3.10 A wknd w/ NEVVA
The band on Caturday, getting witchy with it and their New Colossus Festival set TONIGHT at Arlene's Grocery
HAPPY FRIDAY!
ICYMI, it’s NEW COLOSSUS FEST baby, and because a video is worth 1,000,000 words, we present this one in order to explain what’s going down THIS WEEKEND — specifically TONIGHT @ Arlene’s Grocery!
Video shot by Pat Weinell.
If the coffee-swipin’, bench-climbin,’ sweet-but-pesky park babe above looks familiar, YOU ARE CORRECT! That would be BdBK BFF and multi-hyphenate to the extreme Charmaine Querol, who in addition to harassing innocent readers for information on their festival showcases is also the drummer in NYC trio NEVVA, who are playing the BdBK show this evening, along with Big Sea of Italy, Yo Diablo of Spain, Astronomies of Norway and NYC'‘s MSTD + J.Pastel!
A flyer, for your convenience:
And, while we’re at it, a playlist 2 get u pumped:
Quite the multimedia experience, this newsletter, eh?
ANYWAY! Back to NEVVA.
As musicians, Nevva are masters of combining sharp cultural commentary with comedy, packaging clever lyrics with often-hilarious hooks in a very sick sonic package. Along with “Boyfriend’s Band,” the group’s 2020 EP Fer Sher features songs like “Black Leggings” (“Don’t say I can’t wear ’em / Don’t say they’re not pants) and “Sober Vegan” (“Someone get this girl some ketamine / Someone get this girl a BLT”) and “White Boy Privilege Festival” (“Don’t take up / Take up two seats”).
In other words: they say—sing—what’s on their (+ maybe your) mind. Oh, and they fuckin’ shred.
For evidence of all of the above, look no further than the music video for “Boyfriend’s Band,” which premiered on BdBK back in July 2021 at which point Jenny Palumbo of the band shared the following:
“‘Boyfriend’s Band’ is the first song we ever wrote and it came from me and Charmaine cracking jokes about band culture. We def want people to giggle but we also hope they dig the riff. The video shows our alter-egos trying to make it to a show but getting held up by a gang of make-out zombies. A classic occurrence…”
CLASSIC INDEED!
Don’t miss your opp to catch our girlfriends’ band TONIGHT! Doors are at 6:00, music at 6:30. Entry is included with your New Colossus Festival pass or you can grab a ticket for the show here.
As for the rest of the wknd, read on for official NEVVA-approved plans, and for bonus recs, check out our previous BEST OF BROOKLYN feature with the band.
It’s gonna be a good one. Just watch out for the makeout zombies~
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY}
FRIDAY
This Friday, of course, is our show at Arlene’s Grocery - the Bands do BK showcase at the New Colossus Festival! We’re super psyched to play with our local colleagues My Son the Doctor and J. Pastel, and we can’t wait to see our overseas homies - Yo Diablo (Spain), Big Sea (Italy), and Astronomies (Norway).
But what to do before the show? A sunset stroll over the Williamsburg Bridge is the chillest way into the city. While in that contemplative mindset, we recommend checking out the Tenement Museum for a little slice of NYC history, followed best with a NYC slice. Walk a few blocks in any direction, there are still a few 99-cent pizza slices left in this city… is there anything else left in this world you can get with a dollar?
If you want something more substantial than a foldable meal on a paper plate, then check out SMASHED on Orchard street for burgers (veggie too), or Cheeky Sandwiches on Essex.
SATURDAY
Saturday is Caturday and that begins with lots of snuggles from our babies Jeremy Bradley (aka Jerimini), Gatsby (Mr. Baby), and Nellie (Nellie Bellie.) We’ll start our day up in Greenpoint, where our guitarist Jenny lives. Frankel’s Delicatessen and Taqueria Ramirez are two solid options for lunch, depending on your mood. If it’s a nice day, we’ll take it to-go and spread out on a picnic blanket in McGolrick Park.
