The Men at Saint Vitus (photo by Ray Rusinak) I came to know of the band The Men via their 2014 album, Tomorrow’s Hits, which I had no idea upon first (or second) listen that the rootsy rock and roll on that album was a complete departur...
Ted Leo at Union Pool (photo by Ray Rusinak) Williamsburg music venue, Union Pool, has been hosting a weekly free concert series every Tuesday and this week’s artist was Ted Leo with opening support act Tami Hart. With early sets and free...
Tea Eater at The Broadway (photo by Kate Hoos) The raucous art/noise punk band, Tea Eater (feat. members of Gustaf, Baby Acid, Sharkmuffin and more), just wrapped up a four week residency at The Broadway which featured them playing once a...
Caravela at Elsewhere Zone One (photo by Kate Hoos) Long live the early week night show! We were thrilled to catch an early evening at Elsewhere this Thursday night with a trio of bands playing powerhouse fuckin rock. FTA faves Desert Shar...
Downtown Boys at Union Pool (photo by Kate Hoos) On Tuesday, January 25th, long running political dance punk band, Downtown Boys, and Brooklyn grunge rock band, Oceanator, delivered highly energized sets to a tightly packed room at Brookl...
Nick Hakim at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Emilio Herce) The Queens-based alternative soul singer Nick Hakim cast a seductive spell over an adoring crowd at Brooklyn Steel this past Saturday night. Born and raised in Washington DC to a Chilean ...
Frida Kill at TV Eye (photo by Kate Hoos) A rock n roll show on a school night (or any night) sounds like my kind of good time. This was also a night for all of these bands to kick off their 2023 of shows and with several friends on the bil...
We Are Scientists at Brooklyn Made (photo by Kevin McGann) This past Friday, 1/20/23, long running New York City based band We Are Scientists were back in action to celebrate their eighth and latest album, Lobes (read our review), to a pac...
Kississippi at Baby’s All Right (photo by Amanda Meth) This past Sunday, January 15th, I got to ring in my first show of 2023 with the tender indie beats of Kississippi, Highnoon, and Jane Lai as they performed in front of a packed ro...
They Might Be Giants at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Kate Hoos) In 1990, They Might Be Giants released their third album, Flood, on Elektra Records (their first release with a major label). Flood went platinum, and I spent my sophomore year ...
Tomberlin at Baby’s All Right (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Last month, Tomberlin and Palehound had scheduled two shows at Baby’s All Right that I could not attend due to prior commitments (including shooting the Foals show at Termina...
WORLDSUCKS at Avalon Lounge (photo by Kate Hoos) I shot my first show of 2023 and I’m more than thrilled that it was a DIY show in a dive bar, first and foremost the kinds of shows my heart always lives for and the place you’ll ...
Patti Smith at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Emilio Herce) Patti Smith is a living legend, and I came to love her art—as I suspect a good number in attendance of her December 29th Brooklyn Steels show did—through her writing, specifically, h...
Wet Leg at Webster Hall (photo by Emilio Herce) Wet Leg returned to NYC last week to perform four sold-out shows at Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Elsewhere, and Music Hall of Williamsburg. I was lucky enough to catch the inaugural show on ...
Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Ray Rusinak) It was November 2019 when Jeff (Rosenstock) and Laura (Stevenson) unexpectedly released an EP of Neil Young covers called Still Young on Polyvinyl Records. At the...
Foals at Terminal 5 (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Friday night 12/16 saw the return of British rock band Foals to New York. The band hadn’t played our fine city since a pair of shows in April of 2019, so they were overdue for a visit, and t...
Lightning Bolt at Brooklyn Monarch (photo by Kate Hoos) One can’t possibly have a conversation about noise or experimental music without mentioning the pioneering duo, Lightning Bolt. They formed almost three decades ago in the wonder...
Sasami at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kate Hoos) When Sasami comes to town, you can bet on where I’ll be. I had already seen her twice this year (see pics from her show in Philadelphia in March and her show at BRIC in July) and f...
Snotty Nose Rez Kids at Purgatory (photo by Kevin McGann) Last week, Snotty Nose Rez Kids were happy to shout, “Brooklyn’s in the house!” as they took to the stage at Purgatory for an all-out assault on the NYC venue. It was the culmi...
Bouncing Souls at Brooklyn Made (photo by Jeanette D. Moses) Last Thursday, 12/8, Brooklyn Made played host to an epic tri-state rager featuring Philadelphia’s Catbite, Brooklyn’s very own Thick and New Jersey punk legends, Boun...
