6.14 A wknd w/ Recess
The band on power naps, "much-needed punching" and their Saturday-night show at Arlene's Grocery
Re-cess…
Recess…
RECESSSSSSSS!
If you’re feeling joyous, well, join the club. There’s got to be something positively pavlovian about the word alone. It’s a noun synonymous with fun… freedom… reckless abandon. Plus falling off jungle gyms and getting hit in the face with balls of various shapes and sizes.
It’s also the name of a “6-piece funk-pop band based in the world's playground, New York City,” and it’s the aforementioned energy (well, the fun… not the sandbox-style injuries) that Recess aims to conjure with their music, for which they blend “saucy bass lines, groovy beats and soaring horns” with one goal in mind: To make you dance, dude! And you’re invited to do just that THIS SATURDAY (aka tomorrow) when the band hits the stage at vArlene’s Grocery!
Snag a juicebox and pre-game the show with the band’s brand-new, extremely seasonally appropriate single ”Summertime” (out TODAY!), which songwriter Andrew Barry calls “an ode to beach days, rooftop sunsets, and outdoor seating - all the things that make us feel like a kid again every time June rolls around,” plus stick around n scroll down for the rest of your wknd itinerary, crafted by the band and available for your playtime pleasure below.
Bonus points if you throw in a game of kickball.
*WHISTLE BLOWS*
We’ll catch ya out there kidz!
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
4:37 pm: This code is a little messy, but at this point you can wait until Monday to put the final touches on it. Slam that laptop shut, it’s the weekend.
5:59pm: It’s been a long week at work, and you need some way to get out all that pent up anger that doesn’t involve an expletive-laden email sent to your company’s all hands listserv. Head over to Williamsburg MMA for some much needed punching, kicking, and non-voluntary yoga (brazilian jiu-jitsu), so you can sweat out the tears of rage you’ve been holding back since that meeting on Tuesday morning.
8:42pm: Booking an 8:30 dinner reservation was ambitious, but fortunately most places don’t give away tables until 15 minutes past, and the rest of your party is already waiting at the bar. It’s a good thing too, because a reservation at Bonnie’s is NOT something to be squandered. “Shrimp + pork wonton raviolis, superior citrus butter sauce + parm” may not seem to work on paper, but my god does it work on the tastebuds. Also, you’ve never heard of “shaoxing butter” before, but after tonight you may need to start ordering it in bulk.
11:33pm: Exhausted from several rounds of drinks, laughs with your friends, and postprandial fatigue (food coma), it’s time to turn in. As you lie in bed scrolling tiktok, a text comes through with an invitation to go see this up-and-coming band Recess at Arlene’s Grocery tomorrow. You shoot back - “Looks fun, I’m there”.
SATURDAY
10:21am: Waking up without an alarm is one of the sweetest pleasures of the weekend. It rained last night, and the smell of petrichor wafts in through the window when you open it. The sun is shining. It’s going to be a good day.
1:11pm: As you pull up to Prospect Park you’re pleasantly surprised to see that a few of the good grassy spots are still untaken. You don’t have much in the way of picnic furniture, but you brought beer, rosé, and chocolate bars, and your friends can supply the snacks and blankets.
4:45pm: Although it seems like you could stay here forever, you have evening plans, so it’s time to pack up. You head home in time for a quick shower and a power nap before heading into Manhattan. As you get dressed in the mirror you realize you probably should have been a little more on top of applying sunscreen. But as the band Recess says:
A sunburn on my forehead is a small small price to pay
For picnics in the park on such a sunny Saturday
7:16pm: You step off the cool air-conditioned subway car into the rank muggy heat of the Delancey St. station. You have just enough time to grab a slice at Square Pizza and grab a few beers before heading to the concert venue.
8:00pm: Pulling up to Arlene’s Grocery, you show the bouncer your tickets, get your wrist stamped, and after shimmying through the sea of bodies you find a place with just enough space for dancing. Recess takes the stage to a chorus of whoops and hollers, and enthusiastically opens with their first single, “Faces”. After the first 30 seconds, you’re hooked. The next 45 minutes are a whirlwind of wholesome melodies, funky beats, roaring horns, and irresistibly groovy basslines, and you wouldn’t be able to stop dancing if you tried. By the time the set closets with “Wrong Time”, you’re sweaty, exhausted and elated.
11:39pm: You spend the rest of the night at nearby Donnybrook, huddled around a table cluttered with half-empty beer glasses. As night flips to morning, you smile and laugh with friends old and new.
SUNDAY
12:23pm: You did not need that last round of drinks. Or the one before. Or the one before that. But whatever memories you’ve managed to retain from last night will go down as some of the best you’ve made this year. You’ve got another day of weekend to recover and experience the city around you, so you might as well get cracking.
1:34pm: A lot of times, when a cafe has a line stretching around the block, it has more to do with the hype than the food. La Bicyclette Bakery in Fort Greene is not one of those cases. The espresso, apricot oreillon, and fresh baguette mingling in your mouth is almost enough to make you forget about your hangover. Almost.
6:55pm: The weekend is coming to a close, and you decide to wrap it up by seeing that new Zendaya movie everyone’s been talking about. And since you deserve dinner AND a show, you head over to Nighthawk Prospect Park for a little hair of the dog and greasy food as the overlight lights dim.
11:11pm: Home, full, exhausted and happy, you turn in for bed. The weekend may not last forever, but this one was about as good as it gets.
Itinerary above written + submitted by Recess. Follow the band at @thebandrecess and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
STRONG LITTLE SONGS 15 WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! With donations + BdBK matching, we passed along $420 to UNICEF, while our IG fundraiser is currenly at $167, making for $587 (and counting!) raised for a truly amazing and important organization! Huge thanks to Emily Jeanne Brown + Mitch Meyer + Evangeline Young + co-host Arlo Indigo for performing and to everyone who came out or tuned in and donated. Hearts are full af baby! Stay tuned for the next one <3
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no particular order whatsoever:
Bloodhounds // Mary Shelley
“Forever” // Ok Cowgirl
“Something More” // AVATAREDEN
“Drone Song” // Uncle Skunk
Sunday Gentlemen // Awful Din
THE SETLIST by Bands do BK is a reader-supported publication that’s freeeee. BUT! If you want to become a paid subscriber to show some love and support the work BdBK is doing… well, hey. That’d be pretty rad of you. <3