1.28 A wknd w/ Wetsuit
The band on spaghetti, shopping-cart joyrides and BdBK's 3rd Bday Bash Saturday night at The Broadway
Everyone remembers their first, and as a blog that SHAMELESSLY WOULD LOVE TO BE REMEMBERED, we were stoked to cement ourselves into the collective consciousness of water-based indie-rock outfit Wetsuit by booking their inaugural show (twice, technically) and later premiering their killer debut single + video “Sticky Sweet,” in which dessert toppings rain from the sky to “highlight the sticky/sweet nature of love… in all is saccharine, addicting yet sticky, embarrassing and grossly vulnerable glory.”
In other words, we’re big fans, and because we have no shame in coming on strong, we then followed up by asking the group if they would do the honor of opening our 3RD BDAY BASH (this Saturday at the Broadway!), and then, after they accepted that proposal, we went ahead and roped them into doing this Friday’s edition of THE SETLIST. (Again: shameless.)
However, let it be known that we didn’t hunt down Wetsuit for a weekend itinerary purely because we’re totally hyped on the tunes. After all, there are plenty of super-skilled bands that we totally love yet probably wouldn’t trust to plan an hour of our lives, let alone 36. (We just don’t have the rock-star stamina.) But having run into + danced with Wetsuit’s Allison Becker in the crowd of approximately 92% of the shows we’ve attended in the last six months, we’ve come to the conclusion that the artist doesn’t just write great songs and have a seriously lovely stage presence but clearly possesses supremely good taste in activities as well (plus, as a bonus, some vvv sweet moves).
SO WITH THAT, we’re stoked to present a Wetsuit-crafted itinerary for what we are going to prematurely dub the best weekend of 2022. After all, as everyone knows, it’s never a bad thing to have EXTREMELY HIGH EXPECTATIONS, and with shows, spaghetti, sexily soundtracked yoga and shopping-cart joyrides on this particularly excellent agenda… well, really how can you lose?
ENJOY!
[Oh, and PS: Apparently it’s supposed to ~winter storm~ this weekend, but that’s no excuse to miss our birthday party! Bundle up + mask up + drink up + plz meet us at the Broadway Saturday night for the show, now with the new and exciting addition of a very (un)official between-sets snowball fight. IF YOU DARE.]
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
Fridays are for spaghetti and meatballs at Joe’s Italian in Ridgewood. Joe’s is one of those old-school, white tablecloth red sauce Italian restaurants where the servers are no nonsense and the portions are suburban in size. Did you know Wetsuit has 2 songs that mention pasta in the lyrics?
After dinner, I’ll swap my doggy bag for my actual dog Bernie in his bag and stroll over to Aunt Ginnys for a drink and a round of Big Buck Hunter. Bernie asked me to share his pro-tip for Aunt Ginnys: the bartenders hand out treats, and they have free incredible smells all over the floor. Bernie walks me home around midnight. I fall asleep on the couch watching How To With John Wilson (I swear I see him every time at Aunt Ginnys but it’s always just a random dude with a beard and glasses) with spaghetti leftovers on my lap.
SATURDAY
I wake up, transform into my truest form, Wellness Goddess, and haul my ass from Ridgewood to Tribeca for Britt’s 10:15am class at VERAYOGA, where I’ve been going for 4+ years. Britt owns the studio with her husband Wade and they are the most down to earth people in the NYC yoga community. The studios are beautiful, the teachers are amazing, and most importantly they play the Best. Fucking. Music. I’ll gladly hold navasana boat pose forever if Angel Olsen or Sharon Van Etten is playing. Last week Britt had us hold downward dog for the entirety of Queen by Perfume Genius. That’s 3 minutes. It was evil but I also wanted to kiss her on the mouth.
After yoga I’ll stop by The Acre for lunch, do some thrifting at OPC Buy Sell Trade and pick up a bottle of natty wine at Forêt.
Then it’s off to celebrate BandsDoBK’s 3rd birthday at The Broadway with New Myths, Tilden, Namesake and my band Wetsuit! I adore Sam at BandsDoBk for all her support of local bands. She’s also really fun to dance with at shows. I can’t wait to celebrate her and her baby Saturday at The Broadway.
