8.17 A (long) wknd w/ Big Bliss
4 days of fun + an ADVANCE STREAM of their new album 'Vital Return', which the band is celebrating TONIGHT at Alphaville
WOOOO! HAPPY EARLY WEEKEND!
Without further ado, we’re slingshottin’ you into the goddamn thang in the most magical way possible with an EARLY STREAM of Vital Return — the phenomenal new record from Big Bliss!
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"As a band, and also as individuals, were thrust into some massive changes starting around 2019," Tim Race of the Brooklyn trio shared of their new album, out everywhere tomorrow. "Many of which felt too heavy to surmount - the tumult of addiction/early sobriety and familial grief being at the top of the heap. We did make it though. Ultimately the record is about that: reemergence, about coming out the other side."
As for how they feel about the record release, as the band sweetly put it in one IG caption: “We’re so proud of this record, and so eager to see something we poured every once of ourselves into coming to life.”
And man oh man, get ready, because it’s a true thing of beauty—and one that you can join the band in celebrating TONIGHT at the record-release show at Alphaville with Gift Horse and My Son The Doctor!
Grab your tickets here.
As for the following three days, well (**cracks knuckles**) GET READY. The best part of the SETLIST is realizing what maniacs some of the musicians we love so much really are. There are some demented drummers, sicko singers and very bizarre bassists out there, folks. Which is a good thing! After all, who doesn’t want to get a little weird on the weekend?
Find Tim’s “unhinged list” (his words!) below, stream VITAL RETURN and have a fantastic four days. We’re absolutely sure you earned it <3
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
CLICK TO STREAM ‘VITAL RETURN’ EARLY!
THURSDAY
Step 1: Quit your job. Send that scary text. Finally wear that silly hat. Live with abandon this morning.
Step 2: Ride your bike around the Central Park loop. Wear a helmet. Stop at the Bethesda Fountain and recreate the record cover accurately. Realize it’s a fool’s errand; the cover is flipped. Please accept my apology.
Step 3: Cruise back over the Williamsburg Bridge and into Bushwick where you’ll stop by Mally’s on Knickerbocker to pick up: (2) chorizo tacos (1) chips & salsa and (1) Diet Coke. You will need these later.
Step 4: Go home, rest, and decide which hat you’ll commit to this magical evening, the ‘Vital Return’ release show evening.
Step 5: Call a pal, meet a dog.
Step 6: Arrive at Alphaville - maybe around 8pm? - hand me the tacos, chips, and Diet Coke. I now owe you a favor at any time, no questions asked. Save it for a rainy day.
Step 7: Attend the Vital Return Record Release Party at Alphaville. Sing, dance, and cry. All three of those things feel good. Luckily, you’ve arrived early enough to see Gift Horse and My Son the Doctor, who will crush their sets, guaranteed. Stick around for the BB set - it’s the record front to back and maybe some extras. We’ve practiced for it a lot, so I think it will be good. On your way out, if you can, pick up a record and a few things from the other bands. A little goes a long way for all of us. Accept my sincere gratitude for your presence.
FRIDAY
Step 1: Sleep in a little, but not too much, you’ll need time to figure out whose home you are in after an exciting but regrettable night of sleepwalking.
Step 2: Tell your boss you didn’t mean it and that you’ll be back at work today.
Step 3: Call a pal, meet a dog.
Step 4: Meditate in Irving Sq Park, then text your friends that it’s a much better park than Maria Hernandez. War.
Step 5: Call your boss and say “sike, I still quit.” Enjoy it.
Step 6: A little chaos might be nice, so send some friends your location without explaining. If you want to go one step further, FaceTime people out of the blue. My girlfriend taught me that trick. So confrontational, yet so sweet.
Step 7: Locate the Singularity - last I heard it’s trapped in a storage locker at the new CubeSmart on Morgan. That building went up too quickly for it to escape.
Step 8: Be sure to get some rest and drink some water and take your vitamins, cause you’ve got two gigs to hit tonight: Onesie and Irrevery at Sultan Room is your first stop, and thankfully you’ll have time to make it to the late Shop Talk gig at TV Eye after.
Step 9: Wrap up your evening with a stop at the undisputed finest deli in Brooklyn, the one on the corner of Jefferson Ave and Wilson Ave, and please tell Victor I said hey. He’ll whip up a bangin falafel over rice, and you’ll top it off with some fresh cuts of watermelon before traipsing home with a full belly and a rocked-out heart.
SATURDAY
*Todays plans are open ended. May I suggest a few of these activities in no particular order:
Call a pal
Meet a dog
Sensory deprivation
Learn how to solder, it’s easy
Solder some new cables or fix your broken ones - free yourself from the tyranny of Sweetwater and their delicious little treats. Keep in touch with your salesperson though, they’d like to know how you’re doing.
Play basketball
Listen to “Music for Airports”
Listen to “Any Other City” by Life Without Buildings
Listen to new records or songs from, to name a few: Water From Your Eyes, Deeper, HNRY FLWR, Brook Pridemore, Bodega, Protomartyr, Model/Actriz, Foyer Red, b3cca, Joudy, the list goes on. It would be impossible to provide an exhaustive inventory here, but you get the point.
