3.4 A wknd w/ Safer
The band on Italo disco, vegan soul food and the band's Saturday-night BdBK show at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge (+ some TGIF Tight Lips action TONIGHT)
Look, we get it. This is America, it’s 2022, and like Mav and Goose in Top Gun, or Mary-Kate and Ashley in that one movie where they rode jet skis in Hawaii or Australia or something, we’ve all got the need—the neeeeeeeeeed for speeeeeeeeeeeeed!
We want our packages primed, our texts immediately answered, our internettobefasterthanthespeedoflightbecausewevegotseinfeldrerunstowatchokay??!?!!
BUT! But. In some cases it’s nice to take it slow, to channel your inner tortoise rather than your amphetamine-addicted hare. To embrace vinyl over streaming, opt for snail mail over email… and, in some cases, to do both at the same time.
Enter our humble suggestion for your Bandcamp Friday purchasing pleasure: “Stuck On You,” a playable postcard record—aka a postcard you can mail! that is also a record you can play on your turntable!— from BK band Safer, which you can send to your lover, to your crush, to yourself or even to a platonic pal (with an important asterisk stating that, hey, haha, don’t worry, you’re not *actually* stuck on them, you just thought they’d appreciate this very sweet tune, and man, aren’t you a thoughtful friend? But, uh, hey… ya know, if maybe THEY are stuck on YOU, that’s kinda cool andddd idk maybe you should try things out and see where they go, like maybe you could actually be really good together? Just kidding, haha. Unless they’re not kidding? HAHAHA.).
ANYWAY! Now that the product-placement portion of this intro is complete, let’s talk performance. One of the most memorable shows we’ve seen in NYC went down at DIY spot Putnam Palace last summer, when—as we recounted in a previous SETLIST—thunderstorms turned what was supposed to be a backyard show into a basement rager featuring Beeyotch, NEVVA and who-else-but the aforementioned Safer, who served us a heaping helping of glorious groooooooooooove and facilitated the sweetest ‘n’ sweatiest dance party of probably all time. *
While unfortunately we don’t have a time machine to reset to that afternoon and relive it 200 times a day (WHICH WE WOULD), we can, instead, present you with the opportunity to relive this magic music moment in diff-but-def-still-DIY form when Mattie Safer and friends take their show from subterranean to second-floor THIS SATURDAY with Persons and BenBen at our BdBK event at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge!
As always at EWEL, tix are $5, doors are at 8, and we’ll be happy-houring it up with $1 drinks from 8-9. DM 4 address. We hope to see you there.
As for the rest of the weekend, we’ll pass the baton over to the band, whose members have meticulously crafted a killer itinerary for the next three days, during which we will ascend from our standard uncultured-swine (or at least creature-of-habit) status to go out and explore some of the really cool artsy shit that makes NYC the best city in the world—
And, okay, get a little drunk at a rock show in Brooklyn. As god (or at least this blog) intended.
We hope you have the best three days of your whole damn life. We’ll see ya out there~
(*In fun full-circle fashion, in December, Beeyotch played a BdBK show at Econo Lodge with Tight Lips, whose drummer is also in Safer. WHAT A WORLD.)
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
Dinner at Soda Club - Vegan Italian food and natural wine. Delicious food, and a genuinely romantic atmosphere. It’s an amazing place to take a date! Get fed, get a little tipsy, smolder at your crush. Not in the mood for romance? Go check out…
‘Adventures In Success’ Screening at The Roxy Cinema *- It’s the New York screening of this critically acclaimed mockumentary about a female sex cult in the Catskills. The movie features two of our favorites, Nina Tarr and Yaz Perea, who will be taking part in a Q&A after the film. Either way, whether you went to dinner or a movie, you should now walk on over to…
Femme Fatale at Home Sweet Home - Shake off the work week with some great music and dancing. This is Hello Lightfoot’s monthly music showcase and dance party, and this week’s edition features Shadow Monster and Tight Lips, which is our drummer Abdon’s other band, plus Mattie will be playing bass! Stick around and dance with the LES normies or head back to Brooklyn and check out the…
Italomatic party at Heaven Or Las Vegas - DJs Rok One and Andi are bringing their mobile party to this favorite newish dance floor. Italo disco is the prime directive, but you’ll also hear new beat, industrial, and anything else with a pumping beat and big synth hooks. Lose yourself to dance!
