3.24 A (long) wknd w/ Jenny Alien
The artist on mimosa mornings, cemetery strolls and planning peak mosh moments for Monday night's late show at Baby's All Right
You’ve got ALF. Everyone loves ET. Maybe you’ve heard of Marvin the Martian. Def those cute little dudes from Toy Story. And, according to Google, exactly one half of Spock—
All valid space-sourced life forms! But, we’ve gotta say, if we had to pick our personal favorite pop-culture icon from another planet, it wouldn’t be arcade-dwelling cartoons or the wrinkly little blanket-wearing guy in the bike basket, but the outerworldly artist whose ship happened to touch down right in our backyard: Brooklyn’s own Jenny Alien.
Born and bred in a galaxy far, far away (Chicago), Jenny honed her craft and shaped her sound on London (practically Saturn) stages before making her way to BK to bless our ears/eyes/bodies with an out-of-this-world live show that a reviewer once described as ”Ke$ha on Ketamine”—
A description that’s quite fitting as we once heard a guy at a Bushwick bar (duh) describe the drug as ~space cocaine~.
That said, you don’t have to go down a K-hole OR be Tom DeLonge to enjoy the live experience that is Jenny Alien. And, even better, you don’t have to leave the solar system, or even the borough, to score a sighting/sounding. All you have to do is be willing to stay up a little past your bedtime, because the artist and her band will be hitting the stage for a LATE SHOW with Beeyotch + partygirl THIS MONDAY NIGHT at Baby’s All Right.
Grab your tickets here.
SO! In honor of this Monday-night main event, we’ve taken the liberty (we always do!) to grant you an extension on the weekend by way of a 4-day itinerary, whipped up by who else but our SETLIST star herself.
For the next 96 hours, there will be no phoning home or staying home. Read on for a list of extraterrestrial-approved extracurriculars, then, come Monday night, we’ll see you at Baby’s, babies~
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY}
FRIDAY
It’s Friday and you know what that means! Party time. The countdown begins for what’s about to be the biggest show yet of 2023, Monday night at Baby’s All Right.
Alas, it’s still the last day of the work week, so grind doesn’t stop for a businessman like Jenny Alien. So, we stay productive in the official Jenny Alien Studio— a house to some, a creative Mecca to others— and chip away at all active production projects. JAS is not only the inception point of Jenny Alien music, but this Alien is also currently producing some of the biggest names in the underground BK game right now (fellow musicians reading this, you might want to get in on this). So Alien keeps on grinding, surviving solely on coffee from Mixtape, and minimal pee breaks.
5 o'clock rolls around (it’s 12 o’clock somewhere, am I right?) – can someone get this guy a beer? Jenny Alien heads to her favorite local queer bar, Boobie Trap (on Irving off the Myrtle-Wyckoff stop). Alien’s the first one there, as she has a filthy habit of punctuality and showing up on time.
Friends show up; predictably, all hot babes– and first rounds on Alien. They all get respectfully drunk, and after a few drinks head back to her house because Jenny Alien’s throwing a party.
Jenny Alien loves throwing parties: she cohabitates with bestie, guitarist, and long time confidant Colin who is also down to clown. Actually, I think she has a song about this: “Welcome to my House” — which, apparently, the music video was actually shot during a legendary night Alien threw a party in a cathedral.
SATURDAY
Slow start. We stayed up all night so now it’s time to sleep in. Alien wakes up first and runs over to the Food Bazaar– the ultimate Bushwick grocery store with top-notch deals. A philanthropist by day (rockstar by night): Alien plans to make the leftover party guests a huge breakfast. “Mimosa Morning”, she calls it, referencing the official hangover cocktail, that everyone seems to enjoy besides Alien herself who is perplexed by this human concept of wanting to drink more alcohol when you’re hungover (but seriously, how does this make sense? Viewers write in…).
