10.14 A wknd w/ the plebs
Jake Sabinsky of the ~dork rock~ band on live jazz, mandatory donuts and their Saturday-night show at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge
WELCOME TO THE BANDS DO BK CORPORATE RETREAT! (We’re stealing Mary Shelley’s schtick from last night’s Mercury Lounge show #iyknyk). Thanks for coming. It’s been a great fiscal year or Q2 or whatever those in the world of BIG BIZ AMERICA are calling it, and now that we’ve got you all gathered here in a poorly lit La Quinta ballroom amongst a subpar spread of catered sandwiches and plastic platter of too-soft or too-hard chocolate-chip cookies (please use the tongs!!!), it’s time to engage in the classic team-bonding activity that is THE TRUST FALL…
Or, more specifically, its live-music equivalent: asking you to go see a band who…. has no music on the internet.
That’s right: We are suggesting that you put your faith in us. That you believe that, hey, we’ve got you. That you open your hearts, open your minds, open your ears (we’ll open our arms) and trust that you’ll land safely and oh-so-sweetly amongst the sounds of Brooklyn ~dork rock~ band the plebs at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge (1 Meadow St) TOMORROW NIGHT!
Where, we’re sure, there will be nary an HR violation in sight.
For those unfamiliar, the plebs is the new-ish project of Ok Cowgirl’s perpetually barefoot guitarist Jake Sabinsky (pictured above in Where the Wild Things Are-esque headgear), Matt Birkenholz (also Ok Cowgirl) Daniel Johnson (Dani Racoon) and Ryan Work (Fair Visions), so based on resume and LinkedIn endorsements alone, you know it’s going to be good. On top of that, there are few more fun places to see a show, and with a $5 door price and a happy hour ft. $1 beers from 8-9, you’re guaranteed to have a good time. (And you won’t have to worry about the fact that, uh, btw we actually won’t be giving out holiday bonuses this year…)
ALRIGHT! BACK TO (LACK OF) BUSINESS! Your Saturday plans are covered so let us progress to the rest of the wknd via an actually excellent itinerary sketched out and sent in by A+ plebs-ian Jake himself.
Read on for a glorioussss three days, and we will catch YOU on MONDAY in the CONFERENCE ROOM at 9 a.m. SHARP….
By which we mean the O.Wake single-release show at TV Eye at around 8 in the evening. Something like that.
[NO TUNES 2 B FOUND HERE. KEEP READING]
Ok kids, this is not a drill; fall is finally here. Coats and hoodies. Coffee and books. Red wine is finally back. Pumpkin spice is in the air. Everyone in Soho is dressed like Han Solo. We New Yorkers wait for this little bit of blissful weather all year. Make the most of it this weekend!
FRIDAY
Friday night, punch the clock. Work is out.
You're free! Where to start?
Clearly it's the bar....
The Narrows, on the corner of Flushing and Morgan is great. The happy hour rocks (4-6) and the food is delicious. I recommend the arancini. If you don't know what arancini are (I didn't) get them anyway, trust. Then you're really in the center of everything. I love that little neighborhood. Honore Club, Carmelos, Gold Sounds, lots to do! But! Make sure you get to Alphaville by 8! ABBY JEANNE and Kahiem Rivera will be in the bumping in the back, and Illegal Mezcal is doing free drinks 8-9!
SATURDAY
Every Saturday, Ryan Work of Fair Visions and the plebs, has a donut. On Wednesday we wear pink, on Saturday we eat donuts. It's the rules. Ryan's favorite spot is Peter Pan in Greenpoint. They have the best donuts. They win. The coffee and BEC/ SEC sandwiches are killer as well. I'm also partial to Dough in Bed-Stuy, if Greenpoint is not on Saturday's travel roster.
Ok, here it comes, have to do it, shameless plug: we're playing ! There is a great line up at The East Williamsburg Econo Lodge. We're up first, with Nico Hedley, then Orange Doors (South Carolina), and Wet Clay closing out the night. We hit right at 9! Come through! EWEL is a long-time DIY hold-out: the door is five dollars and the drinks are dirt-cheap. You can get the address by dming any of the bands previously mentioned. Love to see you there!
Alternatively, if you are in the mood for a slightly chiller DIY experience, our good friends Work Wife are playing a duo set (Meredith and Kenny) over at loftsounds with Cocomofo and Fake Dad. Doors are at 7. We love Work Wife. If you aren't at out show, you better be at theirs.
SUNDAY
Coming down from an awesome weekend always involves a hefty breakfast. Pretty much any given Sunday you can find one of the plebs posted up on a stool at Tina's restaurant. The menu is very reasonable and it never fails to deliver the hang-over cure, or just a pleasant Sunday morning if you somehow managed to behave yourself on the weekend. If you have the Sunday evening scaries, and you're looking for fun, but mellow, vibe it's always great to hear a little jazz. Sultan Room is doing a continuing Sunday jazz session, called Snack Mix. Another great spot in the area is Ornithology. They have live jazz EVERY NIGHT and a lot of cats come out to play.
Whatever your weekend holds, this is what we plebs have in store. Love to see you at the show ✌️.
Itinerary above written + submitted by the plebs. Follow the band at @plebsthe.
Feature image provided by the band.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRESENTING: BANDS DO BK INSIDE-THE-BOOK STUDIO SESSIONS! Stoked to share the first installment of a new series ft. short interviews and stripped-down sets from artists featured in/on the BdBK book—filmed live in the Radio Free Brooklyn studio! First up: Tarra & Vram (Gustaf, Tea Eater, many other projects) who talked NYC audiences, pizza-shop shows and the perks of making music with your best friends + performed a few Tea Eater songs about Jack Nicholson, evil twins and the DMV. (Obviously.) Watch it here.
This weekend is the last FREEEEEE outdoor show at Maria Hernandez Park, brought 2 u by Show Brain and featuring performances from Clone, Red Out, Papi Shiitake, No Grudges and Shadow Monster (+ “a secret band…”). The fun goes from 2:30 to 7, so get out and enjoy that sweet al fresco concert action while it’s still warm enough to feel those fingers. Details here.
Union Pool pal Dave Burton recently suffered a stroke while on tour and is in need of some help. As the venue says, ‘If you’ve been to a massive, awesome concert in the past 10 years there’s a real chance Dave helped make it happen and, as we all know, the healthcare system in the US is broken to say the least. Help if you can.” Link here to donate.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
The Cutting Garden // Diary
Momentary Presence // GIFT
“Versechorus” // Two-Man Giant Squid
Off With Our Heads // Native Sun
“Strangers in Love” // Mars Motel
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the events we’ve got coming up. Mark your calendars and come hang!
10.17 BdBK Presents: O. Wake + Consumables + Flossing @ TV Eye - tix here
10.22 ROCKTOBER 3-WAY B-DAY HALLOWEEN HOUSE SHOW w/ Beeyotch, Tea Eater, Mary Shelley, Couvo @ Putnam Palace - DM 4 ADDRESS
10.30 BdBK Presents: Halloween Eve @ Arlene’s Grocery w/ TELEVISION (Atlas Engine, Catty, Big Oil), THE DOORS (Mary Shelley), THE CLASH (Grand Army Reapers), ALANIS MORISSETTE (Wetsuit) and BJORK (Kira Metcalf) - tix here
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
SPOTLIGHT: ‘Reasons for the Dead’ from Aisle Knot
VIDEO PREMIERE: “Speak, Memory” from Clone
Thx 4 reading! Find more fun stuff at bandsdobk.com and @bandsdobk. <3
Order the Bands do BK BOOK (!) (out now via Lit Riot Press) here.