95 Bulls session

 

This mini set via 95 Bulls was released on Nov. 22... filmed live at Mrs. Morgan's Flower Shop in Bronxville... and presented by Show Brain, which brought lots of live music to Tompkins Square Park (and elsewhere) this past year (bands that included 95 Bulls).

The 'Ghosts' in you

 

Seattle's KEXP recently released this video of an in-studio performance by EVG faves Cults. 

The band with local roots recently released their fifth LP, To the Ghosts, this past summer.

Enjoy the extended live set and interview...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Cults classic: East Village-based duo on the release of their fourth record

Halloween night with Pretty Sick at Bowery Ballroom

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Sabrina Fuentes brought a Pretty Sick show to Bowery Ballroom on Halloween night. 

This was a one-off show for Pretty Sick, which Fuentes founded in 2013 at age 13. The band, which includes Ava Kaufman (drums) and Ben Arauz (guitar), released a new EP, the more electronic Streetwise, this past summer. 

We caught up with Fuentes, her bandmates and friends backstage...

Then we went out to watch a frenzied crowd enjoy Pretty Sick in a sold-out Bowery Ballroom...

Keep tabs on the band via Instagram.

Bands we like: Genre is Death

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy 

It turns out Death becomes them. 

In recent months, we've seen Genre is Death three times, including twice in Tompkins Square Park, and the duo has quickly become one of our local favorites. 

The band, Ty Varesi and Tayler Lee, brings an experimental, no-wave aesthetic to their music. (As concert promoter Show Brain posted about the band: "Using loopers, synths, and distortion, you can expect a loud, angry, and at times melodic sound that continues the no wave tradition.")

Ahead of the release tomorrow of their first LP, Talk, we asked the two a few questions...

What is the band's origin story? 

Tayler: We had been trying to come up with funny sayings to print onto t-shirts. We were spitballing variations of our current name — "Death to Genre," "Genre Death," "Death is Genre," and then Ty said, "Genre is Death," and we just looked at each other and were like, Fuck a t-shirt, that's our new band name!

Ty and I were playing music in Atlanta in a dead-end sludge band. We played music in that project for four years and played maybe two or three shows? It was awful — a true creative death. 

When we moved to New York, we started making whatever came to us. Things started feeling right after that.

How would you describe your sound? 

Ty: I would describe our sound as loose but also tight… Noisy? Hmmm… I'm trying to think of words to describe it. 

You frequently perform in the East Village and Lower East Side. What draws you here? How have audiences responded to your shows?

Ty: Honestly, we don't have much history in the Lower East Side or the East Village, or in New York for that matter. We've only been living here for one year and playing here for even less than that. It really is our friends (Show Brain and Boycott Sleep crews) who have brought us out to the LES, and for that, we are grateful.

Tayler: The reception to our performances has been largely positive. We like to maintain a mindset that goes in without expectation but are happy that people are enjoying the music we are making.  

What can people expect at your LP release party at Boycott Sleep tomorrow night? 

Ty: People can expect a night of great music, DJs, and people. Boycott Sleep’s Julia Pierce knows how to curate a night. From us, they can expect to hear Talk played front to back with a couple of new songs on the setlist. 

What's next for the band? 

Tayler: We are looking forward to playing at the New Colossus Festival in March 2025, likely with a live drummer.

Genre is Death plays the next Boycott Sleep loft party at 99 Canal St. near Eldridge Street (fourth floor) tomorrow (Friday) evening.

 

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At the debut of Boycott Sleep, an artist-led collective aspiring to redefine live music spaces

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

The night of Sept. 27 saw the debut of Boycott Sleep, an artist-led collective creating spaces for live music outside the existing venues. 

The event took place at the Pretty Garden Club, 99 Canal St. near Eldridge Street, on the fourth floor, which they share with the Banner of Christ Church.

Julia Pierce, lead singer of Tits Dick Ass, produced the show with help from Ozzie at Show Brain...

Pierce wants to showcase more avant-garde sound and art in venue spaces like this loft at Pretty Garden Club. 

This show featured three emerging bands — Genre Is Death, Avishag Cohen Rodrigues (who also plays in cumgirl8) and Popular (featuring Pierce) — and one established band, 1980s noise legends Live Skull. Kat Imperial also played a DJ set. (Admission is $11.)

"Artists working together who are like-minded and support each other," Pierce says. 

We arrived early to take in the jagged and atmospheric noise pop of Genre Is Death, whose first EP drops on Oct. 13...

We also caught the genre-bending sounds of Avishag Cohen Rodrigues...

... seen here with cumgirl8 bandmate Veronika Vilim...

... and Kat Imperial...

We couldn't stick around for Live Skull's late set, but we did spot vocalist-guitarist Mark C.

... and some faces in the crowd...