After breakfast, Alien heads to Trinity Cemetery for an afternoon stroll (and to pay her respects). Cemeteries are the perfect hangover spot to reflect and get existential and deep. Something about them makes her feel so alive (had to).
After a long stroll amongst the dead, Alien heads to one of her favorite Brooklyn venues (besides Baby’s All Right, duh)— Purgatory. Legend goes: Jenny Alien played a crazy show there back in November, and then coincidentally ended up moving right next door immediately after. Call it fate? Must be the Aliens…
SUNDAY
Nothing says Sunday mornings like a bagel: Jenny Alien heads to Knickerbocker Bagel for a quick shmear, and cuppa Joe. All’s going well, when suddenly it dawns on Alien: she looks down at her stained T she’s been wearing for three days now, and realizes she’s in desperate need of new threads for Monday’s big show.
Luckily, we’re not far from Alien’s favorite thrift in Brooklyn: The Broadway thrift strip (she claims she officially coined this). The Broadway thrift strip is an underrated street of thrift stores on Broadway across from The Living Gallery (shoutout another great venue). It’s no L-Train, and more ransacked my quirky cousin's closet who has questionable taste and a few dead rats— which is more of the Jenny Alien vibe.
We’ve now teleported into the night: Sunday night is time to practice the Jenny Alien set. Alien meets her band at the ultimate practice spot, Red Note Studios— a nondescript rehearsal space in Bushwick off the Halsey stop, run by a cool guy named Joey, who travels room to room exclusively by skateboard.
Perfection doesn’t happen overnight… but tonight, Jenny and her Aliens are hoping it does because the big show is in fact tomorrow. They stay up all night practicing: For those of you yet to witness (Monday will change that)— Jenny Alien shows are an elaborately choreographed and theatrical experience. Everything is deliberated and crafted to a T, from the song transitions to banter to creating peak mosh moments in the crowd.
MONDAY
It’s game day! First thing Alien does is head to Planet Fitness off the Myrtle-Wykoff to pump iron: One surprising fact about Alien is she’s actually a huge fitness head, and pretty jacked to say the least.
After pumping iron, Alien meets her hot friend right next door at The Bushwick Diner, who graciously pumps her up (not with Iron this time), about tonight’s show. Together over a breakfast burrito, a side of bacon, and bottomless coffee they debrief the crazy weekend, and get hyped for the night— which their friend is attending and obviously going to bring all their friends as well.
With a full belly of bacon, coffee, and friendship— Jenny Alien heads home and hides for the rest of the day. This is a typical part of Alien’s pre-show routine— as an extroverted Alien with a temperamental voice, hardcore rest is imperative. Especially when you’re about to give it all away to the limelight.
Around 3pm, Jenny Alien heads to Baby’s, meeting the other crazy talented bands Beeyotch and Partygirl for soundcheck; and together, they brace for what is about to become the most legendary night of their lives…
Itinerary above written + submitted by Jenny Alien. Follow the artist at @jennyisanalien, add songs to your Spotify playlists and find all things Jenny Alien at jennyalienmusic.com.
Feature image provided by the artist.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Miss Iceland Wknd 2023 with our very talented Reykjavik-based BFFs Karma Brigade?! (Or simply want to relive the magic?) Check out this video—shot by Brooklyn’s own Tyler Bertram and Gannon Padgett. Then someone please have a bake sale or something and use those brownie bucks to fly these talented babes back ASAP.
Once again, BdBK CLASSIFIEDS have been updated with artists looking to form bands and projects in search of their missing piece. As always, link here to view. Then go make some friends!
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“Head First” // Superbloom
Smaller / Better // Tetchy
“And” // Matthew Danger Lippman
“Stay Alive” // Eighty Ninety
“3D Country” video // Geese
“Electric Earth” // Dead Tooth
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the events we’ve got coming up. Mark your calendars and come hang!
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
4.11 STRONG LITTLE SONGS w/ Raising Daughters, Edna, Torture and the Desert Spiders, Arlo Indigo - DM 4 address
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.