You can’t make this shit up.
600 people. Baby’s All Right. The voyeur EP release show. Who woulda thunk.
If it seems like I’m cooking the data, ask X. He was the one holding the clicker. He told me he let in at least 600. “And it coulda been 100 more than that,” he said. “It was impossible to keep up with that line.”
A week before the show, I was shocked to hear we’d hit the limit of 300 RSVPs. We bumped it up to 500, and capped it again. Then we bumped it up to 700, and capped it again.
We coulda kept running the score up if Alex Gleeson wasn’t soft. But there were a ton of people who couldn’t fit inside, so it was the right call. Sorry to anybody who tried to come but couldn’t hang. We’ll do it again.
It was a special night. Hella inspiring. Grateful that we got to drop the EP like that. And the coolest part of the whole arrangement was the other show that happened right beforehand. Lily Seabird + Greg Freeman + Precious Human + Renny Conti had the early slot. Too stacked.
I saw Greg and Lily at soundcheck and told them, “This night is pretty much designed to keep me at Baby’s from 7 pm to 5 am.” I was right. More details to come.
Right now, I’m back in the belly of the beast—Austin, TX. The festivities started in earnest last night. If you’re here and you wanna see voyeur, peep the itinerary below. Gonna be nutty.
Imma buzz you through some shows. Let’s see what I can pull together …
P.S. I ran into Logan the other day. He was walking to Tina’s, and I was walking to my office (Dunkin). Logan is fresh off the road with Katy Kirby. Their tour ended Friday night with a sold-out Bowery Ballroom show.
Me to Logan: “It’s crazy…everything sells out.”
Logan to me: “We’re in our sell out era.”
I hope so … let’s get that bread, team.
“And when I get an advance I’ll buy a Northface for every member of my posse” – Blaketheman1000, in “Wonderland” by Frost Children
Lily Seabird x Greg Freeman x Precious Human x Renny Conti @ Baby’s All Right // February 16
It was an early call for an inevitably late night. Christian took the stage at 7 pm.
You know how he does it. The guy is overflowing with passion for the music he loves + the ideals he stands for. You can hear it in his voice. Gruff but gentle. He’s got that shaky Bright Eyes swag.
First time seeing Renny Conti. Sensitive + subdued. Super nicey. That’s some real guitar rock singer songwriting for ya.
Everybody loves Greg Freeman. Nobody loves Greg Freeman more than Alex Gleeson. With good reason. Powerful songs. Melodic at moments, riff based & raging at others–it’s an exciting balance. Certainly an artist to see if you’re in Austin this week.
& you better catch Lily. She’s on some real rockstar shit. The hair flips, the hair flips, the hair flips. I might never know how it feels to headbang like that. She’s got a powerful voice. Truly rockin. I stood next to Tomberlin. So lit.
It was my first time seeing Lily play her own songs. Sad to be late to the party, but glad I made it.
voyeur x Push Ups x Chanel Beads (DJ) @ Baby’s All Right // also on February 16
Free shows go dummy. And I never wanna play before midnight again.
Isaac said it felt historic. It was certainly special to me—our first headline show ever.
Lots of legends & homies in attendance … members of Birthday Girl, Sean Henry, Threshold, Sweet93, Liam Benzvi, Surf Gang, Pageant, Michelle, Charlotte Rose Benjamin, Like a Doll, My Transparent Eye, Gun, Catcher, Sex Week, Branching Out, Scarlet Rae, Harry Teardrop, Lowertown, Computerwife, Dinoboy, Bloody Knuckles, Perfectly Imperfect, The Dare, Big Dumb Baby, Jimi Lucid, Test Subjects, Melody English, The Life,Amiture, Earth Dad, Silvia K, Speedangel, Daisy the Great, GIFT, Matthew Danger Lippman, maybe Ernest Rareberrg but I’m not 100% sure, Ben Special / Forth Wanderers / Shaddowdaddy / all the bands Dan plays in (hey Dan, thanks again for letting me use that bass), and the artists from the early show.
There were certainly a lot of other homies in the crowd but it’s hard to keep track—if you wanna be added to the list, just comment. I need a got-damn guest book. The squad was out, but most of the time I was lookin around thinking, “Who the fuck are these people? How did they hear about this?” Everyone seemed more fashionable than me. Maybe they were Sharleen’s friends.
Or maybe they were there for Push Ups. That band is glam as hell. Fresh off a show @ Knockdown Center with Rxk Nephew and Eartheater. Grey looked like a rockstar fly fisherman. An upscale rockstar fly fisherman, to be clear. At a point, Scarlet’s strap broke and her bass fell. I was looking away & didn’t realize it was an accident. Sounded fuckin sick. More of that, please.
We had them lay on the fog for the voyeur set. So it was hard to see. But it seemed like Birthday Girl + Sweet93 + Lowertown were in charge of the mosh pit. They really sparked it up for us. Thank you, my friends. More of that, too, please.
After we played, Chanel Beads kept the party cookin in the front room. They like to get weird behind the decks, and I like to hear it. So much admiration for them & the music they make. Meant a lot to have Shane and Maya there there.
Then it snowed.
I’ve never seen a man react to anything the way Alex Gleeson reacted to the snow. My only reference point for this level of joy is that kid who really likes trains. Alex was elated. Jubilant. Bewildered. Beside himself with glee. He even convinced the poor mothafucka working coat check (visibly the most claustrophobic role one could occupy inside Baby’s All Right) to trudge through the snow, only to arrive at Duff’s ten minutes after the bell rang for last call.