The next Boycott Sleep is scheduled for Nov. 1 at 99 Canal St.

'Number' cruncher

 

Local trio Sunflower Bean is back with a new catchy EP titled Shake.

The video here is for "Lucky Number." 

You can catch the band live at the United Sounds NYC Festival on Oct. 25 in Red Hook. (The bill includes The Dismemberment Plan and Model/Actriz.)

Doing the things a particle can

East Village-based singer-songwriter Kid Bowery dropped a new song today. 

Per the artist, "Devolver" is "a bit of sleaze-folk psychedelia reminiscent of Elephant 6 bands like Olivia Tremor Control..." 

Check it out...

   

Find more Kid Bowery music here. 

Headline H/T

2 members of Team USA are featured in this local band's new music video

The new music video from local band Midnight Machines has a timely Olympics connection: the clip for "Burning Me Down" features two professional fencers and members of Team USA, Kasia Nixon and Jess Savner. Savner will compete this week in the Paris Games in the Pentathlon event. 

Krikor Daglian (who has contributed photos to EVG) and Krisana Soponpong are Midnight Machines, who find inspiration from a range of artists, including LCD Soundsystem, CHVRCHES, The Rapture, Phoenix, Christine and the Queens, Bloc Party and Daft Punk. 

"The song is about the complex theme of desire and whether it's better to stay safe in a situation you've known or 'burn it all down' by chasing after something new and exciting," said director Charlie Gillette. "While the lyrics explore the intricate emotions of longing and passion, I wanted to transform the abstract notion of desire into a tangible and exhilarating narrative, portraying a compelling duel between two master fencers."

You can check out the video, which was filmed in April, right here...

 

The band plays at Rockwood Music Hall on Thursday night at 9. 

'Strange' magic

 

I don't remember when I first heard The Shacks, but I recall buying the NYC trio's debut LP at Academy Records on 12th Street in 2018. Someone said, "If you like Mazzy Star and Broadcast, then..."

Somewhere along the line, the NYC-based trio (all in their late teens/early 20s at the start) called it quits... but only after recording a lot of music. The band's label, Big Crown, recently issued their previously unreleased songs (plus others that weren't on vinyl). 

Lead singer Shanny Wise (an LES native) now fronts Fcukers... 

The above video from the Shacks for "This Strange Effect" is from 2017. RIP The Shacks!

Bands we like: Skorts

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We're not sure what plans the members of the local band Skorts originally had for this past Sunday. But the foursome found themselves setting up to play in the early afternoon as part of a concert lineup on a sultry summer day. 

One of the original groups on the lineup was unable to make it at the last minute, so Show Brain promoter Ozzie Silva called the band to fill the open slot. 

"We've played Tompkins before, and it's always such an incredible time," said lead singer and guitarist Alli Walls, an East Village resident. "It's great to be hanging around all day with the other amazing bands and always awesome to catch the passersby of all kinds that come through the park. Energy is always unmatched at the Tompkins shows — Ozzie puts the best bills together." 

And Skorts has been on many bills of late. (Oh My Rockness NYC had them at No. 4 in its 2023 "hardest-working bands" list.)

Last Friday, they released their latest single, "Steal the Night," which showcases the band's alluring, fuzzed-out pop-psych sensibilities. (As one writer put it, Skorts "wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sub Pop or Matador Records mix tape from the mid-90s.")

Alli Walls...

Char Smith (lead guitar and an EV resident)...

Emma Welch (bass and backing vocals)...

Max Yassky (filling in on drums)...

You can find Skorts on Bandcamp here. 

Their next show is Wednesday night at The Sultan Room in Bushwick.

Leaving you with two of the band's videos... "Eat Your Heart Out" and "Cyclops Girlfriend"... 

  The next Show Brains show in Tompkins Square Park is July 14.

Friday's parting shot

Tits Dick Ass tonight at the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls on Avenue A... headlining a bill that featured Gargoyle ... Suburban Speed ... and Femcel ...

Sound the 'Alarms'

Photo from 2022 by Stacie Joy

The Acute, the East Village-based duo of Viveca Butler and Stephen Cacouris, have just released a new single, "Year Old Alarms." 

Find the Acute's music on Bandcamp (and today is Bandcamp Friday!) ... and check out the new track below featuring artwork by EV resident Kenny Ray...

 

'Judgment' day

 

Scream from New York, NY, the debut record from NYC's Been Stellar is out this June 4. 

Ahead of that release, they shared this single (and video!) for "Passing Judgment."

Q&A with Colin Simpson, aka reggae artist Ras Redemption

Interview and photos by Stacie Joy 

I recently talked with Colin Simpson, an aspiring reggae artist who goes by Ras Redemption. He lives and works on the Lower East Side, overseeing maintenance as a superintendent for a residential management company. 