Jobber at Alphaville (photo by Kate Hoos) One of my favorite discoveries of 2022 has been Jobber, the new post grunge band that just recently released their debut EP, Hell In A Cell. I described them in a review of their single “Heel...
Turnstile at Roadrunner (photo by Sam Schraub) Sometimes you gotta cross state borders to get to the gig. When Turnstile announced their penultimate show this tour would be in Boston—with Snail Mail opening—it was a no brainer to me tha...
Hammered Hulls at TV Eye (photo by Kate Hoos) Dischord/DC supergroup, Hammered Hulls, recently put out their debut full length, Careening, and embarked on a short tour to promote it. The band members—Alec MacKaye, Mary Timony, Mark Cisner...
Christeene at Market Hotel (photo by Kate Hoos) Google “Christeene” and one word will keep coming back over and over again to describe her, feral. And indeed, the recent performance by Christeene at Market Hotel could hardly be ...
The Hold Steady at Brooklyn Bowl (photo by Ray Rusinak) The Hold Steady have been at it for 19 years now. Upon the demise of Minneapolis underground punk rock band Lifter Puller, Craig Finn and Tad Kubler moved to Brooklyn and formed The Ho...
Mevius at Mercury Lounge (photo by Kate Hoos) Local R&B/soul infused indie pop artist, Papi Shiitake recently released a brand new album, Wabi-Sabi, and to celebrate played a co-headline bill at Mercury Lounge with electro shoegaze band...
War On Women at Saint Vitus (photo by Kevin McGann) Longtime FTA faves and feminist firebrands War On Women have been on a co-headlining tour with Canadian metallic hardcore band, Cancer Bats, and just made a stop at Saint Vitus for a hig...
Palm at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Emilio Herce) Philadelphia band Palm performed something of a homecoming show on Wednesday, November 30th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I say ‘of sorts,’ because while most of the me...
Lola Johnson (Fisty) at Cobra Club (photo by Kate Hoos) On a recent Sunday night, a group of musicians came together at Bushwick’s Cobra Club to raise money for The Center for Human Rights in Iran in response to the current feminist ...
Cloud Nothings at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kate Hoos) Attack on Memory, the 2012 album by Cloud Nothings, is one of those albums I can’t help but listen to front to back each and every time; it is not casual listening or ...
Disq at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Madison, Wisconsin’s Disq made their way to Baby’s All Right last week in support of their sophomore album, Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet (Saddle Creek). And while I’m sur...
Death From Above 1979 at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kate Hoos) The long running Canadian dance/noise punk duo Death From Above 1979 hit Brooklyn recently for the penultimate night of their North American Is 4 Lovers tour. This al...
Weeping Icon at Alphaville (photo by Kevin McGann) The first time I saw the extraordinary noise punk band Weeping Icon was at the Bushwick venue Alphaville in 2017, and I was instantly mesmerized. Their music, then and now, comes at you wit...
Oceanator at The Broadway (photo by Ray Rusinak) By their own account, Elise Okusami and Oceantor have been on the road for seven separate tours this calendar year. That’s a LOT of touring. Sharing the stage with such diverse acts as Pe...
Rozzi at Sultan Room (photo by Kevin McGann) LA based singer/songwriter/producer Rozzi treated her NYC fans to an intimate live show last week to celebrate the release of Berry (Deluxe) which combines the songs from her previous EPs, Be...
NoSo at Mercury Lounge (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Baek Hwong aka NoSo played their first New York City show as a headliner, and their largest show to date as the headliner, on Tuesday night 10/15 at the Mercury Lounge. They were backed by ...
Dead Stars at Main Drag (photo by Ray Rusinak) The old adage that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” couldn’t be more true than in the case of Brooklyn’s very own fuzz punk power popsters, Dead Stars. It’s been well over two an...
The Murlocs at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kevin McGann) I guess blowing minds in NYC a few weeks back with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard wasn’t enough for Ambrose Kenny-Smith, so he decided to come back to Brooklyn this pa...
Teke::Teke at Public Records (photo by Emilio Herce) On Friday, November 11th, Teke::Teke, the Montreal based Japanese band, performed their inaugural NYC show at Brooklyn’s Public Records, a relatively new mid-sized Gowanus venue. The ve...
Silversun Pickups at Webster Hall (photo by Kevin McGann) This weekend, NYC was treated to the sounds of Silversun Pickups as they hit Webster Hall to promote their 6th album, Physical Thrills (New Machine Recordings). It was my first time ...