Before the show you should probably watch our video for our first single Sticky Sweet, which premiered on BandsDoBk last Fall! Wetsuit famously has only a 6-song set, BUT *breaking news alert* we have a new song for Saturday! Do not miss this show. Buy your tickets in advance here.
After the show, the band and I will stumble to Birdys, where I particularly enjoy eavesdropping on Tinder dates. Maybe I’ll pop in Happy Fun Hideaway or Mood Ring, but sometimes the crowd there makes me feel particularly Not Hip and Not Hot (which is troubling as I AM hip AND hot!) I might be a semi-basic Missouri Jew in my 30s who watches The Bachelor, listens to hours of my favorite Bachelor analysis podcast Game of Roses per week, AND subscribes to their Patreon for more Bachelor content, but I just learned my rising sign so I’m cool enough for Mood Ring, right? God, I want to go home.
But no. My transformation into my actual truest form, Bushwick Night Goblin, is well underway. Old Timers beckons me and I can’t resist. Things will get hazy at this point and my mom is probably reading this so… good night!
SUNDAY
Sundays are a really cute day to get a Covid test and IDK, go grocery shopping? Getting Covid tested regularly now is really hot. I like to go to the Health and Hospitals Cumberland location in Fort Greene and then hop over to Wegmans to ride around on their big shopping carts.
Itinerary above written + provided by Wetsuit. Follow Wetsuit at @wetsuitnyc, grab music on Bandcamp and add their songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Stephen Faught
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
TONIGHT [WEATHER PENDING]: THE INTERVIEW TABLES HAVE TURNED! Stoked to join Scott Einhorn on Radio Free Brooklyn from 8-10 to chat about the forthcoming BdBK book, BdBK’s THIRD BDAY BASH and more! Tune in for what will basically be two hours of local tunes + gushing about how much this community means and how hard this scene rules bc that’s really/truly/100% what this whole damn thing is all about anyway. (If it’s rescheduled for winter storm reasons after you get this newsletter, sincerest apologies. Feel free to call Sam and she’ll just yell at you about music she loves one-on-one instead: 713.204.1394.)
Our BdBK B-DAY has a DJ! Stoked to share that DJ Tiny Hands will be slangin’ tunes ‘til late late after our show at The Broadway tomorrow! Grab your tix and come dance ‘til (almost) dawn!
If you also have major retroactive FOMO for missing the Shea Stadium days, never fear! One of BK’s most beloved (now-shuttered) DIY spaces is sharing their archives on a new series on Blast Radio. Download Blast Radio and follow “sheastadiumbk” to be notified when they go live, and for more info, check out articles in Rolling Stone and The Fader.
Night Train conductor, NYC scene celeb and engineer of some damn good times Jonathan Toubin just announced the 7th Annual NY Night Train / Panache /Bust Magazine Village of Love Valentine’s Live Revue & Dance benefitting Planned Parenthood. Come out to catch 24 frontwomen from local bands we love serenade you live with their favorite love songs from 8-11 PM, then stay with your new/old/former/future friends and lovers for drinks and dancing ‘til 2. Tix on sale now.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“Creases” // Work Wife
Movie Magic // Climates
“Soju” // Hoax
“Come Back Earth” // Mary Hood
“Secrets” // Atlas Engine
“1994” video // Superbloom
“Even If We Don’t Get Along” video // Emanuel and the Fear
I’m on My Way // Moon Kissed
Ellenville Sessions (acoustic) // Glenn Echo
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the shows we’ve got coming up this month and beyond. Mark your calendars and come hang!
1.29 BdBK 3RD BDAY BASH ft. Namesake, Tilden, New Myths, Wetsuit @ The Broadway (tix here!)
2.12 BdBK + EWEL present the 2022 BAND LOTTERY @ East Williamsburg Econo Lodge (details + sign-up here)
2.15 STRONG LITTLE SONGS living-room show benefiting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund ft. stripped-down performances from Ok Cowgirl, Drive-In, Omer Leibovitz and Arlo Indigo (DM for address)
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
VIDEO PREMIERE: “Art of War” from Miles Peabody Hewitt
PREMIERE: Hark + We Are Joiners Cover Each Other
SPOTLIGHT: ‘All You Need is Lovechild’
Thx 4 reading! Find more fun stuff at bandsdobk.com and @bandsdobk. <3