admission does not guarantee a seat. Some shows (usually reggae) have no available seating. For other shows there are seats available on a first come basis. By arriving early you may sit in any of a number of unreserved seats along the bar and around the club. The club usually opens its doors at 7pm for an 8pm show (1 hour before show time). All must be 21 to enter. Flash photography is prohibited. The audience is expected to remain quiet during the performance. All shows are non-smoking.The Talkhouse no longer serves dinner, but there are several restaurants in walking distance.
Who is Stephen Talkhouse?
An Indian Named Pharaoh A symbol of the Algonquian past, Stephen Talkhouse inspires today's Montauketts Photo Steven (Talkhouse) Pharaoh (Suffolk County Historical Society) A painting shows David Pharoh, Steven's half brother, traveling in eastern Long Island. (New York State Museum, Albany) His name was Steven Pharaoh, and he was the embodiment of everything that ever was on Long Island and everything that would never be again. In 1879, Pharaoh lived in a small house on the high, rocky moraine at Montauk Point. On maps of the day, this place was called Indian Fields, and was home to a small number of Montaukett families whose ancestors had lived on this same spot for thousands of years. It was a place of memory and history -- for Pharaoh, it was all he had ever known. That year, Pharaoh was 60 years old. As a child he had been bound as an indentured servant to an East Hampton family; he had worked as a hunter, fisherman and whaler. Some said he sailed to California in 1849 to look for gold; in the early 1860s, when he was in his 40s, he enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War. He was said to have walked all over the South Fork and Long Island. He boasted of walking to Brooklyn and back in a single day. For a small fee, he'd walk letters to homes miles apart. His white neighbors in East Hampton nicknamed him "Talkhouse," for reasons now lost to history. Talkhouse Pharaoh was a local celebrity. But he was much more than that. Tall, bone thin, his long black hair cascading over his shoulders, Pharaoh was the living symbol of Long Island's Algonquian past -- a past that by 1878 had all but faded into oblivion. That year, a suit was filed by two East Hampton residents trying to force the sale of Indian Fields. Pharaoh and his half-brother, David Pharaoh, had joined together to fight the sale in court. Then David died, leaving Talkhouse Pharaoh to fight alone. The next year, in that place, Pharaoh sat at the intersection of fate and history. What little remained of the Algonquians' world was about to be replaced by a new and emerging Long Island. Even as the tiny Montaukett community was fighting to stay at Indian Fields, 80 miles to the west, in the Hempstead Plains, a New York City businessman had already built a planned community called Garden City. Within seven years the Brooklyn Bridge would open, and Long Island would never be the same. Seeing Pharaoh as a unique figure, circus promotor P.T. Barnum displayed Pharaoh as "The Last King of the Montauks," as if he were the only survivor of a dead race. East Hampton businessman I.G. Van Scoy felt the same way, and in 1867 had posed Pharaoh for a portrait, which was then sold as a memento. The photograph shows Pharaoh dressed in a long frock coat, white shirt and frilly bow tie, seated in a chair, clutching a long walking stick in his right hand. Pharaoh looks like a man who has suddenly found himself lost in a familiar place. "Talkhouse Pharaoh was born in a wigwam at a site called `Molly's Place' near Three Mile Harbor," said John Strong, a history professor at Southampton College of Long Island University. "Steven had that presence that struck everybody who met him. That's why people sought him out for photographs. He was the ideal type. So when he died, people thought there were no more Montauketts anywhere." The name Faro appears on deeds marked by the Montauketts' Xs in the mid-1600s. Later, the name was reconfigured into "Pharaoh," probably by English settlers who wanted to give the family a regal-sounding name that would confer on them the status to sell off land. "Growing up, I'd hear stories about Steven Talkhouse. He was quite the man, an exemplary man. No one had a bad word about him," said John Fowler, a Montaukett who can trace his lineage back to the 17th Century. "We look at him today as someone who represents what we were." Today, the tiny Montaukett community is seeking federal recognition that would grant them what would otherwise seem obvious -- recognition that they are still on Long Island and can seek redress for what they consider past wrongs. To supporters of the effort, Talkhouse Pharaoh is an inspiration, a guiding light. "We look at him and are inspired by his life," said Robert Cooper, the recently elected chief of the Montauketts. "In honoring our history, we honor his memory." Cooper said he dreams of a tall statue being made of Talkhouse Pharaoh that would stand at Indian Fields, which is now part of parkland owned by Suffolk County. Over the generations after English settlers arrived, the community of Montauketts who lived at the site were gradually diminished, losing their land base and their culture. By the 1790s, very little of their language had survived, and to save what was left a word list was compiled by John Gardiner, who employed Indians on the island that bears his family's name. It is a short list, but it's all there is. The changing character of Montauk Point can be seen in maps. Early maps of the region show the words Indian Town or Indian Fields at the place where the Indians lived. As a distinct community, Indian Fields survived on these maps well into the mid-1800s. Then the reference was gone. That summer of 1879, Steven Talkhouse Pharaoh, immortalized in one of the earliest photographs ever taken on Long Island, was found dead on a wooded path in Montauk. It is not known who found him, or what he died of. He was buried on a plot overlooking Lake Montauk, where generations of Montauketts had been buried. The community known as Indian Fields did not survive long after Pharaoh's death. In October, Brooklyn businessman Arthur Benson, who dreamed of deepwater ports and railroad facilities, bought Montauk Point at an auction. Needing clear title, and evidently not wanting the Montauketts living in the middle of his dream, Benson's agent offered small amounts of money to the Indians to induce them to leave. After 500 generations of occupancy, they were the very last Montaukett families who would ever live at Indian Fields.
How come when I use my credit card for drinks at the bar I get a larger charge on my card the next day?
The bartender authorizes your card for $100 dollars when you first give it to him. This is so he can verify that he has received a valid card with credit avaiable. The authorization charge will disappear after 24 to 72 hours and the correct charge to your card will appear.