Why has “Chop Suey” by System of a Down rapidly appeared in my life over the past couple weeks? I had no idea about this one.
The sound guy at The Broadway sang it at karaoke. Then Jack kept quoting it. Then Curtis performed it with Beach Fossils at Baby’s. I’m not super interested in the song but I like the line “you wanted to” independently. Considered it as a title for this post.
10/29 ~ Beach Fossils at Baby’s
I started 10/29 at Harrison’s Halloween party. I was not in costume. He was a doctor.
I’m not used to apartment parties. How does Harrison know so many people I’ve never seen? A lot of unfamiliar faces. And Chris Danis in a Zoro mask.
Talked to Isaac and Maya then snuck out. Ran into Sarah as I was making my escape. She told me to stay and I walked back up with her, but made another exit soon after. This time, Baby’s bound.
A confirmed big night for the team: Been Stellar opening for Beach Fossils.
I was distracted for most of Been Stellar. My cousin Patrick came by with his wife Lindsay. Don’t worry—Been Stellar is getting plenty of coverage in this newsletter (and the next one, if all goes according to plan).
I appreciated Patrick and Lindsay going out of their way to see me, and I was excited to show them where I spend so much of my time.
I thought we would all be hitting it hard til the wee hours of the morning. Last time I went out with my cousins, cousin John showed up to the big apple on a bus at 11:30 AM buzzed as all hell. He had made friends with some other passengers on the Bolt Bus and shared a pint of Tito’s. He insisted that Tito’s does not cause hangovers, and that it was his last time drinking for at least a year. By 12:15, he was walking through Tompkins Square Park spiking strangers’ volleyballs. Pretty sure he spent the night on our roof.
This time, Patrick said he was feeling old. He coughed and gasped for air as he tried to speak. He said the air was dry. I got him water. We talked for a bit, and then Patrick and Lindsay retired to their chamber.
I made a few attempts to get a good spot for Beach Fossils, but nothing panned out. They sounded like a real-ass band, but they looked like Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Yoshi, and Princess Peach. Tommy and Curtis sang the encore arm-in-arm. Then Curtis crowd surfed. If you see him this weekend, ask how he got down. Because in the video you can see him get passed all the way back. Then it looks like he just kinda sinks into the crowd.
Tommy’s one of my favorite people I’ve met recently. My brain is slow, and it’s fun to talk to him because his brain is clearly very fast. Katie was in a banana suit.
There were a bunch of other events I was sad to miss:
Contour at Union Pool (a Citrus City rec)
Franklin’s show at Alphaville
Melody English’s orchestra performance
10/30 ~ Ellie @ Bossa x TAGABOW @ the Broadway
I took the Amtrak home to Boston for my grandmother’s funeral. Jack missed the train. My dad picked me up with Camille and we went to an Irish bar. There were two guys in Bruins shirts on a small stage playing 80s acoustic covers.
I wanted Ellie to write about her own DJ set at Bossa but she thought that was weird.
Rich was on duty reviewing Waveform and TAGABOW at the Broadway. He sent his thoughts in bullet points. I like having different voices in this blog so I’m gonna keep it in bullets, though I fucked with the formatting a bit:
Slow rock show at the Broadway
first time seeing waveform somehow—they always play with my friends
basically lived up to expectations
nice songs, tho I went outside bfore the set was over
2nd time seeing tagabow
even tho I’ve known Doug for a min around philly
and have done some album art for them
they rocked it
the first time I saw them, Doug’s arm was dead so he couldn’t play
A lot of short people in the crowd
were mad at this tall guy that wanted to move towards the front
I saw them mouthing stuff to their friends and pointing at him
Mosh pit didn’t really work
bc the cadence of the music
I think people were trying to force something and it got a little annoying
Split between shoegazers and hardcore people
But the music was tight I love the way the vocals are buried. the real catchiness lies in the guitar melodies
Esp on the Destiny XL tracks
Shout out to the Phillies and blue smiley
The show happened in the middle of the World Series but we lost
10/31 ~ Funeral x Been Stellar x Liily
Halloween, and the day of my grandmother’s funeral. A few things to note about that:
Obituary controversy (I won’t get into details, but I want to remember if I re-read this blog in 30 years)
I delivered a reading—had to climb 12 stairs to get to the platform with the microphone
Camille brought up the “gifts,” which were not in fact gifts
Jack was a pallbearer. He was accused (along with other cousins) of getting the giggles while up there.