Babehoven at Union Pool (photo by Juliette Boulay) Babehoven and adjacent folk artists graced the stage at Union Pool Saturday to celebrate the release of the band’s newest LP, Light Moving Time. The album is a sweet opera of the heart, ...
Tunnel at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Last week saw the return of local/FTA faves, Dog Date, after a 3-month hiatus along with Bottled Up and Tunnel for a pre-Halloween bash at Baby’s All Right. It was great to catch u...
The Paranoyds at Market Hotel (photo by Kate Hoos) LA garage punks The Paranoyds recently dropped their stellar new album, Talk Talk Talk (Third Man), and hit NYC for their first show in over two years, kicking off Halloweekend. They too...
Petrol Girls at The Moon (photo by Kate Hoos) Petrol Girls are one of the most crucial political post hardcore bands currently going. Their latest album, Baby, was released this past June and is unflinchingly feminist, sharply critical of t...
Pile at Market Hotel (photo by Juliette Boulay) Pile recently played a pair of shows in Brooklyn as part of the 10 year anniversary tour for their 2012 album, Dripping, first making a stop at Alphaville on Thursday 8/27 before hitting the ...
Native Sun at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Last Tuesday night saw the 2nd time in two weeks I’ve been able to catch NY’s Native Sun. And like every show of theirs I’ve attended, they never disappoint. This one was sp...
Chat Pile at Saint Vitus (photo by Juliette Boulay) Last week’s show at Saint Vitus was absolutely insane. Bands Chat Pile, Scarcity, and Psychic Graveyard all tore down the house with the kind of ground-shaking energy that makes th...
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Forest Hills Stadium (photo by Kevin McGann) In their relatively short history, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have built a huge following and a rabid fan base that will follow them from city to c...
Narrow Head at TV Eye (photo by Juliette Boulay) A powerful lineup of heavy bands hit the stage at TV Eye last Friday to deliver a gritty, nostalgic sound to a sold out house. All three bands, Narrow Head, Temple of Angels, and Bleed, broug...
Thick at Saint Vitus (photo by Kate Hoos) Thick has had a busy year and since they just happen to be one of the hardest working bands out there, it hardly seems as through they’ve broken a sweat. They released a stellar new record, Ha...
The Men at Saint Vitus (photo by Ray Rusinak) I came to know of the band The Men via their 2014 album, Tomorrow’s Hits, which I had no idea upon first (or second) listen that the rootsy rock and roll on that album was a complete departur...
Ted Leo at Union Pool (photo by Ray Rusinak) Williamsburg music venue, Union Pool, has been hosting a weekly free concert series every Tuesday and this week’s artist was Ted Leo with opening support act Tami Hart. With early sets and free...
Tea Eater at The Broadway (photo by Kate Hoos) The raucous art/noise punk band, Tea Eater (feat. members of Gustaf, Baby Acid, Sharkmuffin and more), just wrapped up a four week residency at The Broadway which featured them playing once a...
Caravela at Elsewhere Zone One (photo by Kate Hoos) Long live the early week night show! We were thrilled to catch an early evening at Elsewhere this Thursday night with a trio of bands playing powerhouse fuckin rock. FTA faves Desert Shar...
Downtown Boys at Union Pool (photo by Kate Hoos) On Tuesday, January 25th, long running political dance punk band, Downtown Boys, and Brooklyn grunge rock band, Oceanator, delivered highly energized sets to a tightly packed room at Brookl...
Nick Hakim at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Emilio Herce) The Queens-based alternative soul singer Nick Hakim cast a seductive spell over an adoring crowd at Brooklyn Steel this past Saturday night. Born and raised in Washington DC to a Chilean ...
Frida Kill at TV Eye (photo by Kate Hoos) A rock n roll show on a school night (or any night) sounds like my kind of good time. This was also a night for all of these bands to kick off their 2023 of shows and with several friends on the bil...
We Are Scientists at Brooklyn Made (photo by Kevin McGann) This past Friday, 1/20/23, long running New York City based band We Are Scientists were back in action to celebrate their eighth and latest album, Lobes (read our review), to a pac...
Kississippi at Baby’s All Right (photo by Amanda Meth) This past Sunday, January 15th, I got to ring in my first show of 2023 with the tender indie beats of Kississippi, Highnoon, and Jane Lai as they performed in front of a packed ro...
They Might Be Giants at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Kate Hoos) In 1990, They Might Be Giants released their third album, Flood, on Elektra Records (their first release with a major label). Flood went platinum, and I spent my sophomore year ...