He told me about his recently released single, "Brethren," and how the neighborhood reminds him of his hometown in Guyana. 

Tell us about your journey to the Lower East Side.

I was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, and moved to the United States in 2007, living first in Brooklyn. I moved to the Lower East Side in 2011 for work and have lived here ever since. 

I have a video about my journey on YouTube if you want to check it out for more about me. 

How do you describe your music? 

My music is uplifting, redeeming, inspirational and universally friendly. Reggae is righteous music; it's about awakening and knowing yourself. It frees you from whatever tribulation is going on in life, and it's music to keep you grounded and focused. 

So, my music and lyrics mirror that — it mentally takes you to a different place.

You live and work on the Lower East Side, whose locales appear in your music videos. How has the neighborhood influenced your work? 

It has influenced me in a positive way. I come from a place where, from the moment you're awake to when you're out in the street, you greet everyone in a warm and friendly manner, and I get that same response from living in this neighborhood — it reminds me of home. 

Living on the Lower East Side inspires me to write positive music, making me want to extend/show that same kind of warmth and gratitude to the world. 

Where can people see and hear you perform? 

I’m in the studio working on my first EP and some new singles. So, for now, if people want to hear more of my music, I’m on all digital platforms and social media. 

You can find Colin's social media and videos at this link.

A trip 'Wire'

 

Bush Tetras, the influential post-punk/no-wave band that got its start on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, just released a new video for their single "Bird on a Wire." 

The video, featuring singer Cynthia Sley in front of EV storefronts that housed some iconic businesses, also includes a supporting role from East Village-based photographer GODLIS. 

The track is from the band's new LP, They Live in My Head, out on July 28. 

And catch Bush Tetras — with new members bassist Cait "Rocky" O'Riordan and drummer Steve Shelley joining original guitarist Pat Place — on Sept. 15 at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street.

Saturday's parting shot

A little 80s new wave/psych from local band Lukka tonight at Arlene's Grocery ... as part of the New Colossus Festival. Keep tabs on the band here.

Details on the 'Queers of Noise Dyke March After Party' Saturday at Berlin Under A

Local artist-photographer-filmmaker-musician Katrina del Mar is presenting "Queers of Noise Dyke March After Party: Love is Love" Saturday night at Berlin Under A, 25 Avenue A at Second Street. 

Via the EVG inbox... 

Katrina del Mar is excited to announce the electrifying lineup for "Queers of Noise Dyke March Afterparty: Love Is Love," the ONLY live music Dyke March After Party in NYC for Pride 2022. 

Celebrate the long-awaited return of Triple Creme, with Tracy City, Themme and the Queers of Noise Supergroup, fronted by very special guests Pamela Sneed, Michael Love Michael, BETTY, Sarah FM, Stepneck’s Lindz and Nussy Andrews. 

Come bang your head, riot grrrls to the front, for punk bands, radical queer poets and female-led rock bands. 

The show is 7:30-11:30 p.m. Find ticket info here. (This year, the 30th-annual NYC Dyke March will step off from Bryant Park at 5 p.m. on Saturday.)

Del Mar also fronts one of the bands on the bill, Tracy City (seen below) ...

'Alien' nation: East Village duo the Acute release debut full-length record

Photos by Stacie Joy

The Acute, the East Village-based duo of Viveca Butler and Stephen Cacouris, have just released their debut full-length release, Alien Théâtre. 

For now, you can find the smashing record on Bandcamp ... as well as on streaming services, including Spotify and Apple. (A vinyl release is forthcoming.)

On this occasion, EVG contributor Stacie Joy tagged along with the two, who are also a couple outside the band, as they shopped for records in the East Village ...

Keep tabs on the band via Instagram. And catch the lo-fi noisemakers on June 25 at Heaven Can Wait on Avenue A.

You can read our band Q&A from December right here.

-----

Thanks to (in order of appearance): 

• A-1 Record Shop, 439 E. Sixth St.

• Jay's record table, sidewalk near 97-99 Avenue A 

• Ergot Records, 32 E. Second St.

Meet The Acute

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Partners in music and life, married couple Viveca Butler and Stephen Cacouris are The Acute, an East Village-based lo-fi duo. 

I recently spent a seasonably warm fall afternoon walking around the neighborhood with them, talking about bands and music, audio engineering, and what it’s like working, touring and living together.

What is the band’s origin story?

Cacouris: We initially met a while back at an MGMT show, but never again until 2017, when we began jamming in a Williamsburg music studio. We instantly began writing and thought of all the ways we could shape our sound that felt unique, relevant and organic.