My uncle who is related to Whitey Bulger re-emerged after a decade of absence. He had sunglasses on.
After the funeral, we went to the Chateau. Right next to the Providence Highway in Norwood, MA. There’s a driving range and a Hampton Inn that share the same parking lot. The chicken parm was awesome and the red wine was fine. We were their third funeral of the day.
It all went off without any major blow-ups or melt-downs. So that’s a win for the family. A challenging and emotionally-charged day navigated reasonably well by all. Good job team Kerwin.
That night, Jack and I drove to the city for our second Been Stellar show of the week. Camille was tired. They were playing with Liily at the venue Jack booked while he was at Northeastern. A picture we found of him on the wall:
It’s awesome that Northeastern has a budget to bring cool bands to campus. It’s not awesome that there’s a Starbucks inside the venue. A curtain blocking it off would go a long way to make the room (which is too large to begin with) feel more like a club. Or at least help you pretend you’re not in a student center.
Been Stellar performed in wine-stained white button downs. The stains were probably meant to be blood, but I’m choosing to believe it was wine.
I feel lucky whenever I get to hear a band that sounds this good. And I had no trouble getting right up near the stage. Could feel the kick drum in my chest.
So cool to see Been Stellar kick ass in a less-than-ideal room. I’ve said this in the past—the way an artist plays to a room at less than half-capacity says a lot about how they think about their music and their audience.
The Been Stellar hype is real. I admire their dynamic range and how well-structured the songs are. You don’t always get that with talk-singing and riff-based music. A student I spoke with said, “I mean, they’re so New York. New York post-punk at its finest. Who hurt that guy? He’s down bad.”
Liily is another win for the international community of bands with a bunch of cool hot people. Everyone in the band looks like they would be in a band. Worth the hype. They took the empty-room plunge and killed it.
The singer looks like a member of Oasis. He’s famous for his jerky arm movements. He wore an inflatable costume that made him look like a small man being held by a large alien.
It was bizarre watching this tiny beautiful man child held by an alien pump his arms and make faces. I didn’t think I loved the stage presence when I saw videos, but live it was really captivating.
They use the guitar like a drum. Next time Model/Actriz and Liily are both in NYC, we have to do a faceoff for who has the biggest high-hats.
I’ve been told the drummer dates Miley Cyrus but I didn’t ask.
Shoutout Risa for upholding Northeastern’s history of pulling kickass bands. And to Green Line Records for putting the Kerwin boys on the map since day 1.
It was a dinner and a movie kinda night—the whole thing was done by 9:45 PM. Jack and I went to Anchovies & it was awesome. Back in New York City of Angels, Logan was covering my ass and preserving the tenets of the host manifesto…
10/31 ~ Hosting at Rebecca’s, by Logan, who plays in too many bands
I came to Rebecca’s on Halloween with only one goal: avoid being myself at all costs. I’ve been making ends meet by appearing in an immersive experience for the D*sney movie-musical Encanto—an employment situation which has worn me down physically, socially, and musically.
On any other Monday evening, I’d have nursed my ailments amidst the cozy camaraderie of our community’s weekly social hour at Rebecca’s Bar. On any other Halloween, I’d have sat out the holiday completely. But this was no normal Monday, and this was no normal Halloween. What I needed was a total escape.
When Joe asked me to cover the once-in-a-lifetime live performance of Spongebob-themed AI-text-to-speech rap duo Your Boy Sponge & AyYo Patrick at Rebecca’s, I had that escape. For one Monday only, Rebecca’s would be totally and absurdly unrecognizable, and so would all my friends.