Tomberlin at Baby’s All Right (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Last month, Tomberlin and Palehound had scheduled two shows at Baby’s All Right that I could not attend due to prior commitments (including shooting the Foals show at Termina...
WORLDSUCKS at Avalon Lounge (photo by Kate Hoos) I shot my first show of 2023 and I’m more than thrilled that it was a DIY show in a dive bar, first and foremost the kinds of shows my heart always lives for and the place you’ll ...
Patti Smith at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Emilio Herce) Patti Smith is a living legend, and I came to love her art—as I suspect a good number in attendance of her December 29th Brooklyn Steels show did—through her writing, specifically, h...
Wet Leg at Webster Hall (photo by Emilio Herce) Wet Leg returned to NYC last week to perform four sold-out shows at Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Elsewhere, and Music Hall of Williamsburg. I was lucky enough to catch the inaugural show on ...
Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Ray Rusinak) It was November 2019 when Jeff (Rosenstock) and Laura (Stevenson) unexpectedly released an EP of Neil Young covers called Still Young on Polyvinyl Records. At the...
Foals at Terminal 5 (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Friday night 12/16 saw the return of British rock band Foals to New York. The band hadn’t played our fine city since a pair of shows in April of 2019, so they were overdue for a visit, and t...
Lightning Bolt at Brooklyn Monarch (photo by Kate Hoos) One can’t possibly have a conversation about noise or experimental music without mentioning the pioneering duo, Lightning Bolt. They formed almost three decades ago in the wonder...
Sasami at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kate Hoos) When Sasami comes to town, you can bet on where I’ll be. I had already seen her twice this year (see pics from her show in Philadelphia in March and her show at BRIC in July) and f...
Snotty Nose Rez Kids at Purgatory (photo by Kevin McGann) Last week, Snotty Nose Rez Kids were happy to shout, “Brooklyn’s in the house!” as they took to the stage at Purgatory for an all-out assault on the NYC venue. It was the culmi...
Bouncing Souls at Brooklyn Made (photo by Jeanette D. Moses) Last Thursday, 12/8, Brooklyn Made played host to an epic tri-state rager featuring Philadelphia’s Catbite, Brooklyn’s very own Thick and New Jersey punk legends, Boun...
Jobber at Alphaville (photo by Kate Hoos) One of my favorite discoveries of 2022 has been Jobber, the new post grunge band that just recently released their debut EP, Hell In A Cell. I described them in a review of their single “Heel...
Turnstile at Roadrunner (photo by Sam Schraub) Sometimes you gotta cross state borders to get to the gig. When Turnstile announced their penultimate show this tour would be in Boston—with Snail Mail opening—it was a no brainer to me tha...
Hammered Hulls at TV Eye (photo by Kate Hoos) Dischord/DC supergroup, Hammered Hulls, recently put out their debut full length, Careening, and embarked on a short tour to promote it. The band members—Alec MacKaye, Mary Timony, Mark Cisner...
Christeene at Market Hotel (photo by Kate Hoos) Google “Christeene” and one word will keep coming back over and over again to describe her, feral. And indeed, the recent performance by Christeene at Market Hotel could hardly be ...
The Hold Steady at Brooklyn Bowl (photo by Ray Rusinak) The Hold Steady have been at it for 19 years now. Upon the demise of Minneapolis underground punk rock band Lifter Puller, Craig Finn and Tad Kubler moved to Brooklyn and formed The Ho...
Mevius at Mercury Lounge (photo by Kate Hoos) Local R&B/soul infused indie pop artist, Papi Shiitake recently released a brand new album, Wabi-Sabi, and to celebrate played a co-headline bill at Mercury Lounge with electro shoegaze band...
War On Women at Saint Vitus (photo by Kevin McGann) Longtime FTA faves and feminist firebrands War On Women have been on a co-headlining tour with Canadian metallic hardcore band, Cancer Bats, and just made a stop at Saint Vitus for a hig...
Palm at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Emilio Herce) Philadelphia band Palm performed something of a homecoming show on Wednesday, November 30th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I say ‘of sorts,’ because while most of the me...
Lola Johnson (Fisty) at Cobra Club (photo by Kate Hoos) On a recent Sunday night, a group of musicians came together at Bushwick’s Cobra Club to raise money for The Center for Human Rights in Iran in response to the current feminist ...
Cloud Nothings at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kate Hoos) Attack on Memory, the 2012 album by Cloud Nothings, is one of those albums I can’t help but listen to front to back each and every time; it is not casual listening or ...