Butler: It was a clear sign from the universe when we kept running into each other and shared similar opinions regarding music. I wrote bass parts originally before stepping into the drumming/songwriting realm. The first song we worked on together was “Database.” We would play each other songs we loved for hours; he turned me on to Can and The Fall, I showed him Killing Joke and The Adverts. 

What is some of the music that shaped your music life — or life in general?

Cacouris: We’re very attached to our rock and roll! From the 1960s through the 1980s, we are tuned into the bands that created this amazing genre, like The Kinks. Bands that shaped my life include The Velvet Underground, The Replacements, The Seeds…

Butler: Ultimately, I can say The Kinks brought us close together. Other than that, I have a passion for 1980s musicians such as Gary Numan, Siouxsie [Sioux], Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Tears for Fears, Michael Jackson, etc. I also love funk from the 1970s, like Sly and the Family Stone, and reggae such as Steel Pulse.

Cacouris: Obviously, The Fall, we’re named after them. The Stooges’ Raw Power is awesome; we were just talking about it. I’m nuts about Gil Scott-Heron. We love 1980s music, though. The beats and development of rock into this big, booming genre was a real upheaval… And Viv has gotten me to listen to Genesis with a newfound appreciation — you learn something new every day.

How and why did you decide to call the East Village home?

Butler: I was always drawn to the East Village for the creative energy and the starting point of great bands such as the B-52’s, Dead Boys, Bad Brains, Redemption 87, The Heartbreakers, Blondie, Talking Heads, etc. My best friend when I moved here lived on Ninth Street and I would stay on her couch after long music-listening marathons; it was my second home. One of my first jobs was at a restaurant called Aquiloni that doesn’t exist anymore on Avenue A and 12th Street. After work, I would hang and skate in Tompkins. 

As for music, the best venues have always been here. I went to some all-ages punk shows at the Continental and ABC No Rio. I even managed to see the Cro-Mags and (part of) Bad Brains. I started out playing drums for open mics at the Bowery Poetry Club. Eventually, I joined bands that played Arlene’s Grocery, Piano’s, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, Mercury Lounge and more. I took lessons at the music studio on Rivington that is now closed. Iggy Pop and Joe Strummer were also my idols as a kid. We finally got to move here a year and a half ago, and I couldn’t be happier.

How has playing in Tompkins Square Park helped you grow as a band, especially during the pandemic?

Butler: It was no walk in the park! I commend musicians and bands that master the art of playing outdoors regularly. The acoustics are completely irrelevant to a studio or venue and adapting can be challenging yet rewarding. It has definitely been a growing experience and added another dimension to our music. 

Cacouris: Yeah, it’s really strange and fantastic. There’s a freedom that comes with playing to a crowd of passersby and music geeks such as ourselves. It brings out the inner life of shows on the Tompkins grounds. A really good thing for us to have done. And it always brings surprises!

You recorded and mixed the new album yourself. Why did you decide to do this and not seek any outside help?

Cacouris: It just felt like the right thing to do. We’ve been working for years at developing our skills in a limited capacity, but putting it all together was really amazing. We had dreamed of building a record from the initial sonic choices to the final cut, and it was an unforgettable experience!

Butler: We started recording last fall/winter, right during a new wave of the pandemic. Most engineers were unavailable due to social distancing, so even if we wanted to work with someone — and we did, our fantastic engineer friend Matt Vanek — it would have been tricky. We were both also interested in engineering something ourselves from the ground up. 

We mixed the Infinidy EP ourselves, but Matt recorded us in a very cool way, which inspired us. The studio we rent has engineering equipment and we decided to jump in and learn. There are so many things that go into a good recording, such as the type of mic, distance and feel/way to play that suits recorded music.

You live and work together, do the rigors of all this ever strain your relationship outside the band?

Butler: Our relationship outside of the band is actually not an issue. That would be the easy part, as we enjoy each other’s company. A band is a partnership that can go deeper than any other relationship. It is in itself a marriage based on trust and being your better self, or the opposite sometimes! I am not an easy person to work with, but I am learning how to let up on the material a little and really listen to Stephen’s suggestions. 

With music always comes self-criticism, so having a partner to help develop ideas is a great help but can sometimes lead to the old head-butt. It is a learning experience and we figure out what works best as we go. If I worked as a solo artist, I would not have to share everything creatively but would be extremely lonely and unfulfilled (I tried once). 

Cacouris: Me too, ha! Working together has been magical and, of course, at times stressful, but delegating tasks and enabling better communication are key.

What are your expectations with the new record? What’s next for The Acute? 

Butler: I hope the new record shows the core of who we are. After our first full length is released, we hope to do some touring and start the second album. We have enough material and even can picture the start of a third… 

Cacouris: We’re taking it one day at a time. These songs are near and dear to us, and we can’t wait to get the record out to you. Keep an eye out!

You can do just that here.

Check out their new single, "Alien Theatre," right here...