Depending on the season, we might venture farther south to Prospect Park to touch grass (and smoke some too). There’s an outdoor roller rink—the Lefrak Center at Lakeside—on the south side of the park, which often has roller disco nights. There’s truly nothing better.
But if the weather sucks? No worries, we’ll head over to Brooklyn Greens for some virtual golf. It’s always sunny in the simulator!
SUNDAY
Sundays are about keeping it lo-fi and local. For that morning caffeine fix, nothing beats the splurge-worthy pastries at Bake Shop on Flushing and Central in Bushwick.
We’ve got hours to kill before practice; time for some retail therapy. FRIENDS NYC, just around the corner from Bake Shop, has the coolest housewares, hands down. Catland Books is good for anything witchy, but even if you don’t know your tourmaline from your aventurine, there’s stuff for you normies too—like really nice candles and soaps.
For pre-rehearsal imbibery, you’ll often catch us at the Anchored Inn on Waterbury St. Ponder the abyss of velvet paintings on the wall while you drink a moderately-priced brew. Drinking on an empty stomach is never advised past the age of 25, so be sure to order at least a mozz stick or two on the side—yes, you can order them individually, imagine that! Applebee’s, take note.
Once fortified, it’s time to amplify. We’ll head on over around the corner to The Shop BK, an hourly rehearsal spot owned by our pal LG Galleon of the bands Clone and Dead Leaf Echo. Make sure to ask him about the history of the building, it was allegedly a mob spot back in the day… rumor has it there may be some skeletons in the basement still, whether those are figurative or literal, we’d rather not know.
Itinerary above written + submitted by NEVVA. Follow the band at @nevvatheband, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Michelle LoBianco
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
ICYMI, the Bands do BK book turned SIX MONTHS OLD this week! Find out where to buy it here or grab a copy at the BdBK x NC showcase TONIGHT! Oof, they really do grow up so fast.
The next BANDS DO BK BRUNCH is in the books. Come out Sunday 4/9 for the most important musical meal of the day with Sara Devoe, Caitlin Starr and Telescope Club. Doors at 1:30 PM. Tix available here!
The applications for this year’s Anti Social Camp—the biggest songwriting camp in the world, taking place in NYC June 12-17—are open now! 150 artists, 100 new songs, one hell of a time. Find more info on the camp here. Apps closed April 1st.
ICYMI, the new Nihiloceros hot sauce has arrived and is perhaps the ultimate (and certainly spiciest) piece of merch you’ll find in BK. This flavor is called Baby Teeth, and you can scoop it up at the band’s show at The Broadway on March 16th!
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“Next Generation” // Tetchy
“Bored of Myself” // Talon
“the bubble” // Shred Flintstone
Beauty & Her Beat // Living Things
“Dixie Queen” // The Thing
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the events we’ve got coming up. Mark your calendars and come hang!
3.10 BDBK x NEW COLOSSUS FEST w/ My Son The Doctor, NEVVA, J. Pastel (all NYC) + Big Sea (Italy), Yo Diablo (Spain), Astronomies (Norway) @ Arlene’s Grocery - entry included in festival pass and tix for sale here.
3.12 Fast Casual, Living Things, NVLT, Weather Girl, Lana Crowster @ Arlene’s Grocery - tix here
3.15 Dogs on Shady Lane, Partygirl, Edna (solo), Bald by Choice @ Our Wicked Lady - tix here
3.17 St. Paddy’s Day - Ray McGale POWER HOUR, Night Spins, Papi Shiitake, Kissed by an Animal - tix here
3.27 Beeyotch, Jenny Alien, partygirl @ Baby’s All Right - tix here
4.9 Bands do BK Brunch ft. Sara Devoe, Caitlin Starr, Telescope Club @ Arlene’s Grocery - tix here
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
SPOTLIGHT: ‘Silence Like Sirens” from KALEN
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.