Write and record a silly song, preferably with pals.
Go see “Talk to Me”
Inform the Leader you’ve found the Singularity, but have lost the key to the lock. They’ll open it for us on Monday during regular business hours.
Go fishing in English Kills.
Mow the lawn blade by blade
Tend your cantaloupes.
Go see Dreamcrusher, 95 Bulls, Ryley Walker, Frida Kill, or Lily Konigsberg to name a few. That is an overwhelming choice to make, I know. I cannot help.
SUNDAY
Step 1: Ope, sleepwalking again! This time you’re outside though, so no rush. Find some shade and people watch. Watch them closely.
Step 2: Listen to ‘Vital Return’ on your meandering walk home. It is 40 or so minutes long, just enough time to make it home before your phone dies.
Step 3: Mourn and bury your dead phone.
Step 4: By now I hope you’ve met a dog today - remember that practice makes perfect.
Step 5: Rest, catch up on some reading, tidy up a home (any home).
Step 6: As the sun sets, head over for your weekly prayer to the Great Bushwick Salt Pile at 189 Varick Ave. Spend your typical hour listening for the hum and praising its mysterious and dusty expanse. Thank it once more, then begin to head home. It’s a little chilly now, so slip on that hoodie you brought, you smart cookie.
Step 7: Just as you approach the Jefferson L station, your Salt Pile Serenity is rudely interrupted by a group of 20 or so European tourists on a guided graffiti tour. They all turn their heads and glare as you pass. You return a stilted, polite smile. Just when you think they’ve taken their attention off of you, you hear one whisper, “that’s him, the hoodie.” Your stomach drops as you realize that these European Tourists are surprisingly fast, so they surround you in an instant. They tighten the circle around you and amidst their strange cackles and grunts are murmurings of, “that’s him. That’s Banksy.” They begin throwing paint cans at your feet, their vocal tenor rapidly rising in a chorus of “Banksy! Oh Banksy! Show us the gaps in the walls of society!” One confused member of the group asks, “are you the Strokes?” You try not to panic. You must avoid the unhinged look in their desperate faces. You’re in trouble.
Just then, you see me walking across the street wearing an even bigger hoodie. Really big. You remember the Taco Favor and you see your chance. “NO! THAT is Banksy!” you cry, pointing to me while I look on the ground for the vape I just dropped. I hear you, look up, and steel my resolve. My friend needs help, and those tacos were delicious.
“Right you are, imposter! I AM BANKSY!” I scream. They swing around in unison, snarl, and sprint towards me. You’re right, they *are* fast. I run the opposite direction and they follow, offering you a window to make your escape. Phew, that was close.
Step 8: Have a popsicle and hit the hay. What a nice weekend.
Itinerary above written + submitted by Big Bliss. Follow the band at @bigblissband, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Tim Race
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
IT’S TIME TO MAKE YOUR HOOP DREAMS COME TRUE! This week, we announced BANDSKETBALL: Brooklyn’s (probably) first BAND VS. BAND CHARITY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AND MUSIC FESTIVAL presented by Show Brain , The Hoops Commission and BdBK to raise funds for Willie Mae Rock Camp —“a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls and gender-expansive youth through music education and mentorship.”
The fun goes down at 18th Ward Brewing on September 24th. More announcements on the way with music lineup, DJs, bonus activities and more.
Be sure to follow @bandsketballin_bk for updates! We’ll catch ya on the court 🏀🎸🎉
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
“miss the summer” video // Ilithios
Swarm (2023 mix) // Bambara
“Demolition Of A Childhood Home” // Sharkswimmer
“dumb luck” // EMIA
“Hangover” // Laura Galindo
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the events we’ve got coming up. Mark your calendars and come hang!
8.23 BdBK Presents: Mary Shelley + Sam Zalta HOMECOMING SHOW w/ Home Remedies and BRODEO Arlene’s Grocery (tix here)
8.31 BdBK Presents: Two-Man Giant Squid Album Release w/ GROCER @ Baby’s All right (tix here)
9.6 BdBK — THE BOOK! — Birthday Bash w/ Sharkswimmer, Climates (single release!), MamajoVramajoe, Extra Special @ The Broadway (tix here)
9.7-9.10 KARMA BRIGADE WEEKEND PT. 2!
9.7 w/ O.Wake, Go Home, Shining Hours @ Bar Freda (tix here)
9.8 w/ Moonunitt, Telescope Club, Special Guest @ RUBULAD (tix here)
9.9 @ New Colossus Fest’s SUMMER SATURDAY @ 18th Ward Brewing (FREE!)
9/10 w/ partygirl, Skorts, Demonstrator @ Arlene’s Grocery (tix here)
ICYMI
Around the blog and from the archives
PREMIERE: “Nowhere Lullaby” from LAPÊCHE
PREMIERE: ‘Sugar, I’m Tired’ from Wetsuit
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