And so it happened that I rolled up to Rebecca’s not as myself, but rather dressed in full Joe Kerwin-Kennedy garb (flannel over t-shirt, jeans, humble earrings), a bundle of handwritten You Missed It business cards in my pocket, ready for wherever the night may take me (Joe).
Angel and Lulu had been tasked with picking up Sponge and Patrick from the airport and ferrying them straight to Rebecca's: Sometimes stars operate in their own world, and Patrick Star appears to be no exception. Angel showed me a voice message (a medium emblematic of a truly effective star or starlet) wherein Sponge had requested “30 drink tickets and 40 list spots.” The duo also requested a private green room, which despite very little notice was provided graciously by Gigi of Horsegirl fame.
Since I have very little interest in popular culture, my favorite costumes reliably fall into the category of “friend dressing up as another friend.” My own getup notwithstanding, this gathering certainly delivered. Members of my Irving Ave friendship polycule had all dressed up as each other: Allison as Xtian, Diego as Allison, Richard as me.
At some point, Mason told me that I look hot as Joe. I told them I just reminded them of Joe. I guess either way, I looked hot. Joe lives a nice life. Ashley and Kelsea came dressed as Record Label Executives; I think everyone at the show got a “record deal” from them that night.
The actual most powerful person I met was a total stranger who had just popped in for a regular old drink: She is a gate person at Delta Airlines.
Friends were filtering in for about an hour by the time the show finally began. Xtian — apparently in on the production — cut the lights completely to set the stage for Sponge and Patrick’s entrance. It was definitely spooky to see Rebecca’s in total darkness, soundtracked by a chopped and screwed remix of the Spongebob theme song as the evening’s headliners ominously crossed Bushwick Ave in the rain. To their credit, the two stars (well, one star and one sponge!!!!) made a point to acknowledge the exceptional space they occupied, shouting out Rebecca’s multiple times, and encouraging all to tip Xtian.
Your Boy Sponge’s set was tight and punchy, featuring hits such as “Don’t Mess With Me (While I’m Jellyfishing),” “GTA In Real Life,” and a remix of Encanto smash-hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (the latter track was particularly emotional due to the ongoing plight of my employment situation).
Emilio called it “the best concert I’ve ever seen,” and I don’t think I stopped laughing for the entirety of the set. By the closing track, my friends were practically rabid, and Xtian took things to the next level by blasting the 2009 indie-pop smash “Daylight” by Matt & Kim (not for the first time).
There’s a value in routine, to be sure: whether we’re attending happy hour at our favorite local watering hole, bah humbugging our way through a holiday we dislike, or reading the calming cadence of a favorite lifestyle newsletter, these are the things that give our lives shape and structure. But sometimes, we need an escape, and life hands us a guest column and Your Boy Sponge live at Rebecca’s on Halloween on a golden platter. Three cheers for Spongebob!
10/31 ~ CC Halloween, by Charlie
Still waiting on this write-up. Holding onto hope, but it’s a long shot. A few years ago, I split Halloween between a show at McKibben Lofts and a party at The Glove. Members of Godcaster sat high up on some kind of rafter structure @ McKibben while Future Teens played the hits and Lady Pills covered the Stooges. Going to Chaos Computer for Halloween would have had some sentimental value for me and I was sincerely sad to miss it. If I see Charlie this weekend, I’ll ask how it was and report back.
10/31 ~ Elsewhere Halloween Party
Confirmed legend Mika Simone hooked me up with the invite for this one. I was sad not to be there. But again, my grandmother died.
Elsewhere sent a snazzy invitation by mail. It was one of those cards where different images appear if you hold it at different angles. I love cards and I love the mail.
This was the Elsewhere 5-year-anniversary party, advertised as “an immersive multi-media Halloween celebration and formal gala event.” Hard to miss—there was a free champagne toast and I really don’t hear about a lot of galas.
