With the media world traction and financial promise that You Missed It has developed in recent weeks, we have expanded our team of unpaid interns. This newsletter features reporting from chief political correspondent Angel Emoji.
Table of Contents:
Loading-in for Spoon
Karaoke with Cherry Glazer
Prune, and raspberry martinis at Anyway Café
The Dare x Blaketheman1000
Angel reflects on the Frost Children twee set
The Dan English Acoustic Guitar Orchestra
Sitcom x Frost Children x The Life
8/23: Cherry Glazer x Spoon
On the 23rd, I walked through the front door of Baby’s All Right at 10:58 AM. Like the Blood Orange show, my job was to help a big band load a ton of gear into a small venue. I had already seen Greg Rutkin that day in a chance encounter at 10 AM in Bushwick.
He was all, “Are you going to Baby’s now?”
And I was like, “No but I can if you need me to.”
And he was all, “No that’s fine. But where are you going?”
And I was like bruh, I’m literally going to see if Christian is working at Milk & Pull—nothing fishy.
He was all, “Ok see you in a half hour” and I was like, bruh, I’m sorry but it’s literally an hour from now, and don’t worry, I’ll be there. At 10:58 AM, I was more than there—I’d eaten a cinnamon raisin bagel, changed my clothes, and ridden a bicycle in the time between.
This was day 2 helping the Spoon team. Gigs like this are fascinating because I’m not used to the idea that a band could employ multiple people.
Allyson had an extra list spot for Cherry Glazerr, so I started the night off seeing her open at the Mercury Lounge. In my early days going to Lucy shows, I was just so hype to hear his percussion sounds through a powerful speaker system. This Shallowhalo set felt the same—an elevated way to experience Allyson’s music.
I’ve been anti riff-based songs in recent years, but I’m currently in a guitar rock revival phase, and Cherry Glazerr played right into that. I caught a few songs before I had to head to Baby’s for Spoon. Loved how simple the parts are individually, and how full & groovy they sound when they interlock.
Got a surprise bonus gig on the subway—a short man in sunglasses and a fishing hat started playing saxophone. Nobody hustles like NYC buskers. Shoutout Gilberto Gil Rivera. You’ll recognize him as the one with golden pipes and glossy red thigh-high boots who’s almost never not singing at the Delancey Essex stop.
Preliminary data from the Spoon show suggests that the average age of Baby’s’ audience spiked by about 47%. One of our unpaid interns noted, “Everyone here looks like they work for Matador.” It sounded amazing—congratulations to Alex Gleeson on booking an extra advanced pro level banger.
It was a Tuesday and friends filtered out fairly quickly. But the party was still alive in lower Manhattan. I joined Shallowhalo and The Dare at Planet Rose. I’ve been looking through the windows longingly at their zebra print couches for months, so I was excited to have an excuse to go.
I sang “Come on Get Higher” by Matt Nathanson and it was honestly a bit uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ve hit my stride in the NYC karaoke scene. When I returned the mic and sat back down, Clementine from Cherry Glazer turned and asked me when I was going up to sing. That’s when I realized my talent might never be discovered by the music industry.
8/24: Prune x Raspberry Infused Vodka
Prune proves that I gotta be keeping an eye on new bands coming out of Western MA. Izzy is a soulful singer, and Sal is an expressive drummer. Felt like he channeled Keith Moon at moments. The bassist stomped and plucked with her thumb, reinforcing the country vibe.
After, I met up with Kiki and Sam at Anyway Café. Tom Moore gets a shout out for the rec, but also a reverse shout out for his insistence that I order horseradish infused vodka. There was a killer jazz trio. I’m blown away by the minimum competency level that you need to participate in a jazz combo. I consistently love the music at that place.
8/25: Blaketheman1000 x The Dare x Club Eat x Why Bonnie x Peaer
I met with a group of associates and confidants in midtown Manhattan to discuss the discovery of sound in outer space, and to assess the general state of human interest. Tom Moore analyzed the martini glass as a metaphor for nightlife, and told me about the first time he castrated a deer.
I planned to go to the Why Bonnie x Peaer show at Baby’s, but again, location got the better of me. Both bands have been on rockstar shit for quite a while, though, so I doubt they had trouble filling the room.
I don’t care for KGB Bar but other people seem to, and I’ll show up wherever. Blaketheman1000 performed upstairs. A special set—he was wearing one of the biggest t-shirts I’ve ever seen.
The coffee’s got me fucked up
The sun sets too soon
After Blake’s set we migrated over to The Dare’s newly-named ‘Freakquencies’ DJ night at Home Sweet Home. This week featured Ren from Club Eat. Highlights from the set were “Fuck the Pain Away” by Peaches and “California Gurls” by Katy Perry.
Blake taught me a new dance move where you hump the wall. He was really good at it. I humped the wall in a less graceful way as a joke, but now I’m worried I didn’t do it jokingly enough and Blake thinks I actually fuck like that.
8/26: Surfgang
This time I missed it. Evilgiane & co at Heaven or Las Vegas. 10 PM - 4 AM.
Not sure if it was fun. Ask Harrison.