SATURDAY
Unearth Vintage - Beloved Williamsburg vintage shop Arbor Vitae was forced out of the neighborhood by unreasonable rent demands, but it has reemerged as Unearth Vintage, a Cobble Hill pop-up shop where you can be assured to find an amazing outfit for your upcoming evening, which will start with…
Dinner at Newtown - It’s no great secret, but this vegetarian Middle Eastern spot is a staple of our pre-show and post-practice meals. We recommend the hummus plate with baked falafel or the shawarma sandwich (and if the soup of the day is usually pretty bangin’ too). Also, it is just down the street from East Williamsburg Econo Lodge, which leads you perfectly to…
Bands Do BK Presents: SAFER live at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge with Persons and BenBen - I mean, it’s a Bands Do BK party, and you are reading this, so if you don’t come to the show it’s just like, weird. The last time we played there it was packed and so much fun that it felt like the floor was going to cave in (which sounds scary, but we mean it in a good way)!
SUNDAY
Fotografiska - Ok, so you’ve been a demon the last two nights, it’s time to get out, enjoy the day, and take in some culture. Let’s start here. Fotografiska is a great bridge between a heavy night and a heady day. It’s a museum with amazing photo exhibitions AND you can drink while you do it! There is an incredible Anders Peterson exhibition of mid-20th-century nightlife photos that closes today, along with a number of other fantastic-looking exhibitions. After this, head uptown to hear the…
Riverside Symphony at El Teatro, Museo Del Barrio - They will be performing an afternoon program featuring works by Latin American Composers such as Astor Piazolla, Radamés Gnattali, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Our guitarist Liz will be performing in this as part of a guitar orchestra because she is hecka talented. After the concert, since you’re already uptown you might as well head to…
Dinner at Uptown Veg - Delicious vegan soul food and Caribbean specialties. A super chill, 100% vegan counter spot. Get some sorrel and a callaloo patty! You’ve had a hell of a weekend, you deserve it!
Itinerary above submitted by Safer. Follow the band at @saferisaband, grab music on Bandcamp and add their songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Michelle LoBianco
* Ed. note: This event has since sold out but you can catch it in Baltimore. ROAD TRIP!!!!!
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
It’s BANDCAMP FRIDAY! Support your favorite artists—and, while you’re at it, Ukraine. BK indie-rock outfit Loose Buttons are “supporting the East Village legends at @veselkanyc to help get much-needed supplies to Ukraine; diapers, batteries, non-perishable food etc. All funds from our song and album sales as well as merch will go to their donation drive, and NYers can also drop off any listed items on 9th and 2nd.” Find info on the post and what items are needed here.
A special shout-out to artist + animator BenBen, who is not only playing our show at EWEL this Saturday but made some super sick, slightly disturbing, animations of everyone involved. Check out the magic on Instagram.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“$$” video - Gold Casio
“bb” - Laveda
MIND - Grim Streaker
“Irregular Heartbeat” video - Marathoner
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the shows we’ve got coming up next month and beyond. Mark your calendars and come hang!
3.5 BdBK Presents: Safer, Persons, BenBen @ Econo Lodge (RSVP + find more details here)
3.9 BdBK Presents: Marathoner EP Release w/ America Jayne and Amelia Murray at Our Wicked Lady (tix here)
3.12 New Colossus Festival Showcase— BdBK Presents: Laura Lee & the Jettes, Paul Jacobs, Mary Shelley, Slow Fiction, Mary Shelley, TOFLANG @ Berlin ($15 or included w/ festival pass; schedule here)
4.1 BdBK Presents: Max Pain and the Groovies (single release) w/ TVOD and Nevva (+ some sweet, sweet Jonathan Toubin DJ action) @ TV Eye (tix here)
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
SPOTLIGHT: MIND from Grim Streaker
VIDEO PREMIERE: “Irregular Heartbeat” from Marathoner
Thx 4 reading! Find more fun stuff at bandsdobk.com and @bandsdobk. <3