Real Journalism written by people
Have you ever seen a man play an umbrella under an iron horse? Neither had I, until I attended Mecha Sonic Sessions 2 at an undisclosed location in deep Gowanus. On Saturday, May 21 I went beyond Smith and 9th streets. Across from Bayside Fuel and a metal scrap yard stands an innocuous looking cinderblock building near Hamilton Parkway. A […]
Modern Vintage aptly describes the sound of The Cactus Blossoms, an indie band based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Led by brothers Jack Torry and Page Burkham, both siblings play guitar and sing tightly knit harmonies that range from the tenderness of The Everly Brothers to the powerful crescendos of Roy Orbison. They’re backed […]
Lifelong Brooklyn residents, Mingo Tull and Roseann Natale are well known for Rock’Scool Brooklyn, a school for music education offering Band and Orchestral Instrument Rental. This business has endured many changes recently; like so many independent business owners, Mingo Tull and Roseann Natale were forced to shut down due to Covid 19 and the inability of having in person music […]
For Rachel Cleary, the dream of starting a radio station came about while in repose on her living room sofa. She was initially inspired by her desire to translate her experiences at open mics to radio. She recalls discussing the idea with her partner Robert Prichard and friend Tom Tenney. “We knew a physical location was too expensive. They got […]
Hifi Provisions, located at 237 36th Street in Industry City, Brooklyn, is now open. Upon entry, customers will notice wooden racks, hand built by owner Matthew Coluccio, with records old and new for sale. At the back is a cozy area with velvet, art-deco chairs and an impressive, vintage Bang & Olufssen music system, which he acquired from a psychologist […]
Recently, I won tickets from a Hudson Valley radio station to see Margo Price perform live at Brooklyn Bowl via a streaming platform called Fans. It was great to see a concert again and the band was excellent, but the experience was odd as there was no audience, aside from a few flashes of fellow spectators “Zooming” in. While I […]
Habibi is an all-female psychedelic Iranian-American rock band originally from Detroit, Michigan, now based in Brooklyn, New York. They’ve been featured on NPR, have previously released an EP and a full-length album, and will be playing a show with Ice Balloons at Market Hotel in Brooklyn on Saturday, February 15, at 9 pm to celebrate their second full-length release, titled […]
On September 20, students, teachers, and citizens attended the Children’s Climate Strike at Coffey Park in Red Hook, Brooklyn, organized by Resilient Red Hook, a committee dedicated to seeking local solutions to the global climate crisis. Together with millions of like-minded people worldwide, attendees expressed their concerns through speeches, poems, and music, including a rousing rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This […]
Rafe Stepto is a singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist with a smokey voice that brings to mind Al Green. He will be playing a solo set on guitar and piano Thursday, October 3 from 8:30-9:15 at Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Stepto will sing original songs from his current project “Kiss Attack”, which employs a wide variety of jazz, funk, and […]
It’s been 20 years since Eric Ambel, aka Roscoe, first opened his recording studio in South Brooklyn with his musical partner Tim Hatfield. Since then they’ve moved shop several times, and today are located at 231 Norman Avenue in Greenpoint under the name of Cowboy Technical Services (CTS). Though it appears to be a fairly simple room, Ambel states, “We’ve […]
Here’s something great I can almost guarantee you haven’t heard. Anti-folk busking band Slack Mallard are a brilliant bunch of “lazy ducks” from deep southwestern England. They pick up phonetically and musically where their former group Phat Bollard left off. These rag tag lads first met in Calstock, a town by the Tamar River in the lush and wild region […]
Girls On Grass is a four-piece rock band based in Brooklyn, NY. They have a 50/50 male-female lineup, a radio-friendly, garage-rock sound with jangly guitars, pop hooks, and smart songwriting. The group recently recorded an 11-song LP titled “Dirty Power” at Cowboy Technical Services in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I spoke to lead singer-songwriter-guitarist Barbara Endes and drummer Nancy Polstein about their […]
Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound to Play Hank’s March 29 Legendary garage rocker Greg Cartwright of The Reigning Sound will be playing a solo set on Friday, March 29 at the new Hank‘s Saloon in downtown Brooklyn. Cartwright got his start in Memphis, Tennessee as a founding member of The Oblivions. He has also worked with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Jack […]