8/27: Alex Gleeson rooftop pool party x Dan English x Angel Emoji
In my first week living in New York, Julian Casablancas called me a “night crawler.” Alex Gleeson is somewhat of a day crawler. Nobody loves a darty like this guy. He cut his teeth throwing midday bangers in the Melbourne electronic scene, and he’s never looked back. On the 27th, he wanted me to show up at 4 PM.
Alex and Beth’s friend Jacomo worked pretty hard filling a kiddie pool on the rooftop. To their credit, it was really the size of two kiddie pools. They did it one cup at a time.
I bounced after a few hours to play in Dan English’s acoustic guitar orchestra at Rubulad. You think 7 acoustic guitars is too many acoustic guitars? Dan doesn’t. He’s tryna source at least 15 guitarists to play at his upcoming cactus store show. See you there.
Rubulad is a great room in a lot of ways, but the décor is a bit on-the-nose for a ~quirky DIY space~. Too many mannequins and beat up outdoor sculptures. I showed up at 8:20 PM for our 8:30 set and was gifted one drink ticket.
I think it’s important to watch the other bands when you play a show, but again, I am one of 5-7 acoustic guitar players with Dan English, so it wasn’t hard to justify sneaking out. Dropped my guitar back home and linked up with Alex, Tom, Lau, Greg, Nico, Lucy, Sarah Beth, and Justin on the way to the Tradesman.
Would very much recommend the frozen margarita. When Tom was leaving, he asked me to take his glass inside. I was holding two other glasses, and as soon as he turned the corner onto the sidewalk I dropped his. I don’t think anybody noticed, and thank God—something like that could tarnish my reputation in the music industry forever.
Christian hosted a show at No Hassle Castle for Ad Hoc with a stacked lineup: Frost Children (twee set), Bloomsday, Alexander, and Jane Lai, with a secret appearance by Katy Kirby. I was sad to miss it, but Angel Emoji was kind enough to write a poetic reflection on playing the twee show. If you wanna find out how to subscribe to Angel’s newsletter, ask a punk.
Angel Emoji, on Playing the Twee Show
Playing the Twee Show feels like hearing your voice on recording for the first time, like seeing yourself in the mirror on accident and being terrified of the casual reality that you can’t hide, no matter how hard you try. Playing the Twee Show felt like when you finally break through the filmy membrane that surrounds a hard-boiled egg, like opening the hearth and discovering that someone’s already replaced extra logs for the fire.
Playing the Twee Show was hearing harmonies and applying new textures to the sounds you’re more comfortable with. Playing the Twee Show was figuring out how to translate onstage freneticism and paranoia into wholesome smol-ness and palatable indie skittishness. Playing the Twee Show meant converting screams to tiny little vocal fries shivering out of our throats to a room of like 50 seated chill-ass music fans and a little cat named Prince. Playing the Twee Show forces you to balance and to cry.
Playing the Twee Show makes you nervous that featuring Maggie the auto-tuned dog of early YouTube as a soloist won’t translate—but if you don’t feature Maggie the auto-tuned dog, you’re somehow losing your edge and becoming Too Twee. Playing the Twee Show reminds you that whispering is really cool. Playing the Twee Show lets you experiment with a million voices to a thousand ears wrapped in one hundred hugs and dozens of cups of tea and raw honey. Playing the Twee Show is a sneak attack from behind that bites the soft spot you didn’t know you had. Playing the Twee Show extends your sweater sleeves and adds coffee stains to your tote.
8/28: Sitcom x Frost Children x The Life
Could have guessed half the crowd at this one before I walked in. If any show is in this blog’s wheelhouse, it’s a Sitcom & Frost Children show at Baby’s All Right. Home court advantage.
I talked to someone about how this is a risky amount of thoughts to be cataloging publicly. The perfect kind of thing for political opponents to comb through later in my career.
So what we get drunk
So what we smoke weed
We're just having fun
And we don't care who sees
Ivana came with Sedona, who seems to be the sweetest/coolest/friendliest person around. She’s also the only person I know who’s legend enough to rock just one name. I was sad to miss her show on the 23rd but will certainly catch the next one. Kevin Carpet sauntered in looking fresh as all hell in a fedora and a lime green button down. Towards the end of the night, a strong energy floated through the green room—pretty sure it was the specter of Aaron Maine. He’s really always there, in a way.
I didn’t catch much of The Life’s set, so will need to research further. It sounded 2000s pop punky to me. One of the members is in the Ion Pack. I don’t know much about the Ion Pack—my understanding is that they have low voices and wear morph suits.
Predictably, the Frost Children shredded. Always crazy to see how they can bounce back and forth between electronic production and live instruments. Loved Angel’s sequin shirt.
Months ago, I emailed Audiotree requesting a Sitcom live session. I need a quality recording of them performing “Still Life” full-band. “Dust” too. Everyone in that band is aggressively competent. The first time I saw them, I overheard Asher say, “These guys really make a case for being good at your instrument.”
True Blue went up on stage for “Question.” She had a large furry bag. Her entrance from the audience was cool, but not quite as cool as the Nublu show when she descended from the balcony above the stage.
I went to the Levee after with Frost Children, Number1fairytale, Dan English, and others. Claire from Coco and Claire Claire was there but I didn’t know til after. I don’t like the Levee cuz one time I went in with my dad and they looked at him weird.
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That’s it for this week. Catch you at the next one : )