June 30th, 2007 11:00pm

Garages and basements enjoy a long tradition in the American music scene. To the chagrin of parents and neighbors across the lands, they're the first-and often the last-venue many bands ever play.

Juan Pieczanski, a 24-year-old Brooklynite and musician, decided to bring the bands he loves full circle-from the clubs back to the basement. In the spring of 2005, just out of Columbia University, Juan and his best friend rented two floors and a basement in a building on the industrial outskirts of Park Slope, a small but very soundproof substratum that looks more like a fallout shelter than the rec rooms of Americana.

"We looked everywhere and looked for months," he says. "Eventually we found this place, which we tested to make sure we would play loud without complaints." They outfitted the space with a drum kit, amplifiers, guitars and a soundboard-and then video cameras.

Juan initially conceived of it as a place to play and record his own music but later pitched the idea of the basement as a venue for other bands to his boss at Plum TV, a local-access cable network serving tiny vacation spots like Aspen, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard-and Juan's Basement was born.

Each episode features a live performance followed by an interview, conducted by Juan in his backyard. "It's kind of this underdog idea," he says. "You know, I'm just this regular dude. How did I get all these bands to play in my basement?"

So far, the show has featured up-and-comers like the Willowz, Dr. Dog, Menomena and the boy Least Likely To. In the near future, Juan hopes to book My Morning Jacket, Grizzly Bear and Of Montreal. He is also "exchanging e-mails" with Anton Newcombe, the front man pf the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the subject of the 2004 Sundance hit documentary DiG!

Juan doesn't pay the bands, and aside from his regular salary from Plum, he doesn't make a dime, either. While the ceiling in his basement might be blow, there is none on his vision. "I want it to blow up," he says. "I just want to be famous, basically." Article by David Alm