Photographic evidence suggests that this one was a real ass costume party—not a half and half kinda deal like Harrison’s. So I would have been out of place. I’m not a big costume guy. It’s great to have everybody doin their thing on Halloween, but I usually just prefer to do my own thing on Halloween. Would rather dress normal, feel comfortable, go to a fun party, and have a jolly ol time for myself.
But thank you for the invite, Elsewhere. Maybe next year. Sorry for complaining about your wristband system.
11/1 ~ Charlie x Hooky, by Ben
The best night I’ve had in recent memory. Prob bc you missed it. I arrived at the Broadway around 7. It was the 2nd of 3 evenings this week wherein I arrived at the Broadway around 7.
Jack is booking all my friend’s bands and I like to arrive around 7. This slightly aggressive approach serves as both time to hang w my very busy, talented and successful friends. It also affords me the opportunity to pretend I’m their manager and avoid paying a cover. Yes, I’m Jewish.
Immediately I ran into Sam Silbert, Scott Turner, and Eli Yung Sham. Sam plays in at least 16 Philly bands and rolls the fattest joints I’ve ever seen. We’ve made very serious plans to go to Jamaica. Scott’s an epic skater and does Hooky (1 of the 32 bands Sam plays in). Eli’s an entrepreneur. Just kidding. But he is a great guy; a genuine shit stirrer and his music’s great too.
Nobody’s stirring shit in New York? Since I moved here I’ve seen almost zero shit stirred. You’re all way too fucking cordial. You want a legendary music scene? We’re gonna need some beef. I want to get in a fight. That’s a call to action. If you have a morally righteous cause that could use a 190 pound Russian Jew hmu. I benched 225 in high school and I’m plagued with generations of guilt.
Shep Treasure played first. Sabrina is an amazing singer and everyone in the band plays in other, also great, bands (nick - joyer, James - kitchen, Brenna - Lola star). They sounded dialed as fuck. I don’t really know how to write about music. I like pretty much anything that’s cathartic with guitars. This is all that.
Hooky was so fun. Nobody’s doing it like them tbh. Scott effing shreds. Sam just kind of stands there doing prayer hands and turning nobs, Eli heckles from the crowd.
Before Charlie went on I was suckered into giving out 4 of my cigarettes. This is a callback to the aforementioned guilt. Dan, Sarah, Brenna, Eli—I’m expecting a huge ROI. Thankfully, this evolved into an epic roundtable with Sam and Scott (who brought their own cigarettes). Some topics we discussed included: porn—I’ve never seen it—and “Goon Caves.” Don’t look that up. If you’re on that tip let Sam and I know.
I’m going to be honest, unfortunately the Budweisers caused me to miss a couple of Charlie’s songs. But everything I heard was hellllllla tight and those dudes were hellllllla chill. I think they played new ones or maybe they just sounded different. Like I said I don’t know shit. One of them told me he’s got a little matzo ball soup in him though. I bought a t shirt from the legend Sallyfourr after. Been wearing it to my stupid job. Game respect game. Nick gave me a ride home on his way back to New Jersey and I went to bed. Thanks Nick.
Thanks to the Kerwin bros for making the week’s events and my prose possible. They remind me of the Kennedy’s. Bring dad back to town soon?
11/3 ~ The Drift x Big Dumb Baby x Home Sweet Home
My last Drift party experience was complicated. I didn’t buy a ticket before showing up, so I got stuck in line outside the Jane for a couple hours. Most of my former classmates were smart enough to get tix in advance, so they went right in. Being stuck outside a party when a bunch of my friends were inside was not an unfamiliar vibe—one of my least favorite elements of college. So by the time I got in, I was a lil headfucked, and I leaned on the rum & cokes a bit too hard.
This time was better—I just never went inside. There were plenty of friends to catch up with on the sidewalk, and the gallery space was packed. The Drift is super inspiring for me. Not because I’m a big literature guy, but because I love seeing friends do rockstar shit across disciplines. It was definitely one of the success stories I had in mind when I started this blog. So I’ll always hit their launch parties and pay my respects. Kissed some hands, shook some babies, and went on my merry way to The Broadway for Ashley’s single release show.
