5.26 A wknd w/ The Usual
The band on dog parks, Conheads and their Friday-night show at Arlene's
Wooooo! And Whooooops!
Sam here. Had so much fun DJing that I accidentally slept through therapy. Huge thanks to Alphaville for not kicking me out of the booth when I absolutely exceeded my ABBA limit within approximately, like, 17 minutes.
(PS If this weekend I’m sitting on your couch and look like I’m about to recline and air all my anxieties, issues and insecurities, RUN FAR, FAR AWAY!)
Alright, let’s get into it.
Lest we at Bands do Brooklyn/Frequently Manhattan/Sometimes Queens, More Specifically Ridgewood forget, there are two other boroughs that make up the great city/world/universe of NYC—but today we’re not discussing the merits of the strange, strange place that is Staten Island (highly recommend a free ferry ride, though!).
Instead, we’re talking about the Bronx, baby! The home of SPORTS (The Yankees!), the birthplace of STARS (Jennifer Lopez + Woody Allen + Cardi B + Billy Joel!) (thanks Wikipedia!) and, most relevantly, where the band featured in this week’s SETLIST first began.
Enter: The Usual. The Bronx-founded quartet (Ryan, Kevin, and ~the Bedoya Bros~, Matt and Marc) met at Fordham then spent the second half of their college careers playing dive bars and parties before, post-grad and post-pandemic, reuniting to release their debut single “Running Out of Luck” and moving their operation downtown to play various music venues—
Including where else but LES mainstay Arlene’s Grocery, where you can catch the band TONIGHT with Street Racer, Frau and Shining Faces! (Tix available here.)
Pregame the party and begin your loOoOong weekend right with The Usual’s debut EP, Who Killed Brian Jones?—eight minutes of indie rock in which the band has crammed everything from Casablancan influences to post-punk riffs to deep-state conspiracy action—and then go forth and enjoy three days of F R E E D O M.
But first: we nap!
LOVE U C U SOON BYE <3
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
This Friday we’re kicking off MDW at one of our absolute favorite LES spots: Arlene’s Grocery! The timeless venue is kind enough to host us once again, and we plan to be there all night supporting our pals Street Racer, Shining Faces, and Frau before we hit the stage to close it out at 10. We always wrap up a night of performing with a pint at Doc Holliday’s.
SATURDAY
While this weekend may differ, with its length granting us beach trips and an extra evening of shenanigans, a Saturday for us generally speaking is a reset, return to form (especially on weeks without a show) and of course the night we get out. Whether it’s a slice at Village Square Pizza, an afternoon Central Park jam, or taking Louie to the dog park at Tompkins Square, we’re all a bit sporadic as the band is split at different corners of the big island. Regardless, we always reconvene at Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios for Saturday band practice, to workshop upcoming singles and fine tune our jams. Then after a band brew at Donnybrook we’re out for the night. A show at Bowery Electric, craft beers at Drop Off Service, fight night at Hairy Lemon, it all depends (we get around).
SUNDAY
This Sunday’s great because it’s just Saturday 2. Every other Sunday though, weekend swan song. Probably like yours, it’s relaxing and prep for the real world, since rock and roll isn’t paying the bills (yet). Bagels at Tompkins Square or David’s Bagels, reading or songwriting, more time at the dog park (we really rock with Louie). If we feel like embracing our heritage, 11th St. Bar is a great spot with Irish jams every Sunday. Otherwise, it’s another Sunday night with the Roy family (Conheads rise up…. At least until next week 🙁).
Itinerary above written + submitted by The Usual. Follow the band at @theusualmusic and add their songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Whether or not you were aware, Two Boots Pizza in Williamsburg has not just been pumpin’ out pies but serving as a site for many a show and performance over the years, frequently booked by Tarra Thiessen of Gustaf and Tea Eater.
As recalled by members of Gustaf in the Bands do BK book:
Melissa Lucciola: Vram and Lydia did an amazing performance called “Bird Funeral” that’s one of my favorite Gustaf performances I’ve seen with my own two eyes. Lydia dressed up like a bird, and Vram played classical guitar and read a script about Lydia’s life growing up as a bird and dying as a bird, and it was beautiful and tragic and amazing.
Vram Kherlopian: That was so fun.
Lydia Gammill: Tarra books Two Boots, where there’s some free beer and pizza, and it’s been a really wonderful way to spend an afternoon. It’s kind of like it’s the secret Alphaville in a way, our secret Alphaville, where you stop by and you’re like, oh, who’s in here? I know these people. And you usually get to see a friend playing some music, and she does a great job of curating stuff.
So you can try things out. I think it started with Vram being told by one of his friends that he’d make an ideal person to play a bird funeral, a funeral for a bird. And then he wrote a wonderful piece. I feel like I did the least in all that. I just showed up with some outfits. It was great.
Vram Kherlopian: You had like four costume changes.
Melissa Lucciola: It almost brought me to tears. It was that good.
Lydia Gammill: Vram’s music was great. I forgot what a wonderful hidden gem Two Boots Pizza is. It’s truly such a wonderful secret, safe, art space. You know Tarra, like, you can do whatever you want there.
Sadly, next weekend is your last chance to catch a gig. Due to real-estate reasons (yada yada yada), the shop will soon no longer be able to host shows, and the last one will take place June 3rd. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the most epic of pizza parties marking a true end of an era.
Want to be a star? How’s your arm? Manny of Ilithios is seeking your help for a music video:
“June 10.. 2-6pm.. you will be asked to throw trash of some kind at Manny in a one take video with 10 or more people. You will have a cue to come on camera and hit Manny as he walks by..
You WONT get hit, or get dirty, (maybe a little)”BYOBanana peels. Find the full request here.
THIS SUNDAY: Soul Scream—the Jonathan Toubin x Our Wicked Lady rooftop concert series—kicks off. This one is also a fundraiser for Alex Amini of The Mystery Lights, who was recently in a severe motorcycle accident. Come out and support (whilst drinking and dancing) or donate to the GoFundMe to help here.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“Thirsty” // ESS SEE
“Hey Ho, Oh No” // Faire Osciller
“Neon Stars” // A Very Special Episode
“Owe” // Rat Motel
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the events we’ve got coming up. Mark your calendars and come hang!
6/3 BdBK x Show Brain x New Colossus SUMMER SATURDAY w/ The Big Easy, Abby Jeanne, Telescope, Sara Devoe and more @ 18th Ward Brewing (free!) - RSVP here
6/9 BdBK presents: Locations. O. Wake, Lily Mao, Dogs on Shady Lane @ Alphaville - tix here
6/13 STRONG LITTLE SONGS w/ Debbie Dopamine, Nadia Kazmi, Ransom Pier, Arlo Indigo @ BdBK HQ (Donation-based // BYOB // DM 4 Address)
6/22 BdBK presents: Monograms (LP release), Pamphlets, Big Bliss @ Bar Sundown - tix here
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
VIDEO PREMIERE: “She’s So American” from Reclining Nude
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.