For the past 20 minutes, an hour and a half after my arrival, I was talking to a 6-foot-8-inch 30-something Brooklynite named Fred, who had a neck beard and sported a Karen O shirt....

New York City has been home to some of the most influential bands of the 20th century, including The Velvet Underground, The Ramones and Blondie. At the turn of the 21st century,...