“Again” – Herb Brooks (Miracle, 2004)
“Again” – Herb Brooks (Miracle, 2004)
In Anticipation of Friday, February 3
You know what’s sicker than reading about the gig? Getting to the gig.
And we’ve got a big night coming up. I’m hosting a show on Friday at the home court—Baby’s All Right—with a bunch of my favorite artists in NYC.
*** [TICKET LINK] ***
Our NYE party sold out, so grab your tix ahead of time. Rally some homies & come see a bunch of kick ass bands. We’ll have 600 free cigarettes from Hestia Tobacco waiting for you.
Also, we’re talking to a high-profile artist about hopping on the bill. If that happens, tix will have to be more expensive. So get em while you can.
In other news—I just got a few texts accusing Paper Magazine of biting my style. I don’t know if I can really claim ownership of the format, but people are saying this. People of influence.
“Omg not Paper Mag doing watered down You Missed It…”
It’s crazy timing because I had already written a lukewarm review of the Paper Mag x DKNY holiday party. And I hadn’t shared it until now.
First, though, I’m gonna talk about the bands playing the You Missed It party on Friday. Paper Mag should get to the gig and publish a knock-down drag-out write-up if they wanna settle the score.
The bill for Friday is a mashup of a few of the best nights of my life.
I’ve had a bunch of the best nights of my life at The Broadway. One was last week.
On January 20th, I played guitar for Lazylazy on a bill with Ben Special, Sean Henry, and Blums. Half of those bands are playing again on Friday.
It was a special night for a lot of reasons. I was grateful to play, and a lot of homies rolled thru.
Charlotte Rose Benjamin was there on a date. Her companion seemed nervous about the idea that their date might appear in my blog, so I’ll protect his anonymity. The only hint I’ll give is that he has been anonymous before.
All the bands were fucked-up good. Can’t believe how talented my homies are. And I can’t believe I get to see them play in such intimate spaces. Denim was on sound—he was dialed the-fuck in.
Blums sat down on stage. Kelsea’s output is crazy, and goddammit can she sing. Don’t get me started on Richard Orofino playing the drums. A renaissance man. A stallion.
Ben Special sounded just about as clean as a band can sound. I’ve been going to see Ben and Noah perform for years. Ever since Forth Wanderers played a midday show in 2016 at the Middle East Upstairs with Adult Mom, Horse Jumper of Love, and Brittle Brian.
I love the evolution of Ben’s songwriting. When Noah and I lived in Boston, he showed me some pre- Forth Wanderers math rock tracks. Now, Ben’s leaning into the 60s. Beach Boys melodies and a black & white Rickenbacker. Noah and Zach ripped some surfy background vocal chants—a crazy energy to be bringing to the table. & I’m for-it.
Playing with Lazylazy felt good. My guitar might have been quiet but I’m happy to hide in the mix.
Sean Henry stole my heart. He’s got a kind of whiney/snarling/bratty energy in his vocal delivery. Visually, it was kinda grunge kinda myspace. I’m buying into it big-time. I couldn’t see the band super well but they sounded professional as fuck & Olive from Lowertown crushed her guest appearance.
So I hope you’ll come see Ben Special and Sean Henry at Baby’s on Friday.
In addition to those bands, some members of Lazylazy will be performing. It’ll be my first time seeing Birthday Girl. Eva wrote a guest column about her show in September. And I wrote about seeing her play in Lowertown. So this is, confirmed, a big night.
I covered YHWH Nailgun in my last post. I said that they played ‘angry smart people music’ and that the singer dances like a bird with its wings bent back. It would have been cooler if I said he looked like a bat.
I also wrote that I’d 100% be at their next show, and I’m excited to make good on that promise.
I haven’t seen Ernest Rareberrg since the Dots Per Inch 6 yr anniversary party in July. I covered that set in my first blog post. In the write-up, I wondered why it had taken me so long to see him for the first time, and now I’m wondering why it’s taken me so long to see him again.