Alex’s giddiness went on unchecked. He beckoned us back to Baby’s All Right. What kind of friend would refuse his hospitality?
I can’t say when we left, but I can tell you that we were still sitting there at 5 AM. With a bunch of fernet shots out on the table that nobody really had it in them to drink. I’d call it a night well-celebrated.
Ruby’s Send-Off Party @ Gottscheer // February 17
A happy night for a sad cause. Our dear Ruby is officially back from whence she came—Australia. Kicked it at Gottscheer and then trekked to Sundown.
Ruby spent the month at Logan’s apt. Jack, Eva, and I went over and helped her get her suitcases downstairs before Beth + Ella took her to the airport. Grateful that we had her in NYC for as long as we did, & we miss her already <3
Olivia Gehrke @ Our Wicked Lady // February 18
The first person who ever supported the band Jack and I started in college has her own band now. She lives in Boston, and this was their first show in the big apple. Wasn’t gonna miss it. I hadn’t hit Our Wicked Lady since Blake’s show in 2021. I kinda rock with the corrugated tin roof. And the single industrial heater they have rigged up to the wall. Felt like a makeshift ski lodge.
Charlie XCX Boiler Room + Afterparty @ Mansions // February 22
Jack and I linked with Tyler, Jennie, Cooper (LUCY), and Gus (Boy Harsher) to pregame the Charli XCX Boiler Room show. Jack and I weren’t on the list—just thought we’d help the rest of the team pregame.
I ran into Goner walking over. He had plans to hit the Lip Critic show later in the night, but we all got the ball rolling @ Carousel.
We found the Massachusetts squad in a booth. Cooper & Gus hit the smoking pit. The rest of us chatted about the looming threats to our SXSW shows. We didn’t have much time before they had to set sail. According to the guests of honor, Charli said to arrive no later than 9.
The line was intense. Jack & I scooted up to the front alongside our culturally elite friends and shot our shot at the door. No luck. I waved a sad goodbye to Tyler & Jennie through the security barricade, and walked to my apt.
Before long, it was time to try our hand at the afterparty. Again, we were not on the list. We hopped in line round 10:45 and Cooper + Gus + Jennie + Tyler arrived soon after. With the wind and rain and everyone jockeying for position in line, it got to feel pretty Hobbesian out there.
Eva and I were the last of our group to have any luck. It was a hard-fought battle, but it was all worth it when I saw how tall A.G. Cook is.
Porches was there. Isaac. Natalie & Ruby. Someone beamed their Iphone flashlight at me and I winced. It was Julia Fox.
Standing out back, Melody told Cooper and I about an upcoming performance at the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra. “After the show, we’ll have a party in the back,” she said, “Everyone gets to come have a drink and hang out with all the artists.” Cooper smiled: “Just like this.”
LUCY (Cooper B. Handy) + Gods Wisdom @ Mehanata, downstairs // February 23
Super fried. Pretty special. I’ve seen LUCY in a lot of different rooms, and this might have been the most bizarre.
It was essentially the clurb. I felt like I was in Tron. Hella sceney. Everyone was there. Even Max.
And even Caroline Polachek. Would have killed to hear her internal monologue during Gods Wisdom’s set.
He sat at the base of a stripper pole with his sunglasses on, snarling into the mic. Every couple of songs he’d stand up and improvise an extended piano solo over a deconstructed dub beat. Then he’d sit back down and keep snarling. Acid Souljah posted a selfie video with a baby-yoda-filter over his face and the caption “wtf am I listening to” – you can hear Gods Wisdom grunting in the background.
Cooper joined him for a few duets. I’ve got “X Marks the Spot” on repeat these days. The first melody Cooper sings is addictive, but it only happens once. So I have to re-start the song over and over again.
Cooper rocked a navy blue bandana under a red backwards flat-brim. He jumped up on the platform and hit us with his classic high knees. You know the drill. Sal and Charlie were right up front. Some things never change. I sat behind the stage. The crowd bounced with the beat and shouted Cooper’s lyrics back at him.
TAGABOW + Full Body 2 @ The Blue Room, Sarah Lawrence // February 24
Somehow, Jack ended up managing our two favorite artists: LUCY + They Are Gutting a Body of Water.
It’s a good excuse to see them play all the time. There’s nothing I’d rather do with a night than go see TAGABOW in a new environment. We hopped in the Jeep and buzzed out to the Bronx for their show at Sarah Lawrence. Got there mid Full Body 2.
Thank you to campus kingpin Elijah for the hospitality. He booked a ripper. The kids are alright. It felt like seeing my favorite band in a school gym. The whole time, I was standing there with the dumbest grin on my face. 100% blissed out. The peak was when hearing the crowd sing along to the guitar line in “63 Skies.”
Jack and I got rockignized. They knew the line, “We’ll feel like The Beatles everyday.” Insane.
This was a special show and there’s much more I’d like to cover—like talking to Emily about Boston hardcore, or PJs Air Force 1s, or Doug texting the management groupchat, “I need a blunt and some head.” And then quickly correcting himself, “Sorry wrong chat.”
But the truth is that I wanna go see TAGABOW again. And if I don’t leave in the next 8 minutes, I might miss em.
I’ll also have to fill you in on the Birthday Girl album release show & Lola Star purchasing vapes in the bathroom @ Market Hotel. But it’ll have to wait. Much luv & many thanks. Hope to hit you again soon <3