by Kate Hoos | Jun 14, 2021
Welcome! Wow another music blog in the world, I know right?! In my defense, I have been blogging and making zines on and off for the last ~25 years and have been contributing to other music outlets such as Brooklyn Vegan and Tom Tom Magazine for a while too, so I’m definitely not new to this or writing about music and photographing live shows. I’ve had another blog Hoosatron! for the last several years too but I was never fully satisfied with it and long talked about “revamping it”. While I wanted to improve it, I also absolutely lacked the know how on building a website which is why that site looked like it was a relic from circa 2008, so I partnered with a friend to get this site built.
I admittedly was also not very consistent with updates on the old blog and only did so sporadically with mostly posts about DIY shows and things that didn’t fit in with the larger sites I was contributing to. It absolutely served its purpose, but I wanted to try something else that looked and felt more professional, that I am able to work on more consistently while also having more of my work collected in one place, as well as have it be a place I can invite friends and respected colleagues to contribute to as well- all while getting to take a go at donning the “editor in chief” cap for the first time. And since I wanted something that could be a place for other folks to get involved, I knew I needed to not have it named directly after me as well.
So here it is! After some months of secret planning and figuring out the direction I wanted to go in, Full Time Aesthetic is here! While just a tiny baby in the world of music blogs right now, I really plan for it to grow as time goes on and hope that it will. Music is a very important and significant part of my life- I’ve been drumming or playing guitar in bands, booking shows, shooting/writing about bands, and going to shows regularly for more than half my life- I also finally wised up a few years ago and started working in venues too; suffice it to say I’m almost never not thinking about music in some capacity.
I certainly have my specific tastes of what I like, which definitely leans on the noisier, louder, and punker side of the rock spectrum, so you’ll see plenty of that here, but I like a lot of other stuff too and love things that are completely removed from the rock sphere too so you’ll probably see me gushing about some ambient electro music or something seemingly random here and there too. I really wanted to include parts of my archives of records and 35mm film as well so that will be an important feature mixed in with coverage of current music from both the DIY world in NYC (and wherever I may happen to travel) and artists that have moved beyond that sphere.
All that being said, I do plan to feature what I love, but I can’t cover it all myself (nor do I want to) so I very much encourage readers to get in touch if they want to contribute something or have suggestions on things they want to see- I’m very open to that! I am always on the hunt for more new/new to me sounds and I absolutely want more folks to get involved so don’t be shy. There will also be other things here from time to time like street art galleries, art shows, books, record store profiles, coverage of protests, and other things I find interesting along the travels of my life (and maybe my dream of regional soda reviews will happen here too- up the sober soda punx 4e!) I’m very excited to see where things go with it to say the least.
Know this on day one- this blog is 100% a labor of love made BY and FOR music nerds/lovers, thank you for being here!
FULL TIME AESTHETIC- MUSIC. NERD. LIFE.
by Kate Hoos | Jun 2, 2021
The earth is officially healing because DIY shows are alive and well! As traditional venues large and small remain closed or on limited capacity/schedules for the time being, backyards and rooftops dotting Brooklyn are beginning to fill the void left behind and are allowing bands to get back to playing shows. DIY is resilient and always, always, finds ways to survive and it did so during the deepest parts of the pandemic with bands moving over to livestreams and empty venue performances as well as the very occasional socially distanced outdoor show. But nothing could quite replace the feeling of being there and not just being there, but being in it and able to interact with the band and the audience in a more up close and personal way. So as that possibility becomes more and more real again and as shows begin to inch back, it is a welcome salve to tired weary spirits like mine who have needed to feel this in our very souls to survive.
One of the backyard venues to pop up recently is Putnam Palace who have been doing limited occupancy, vaccinated only shows. I unfortunately missed the first two shows, but was able to make it over for the third show which featured Rest Ashore, math emo punk from NJ, and Brooklyn based power pop trio Nihiloceros.
Rest Ashore kicked things off and played a set punctuated with frenetic drumming coupled with intricate and at times atmospheric guitar work. Playing sans bassist, they were also experimenting with backing tracks for the first time. Nihiloceros hit the ground running immediately after and there really is never a time when this band isn’t firing on all cylinders. They blasted through their set packing in enough energy for a stadium sized crowd and singer Mike Borchardt didn’t hold back at all, jumping and running around with unbridled joy. They performed several of their staple songs and debuted newer work that is slotted to be on their upcoming album due out later in the summer.
Both bands were like a light in a storm, a bandage to bruised but still beating heart and I for one am excited to see how the DIY scene in NYC continues to thrive and survive as the rest of 2021 progresses.
Scroll down for pics from the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
REST ASHORE
NIHILOCEROS
by Kate Hoos | May 28, 2021
Spite Fuxxx recently took to the streets of Bushwick to celebrate their singer MG’s birthday with not one, but two sets of noisy synth punk mayhem that had the of fans and friends thrilled and the normie brunch crowd walking by periodically thoroughly confused.
Bewildered normies aside, it was a killer day, with both sets packing a much needed kick in the pants. Live music is still existing in somewhat a state of limbo, as it remains unclear on exactly what is happening with venues, particularly the smaller venues that host local and DIY bands- some are opening up and booking again, easing back into things, though many are not yet. But as always, this culture is resilient and DIY is finding ways to still exist with many shows taking the form of pop up events in the street or on rooftops, with livestreams still happening as well.
While the bills have tended to be truncated with only one or two bands playing, it is a welcome reprieve from the many months of nothing (or almost nothing) in the way of live music. The day was perfect for an outdoor show, sunny and warm but not quite the full heat of summer weather yet. Even seeing the same set performed twice, I was enthralled and loved every minute. Complete with a clown dildo ring toss contest to kick things off and a pickup truck serving as part of the stage, this show was EXACTLY what I needed to shake off not only the last dregs of my winter mood, but a lot of the emptiness of the past year. They say punk rock will do that for you!
Spite Fuxxx just released a 7inch (the tracks are also available on Bandcamp) and will be recording a full length at some point this year as well. They also have more gigs booked and they will play one of the first indoor nights back on the rooftop at Our Wicked Lady coming up on 5/30 (all attendees are required to be vaccinated) along with Flasyd, for the return of the Sunday Soul Scream party hosted by Jonathan Toubin.
Scroll down for pics of the show