It’s gonna be a special night. Roll thru : )
There were a bunch of shows I never told you about. Sorry about that. It’s hard to keep up and I missed out on documenting some noteworthy nights.
Like the Blondshell show at the Mercury Lounge. After the gig, I stopped by The Main Event for a nightcap with high-profile executives from Apple Music and the Wall Street Journal. Leonard Cohen walked past the window, and Jay told us about an arrangement he has with some of his enemies—if they see him coming, they have to cross to the other side of the street.
After The Main Event, I met Jack at Honore. While I was there, I committed to attending three shows the following night. I gotta figure out how to not say “That sounds sick—see you there” every time I hear about an event.
Ultimately, I made it to two out of three. That’s a win in my book.
The first was Richard Orofino at the Sultan Room. Richard is your classic good vibe emitter. A love-able goof who’s always sincerely excited to hang. His set at the Sultan Room had a bit of variety show energy. Logan told jokes and showed the audience some cool sounds he can make on his phone.
From there, Jack and I went to see Peaer at Bar Freda. Jack (playfully) heckled Peter from deep in the crowd, yelling “Petey!!” at quiet moments. And when Peter said “I shoulda gotten a beer or something,” Jack chimed in again: “You want one?”
I might have written about this in another post, but I played a basement show in Lowell with Peaer in October 2019. Peter broke a string and had to borrow my guitar. It made them sound like the Taxidermists.
I was pretty inspired by their set. The bass player gave me something to shoot for. Asher was up there in his LUCY shirt. At one point, the band got off-balance mid-song. They made a beautiful recovery, and you could tell Asher was really feelin himself after that one. He was vibing so hard he bounced his glasses off.
After the show, Asher said, “Peter’s songs really bring out the best in your drumming.” The set gave me a new appreciation for how strong Asher is behind the kit. For the archives: check him out in this Turtlenecked KEXP session and this Strange Ranger Audiotree.
Also for the archives: Jack sniped that Bar Freda used to be called Planet X. I saw Lexie (members of Frankie Cosmos) play there in 2020. With The Glow. Was Greg Rutkin in that? Probably.
A few days later I hit the Paper Magazine x DKNY winter-themed party.
If my friends are gonna keep getting more famous, I gotta reframe my vibe on free alcohol. Can’t be drinking just because it’s there. Especially with a selection of sugary blue cocktails named “Snowflake” and “Brrr!” at a real magazine’s holiday party.
I pre-gamed with a music industry bro-down sesh at Baby’s. I met Jasper Morris from Wiz Kid Management. We pounded a few beers, talked about The Dare, and then jetted off to see the Frost Children.
Angel and Lulu shredded. They always do. But the crowd seemed like they were afraid to look like they were having a good time. Is that a fashion party thing?
Miss Madeline had DKNY ear muffs on. She looked iconic. I overheard fashion bros in the bathroom comparing polo jackets. Really, everyone looked good. I just wish they danced more.
What’s the point of going to parties if we can’t act enthusiastic? We can’t just depend on a DKNY ice sculpture to bring the vibes.
The next night was Tomberlin at Baby’s.
Palehound opened. I saw her play the Democracy Center in Cambridge a bunch of years ago. She’s still got the same whispery delivery, and she’s still pumping out powerful melodies. I’m so hyped that Ellen lives in NY now.
Sarah Beth is a poet. I wanna write lyrics like her when I grow up. Shouts out to Chris for stepping up and subbing in on bass & clarinet on the day of the show.
It was special to see SB play Baby’s. The first time I hung out with Alex Gleeson solo, we saw her open for Andy Schauf at Warsaw. So this brought it all back home.
Another moment that sticks out in my mind: I was helping load-in gear for the Blood Orange show at Baby’s and SB was hanging out there during the day. I told her that Baby’s is my favorite place, and she said it was her favorite place too.
So I hope you’ll come hang at my favorite place on Friday : )
And sorry for the sass, Paper Magazine. Hire me as a columnist.