She is so fucking talented. Music school chops with none of the music school baggage.
I know it’s goofy to make a broad statement about a genre, but I feel like I can stand by this one: I’m anti musical theater 98% of the time. But Ashley rocks her theater background so hard.
Last year, I joined the Sitcom entourage on a trip to Boston. We got stuck in traffic long enough to ditch the car, take a walk, and smoke cigs on the highway. So we had a lot of time to share tunes. Harrison showed us the tracks he was working on with Ashley. He talked about the way Ashley’s experience as a voice actress comes through in her approach to singing. How she uses her voice as an instrument, and doesn’t shy away from taking full advantage of her emotive range.
It’s such a bold move to write a song where the lyrics “uh huh… uh huh…” occupy significant space. And I’m obsessed with the cutting Yucky Duster esque lead guitar parts.
I’m gonna emcee Ashley’s show with Brother Moses at Baby’s in January. Grateful for the years of friendship I have under my belt with the Bromo boys, and I’m hype that they’re gonna get to know a newer friend that I love.
11/5 ~ Just Mustard x Been Stellar x Loosie’s
Justin’s gonna talk about Just Mustard and Been Stellar below. I was there, but I dipped early to hang with Sasha. She invited me along to her mentor’s new club, Loosies.
I got there alone. But I ended up behind a group of Sasha’s friends in line. The dude from The Hellp was there but no Blake or Harrison. The others got in ahead of me and when I stepped up, one of them told the bouncers that I “seemed very nice” but he didn’t know me. Which made it a lil weird when I got in and had to walk down the stairs behind him 45 seconds later.
I haven’t gone to a lot of places like this—to ‘nightclubs’ proper. Pretty fascinating. I spent $50 on two gin sodas because I was nervous about helping myself to the alcohol on the table. That was dumb of me.
Had fun dancing and was grateful that Sasha had me along : ) It was wonderful to see Claire. She’s still missing a tooth
Weekend at Baby’s by Justin
Friday 11/4 ~ Winter, Peel Dream Magazine, Scarlet Rae, GIFT (DJ)
I didn’t plan on being at Baby’s all weekend, but when the legend Joe Kerwin calls and says there’s something he’s gonna miss, I always have his back. Also, GIFT was DJing the front area during the shows so I was going to be there anyway. Shoegazey indie pop was the vibe. Killer. Love it. Another classic line-up brought by the homie Bamm Bamm Presents. Peel Dream Magazine is the sort of band that will surprise you with a drummer who pulls a nylon string guitar out while still playing drums. It wasn’t like those people on IG and TikTok who do the whole one-person-band thing, but you get the idea. I’m not going to link an example because I watched one video while scrolling once and then my feed was flooded for the next 2 weeks. I don’t want to be responsible for that happening to you.
TJ, Jessica, and Cooper held down the DJ booth out front for the majority of the night. I was guilty of hanging around and chatting more so than actually DJing this time, but, my one contribution to the queue was a Cocteau Twins track that was met with an eye roll from Jessica. Moments later someone walked up and thanked her for playing their favorite song. I rest my case.
TJ was stoked to play the GIFT 90s house remixes he just finished. I’ll use that as my one plug here—we’re doing remixes with friends (including Peel Dream Magazine!) for all the songs on our new record, more to come soon—end of plug.
Saturday 11/5 ~ Just Mustard, Been Stellar
No disrespect to the Gen X fans of You Missed It, but when you see an even mix of NYU students, 20-somethings, and older (mostly) dudes around Baby’s for a show, it can only mean one thing—a hot industry event. Been Stellar and Just Mustard were both on their A-game. Crushed it.
Sunday 11/6 ~ Day of Rest and Relaxation
I needed a rest day, off assignment. I love you, Baby, but, I’m working on knowing my limits.