Disq at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Madison, Wisconsin’s Disq made their way to Baby’s All Right last week in support of their sophomore album, Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet (Saddle Creek). And while I’m sur...
Death From Above 1979 at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kate Hoos) The long running Canadian dance/noise punk duo Death From Above 1979 hit Brooklyn recently for the penultimate night of their North American Is 4 Lovers tour. This al...
Weeping Icon at Alphaville (photo by Kevin McGann) The first time I saw the extraordinary noise punk band Weeping Icon was at the Bushwick venue Alphaville in 2017, and I was instantly mesmerized. Their music, then and now, comes at you wit...
Oceanator at The Broadway (photo by Ray Rusinak) By their own account, Elise Okusami and Oceantor have been on the road for seven separate tours this calendar year. That’s a LOT of touring. Sharing the stage with such diverse acts as Pe...
Rozzi at Sultan Room (photo by Kevin McGann) LA based singer/songwriter/producer Rozzi treated her NYC fans to an intimate live show last week to celebrate the release of Berry (Deluxe) which combines the songs from her previous EPs, Be...
NoSo at Mercury Lounge (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya) Baek Hwong aka NoSo played their first New York City show as a headliner, and their largest show to date as the headliner, on Tuesday night 10/15 at the Mercury Lounge. They were backed by ...
Dead Stars at Main Drag (photo by Ray Rusinak) The old adage that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” couldn’t be more true than in the case of Brooklyn’s very own fuzz punk power popsters, Dead Stars. It’s been well over two an...
The Murlocs at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kevin McGann) I guess blowing minds in NYC a few weeks back with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard wasn’t enough for Ambrose Kenny-Smith, so he decided to come back to Brooklyn this pa...
Teke::Teke at Public Records (photo by Emilio Herce) On Friday, November 11th, Teke::Teke, the Montreal based Japanese band, performed their inaugural NYC show at Brooklyn’s Public Records, a relatively new mid-sized Gowanus venue. The ve...
Silversun Pickups at Webster Hall (photo by Kevin McGann) This weekend, NYC was treated to the sounds of Silversun Pickups as they hit Webster Hall to promote their 6th album, Physical Thrills (New Machine Recordings). It was my first time ...
Babehoven at Union Pool (photo by Juliette Boulay) Babehoven and adjacent folk artists graced the stage at Union Pool Saturday to celebrate the release of the band’s newest LP, Light Moving Time. The album is a sweet opera of the heart, ...
Tunnel at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Last week saw the return of local/FTA faves, Dog Date, after a 3-month hiatus along with Bottled Up and Tunnel for a pre-Halloween bash at Baby’s All Right. It was great to catch u...
The Paranoyds at Market Hotel (photo by Kate Hoos) LA garage punks The Paranoyds recently dropped their stellar new album, Talk Talk Talk (Third Man), and hit NYC for their first show in over two years, kicking off Halloweekend. They too...
Petrol Girls at The Moon (photo by Kate Hoos) Petrol Girls are one of the most crucial political post hardcore bands currently going. Their latest album, Baby, was released this past June and is unflinchingly feminist, sharply critical of t...
Pile at Market Hotel (photo by Juliette Boulay) Pile recently played a pair of shows in Brooklyn as part of the 10 year anniversary tour for their 2012 album, Dripping, first making a stop at Alphaville on Thursday 8/27 before hitting the ...
Native Sun at Baby’s All Right (photo by Kevin McGann) Last Tuesday night saw the 2nd time in two weeks I’ve been able to catch NY’s Native Sun. And like every show of theirs I’ve attended, they never disappoint. This one was sp...
Chat Pile at Saint Vitus (photo by Juliette Boulay) Last week’s show at Saint Vitus was absolutely insane. Bands Chat Pile, Scarcity, and Psychic Graveyard all tore down the house with the kind of ground-shaking energy that makes th...
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Forest Hills Stadium (photo by Kevin McGann) In their relatively short history, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have built a huge following and a rabid fan base that will follow them from city to c...
Narrow Head at TV Eye (photo by Juliette Boulay) A powerful lineup of heavy bands hit the stage at TV Eye last Friday to deliver a gritty, nostalgic sound to a sold out house. All three bands, Narrow Head, Temple of Angels, and Bleed, broug...
Thick at Saint Vitus (photo by Kate Hoos) Thick has had a busy year and since they just happen to be one of the hardest working bands out there, it hardly seems as through they’ve broken a sweat. They released a stellar new record, Ha...