8.2 A wknd w/ Pencildive
The band on chopped cheese, Magic the Gathering and their EP-release show TONIGHT at Our Wicked Lady
Happy Friday! Finally learned how to work the apartment TV (WHY ARE THERE SO MANY REMOTES???) just in time to see the US men’s soccer team get smoked 4-0. SPORTS!
Now let’s take a short break from Simone Biles & Snoop Dogg & Katie Ledecky & Pommel Horse Guy & artistic swimming & rhythmic gymnastics plus a whole host of athletes and activities we didn’t even know existed until approximately six minutes ago. It’s time to pivot from Paris to direct our audience attention to where it truly belongs—right here in Brooklyn. And tonight, the only events we’re focused on are the (stage)diving and (crowd)surfing happening on the Our Wicked Lady roof, where Pencildive will be celebrating their new EP Watch The World — OUT NOW!
Led by Gina De Nardo, “a pencildive is the quickest way to the bottom – a morbid daydream, a shock to the system and a plunge that the group conveys through distortion, feedback loops, strings & field recordings layered into a gloomy frenzy of dynamic rock.” And regarding their new record—their first release since 2021—the BK-based “yachtdadbuttrock/alt” band shared the following:
"We recorded our EP at Silver Cord in Ridgewood and it was such a positive experience. The studio is owned by the French metal band Gojira, so the place was full of creative energy and evil omens which was perfect for us. Most of the recording happened live over the course of one very long day. We've been performing these songs around Brooklyn for about a year, and we're so excited to finally share them with the world. This is also kind of a rebirth for us in a lot of ways. Our previous albums were made before we were fully rooted in NYC, and this is also our first release since Ryan Hopper joined as our bassist. Ryan is a multi-instrumentalist and sound designer, and he recently got Pencildive to be the on-stage band for Entropics, an experimental, apocalyptic play that we performed in Chicago in May. Ryan composed the original score and won a grant for it! He's super talented and we've really evolved with him on board. Not to mention the ways all three of us have changed as musicians and as people. This EP means a lot to us because it feels like we've arrived."
And we’re so, so happy they’re here.
Check out the EP, join us in the crowd at the show and keep on readin’ on for a full-ass weekend itinerary crafted by the band, featuring music and matcha and weird films and fried dough—plus some of the not-quite-olympic sport (yet!) that is Magic the Gathering.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! <3
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
Leave work an hour early, head to Mama Yoshi Mini Mart in Ridgewood for a canned UCC Coffee and a Spicy Chicken Katsu sandwich. Don’t tell your boss. If you happen to live in Crown Heights, you might try the birria truck on Franklin Ave and Lincoln Pl.
Head to your Local Game Store™️. Buy a couple booster packs of Modern Horizons 3. Then grab a quick pre-show game of Magic in the green room at Our Wicked Lady.
Now that you’re at OWL, step out onto the rooftop for our EP release show! No punk time for this one. Music starts at 8pm sharp with Hiding Places, followed by hiFi and Stripes – three bands who we admire a great deal. Pencildive will be the headliner playing last. We’ll perform Watch The World live plus some other music, a new song, and a surprise! We might even have some new merch. (Pssst – it’s also our bassist Ryan’s birthday.) We’re psyched!
SATURDAY
Gotta eat a breakfast; it's gonna be a big day. Start your weekend off right by cooking up some huevos rancheros at home. Smoothie to go with it, perhaps with some kale and raw pepitas thrown in. Make a moka pot of highly concentrated coffee for an extra boost. Then hit the road early and join NYC for Abortion Rights for clinic defense from 8am to 10am in SoHo. For those sleeping in and looking for their provisions out in the world, there’s Ursula in Bed-Stuy, Norma’s in Ridgewood, Knickerbocker Bagel or Grilled in Bushwick… you can’t go wrong. Grab a matcha at Nook, a chai at Variety Coffee, or a kopi bajigur at the Onderdonk Cafe for your morning boost.
The thing about Grilled in Bushwick is that you can get a vegan chopped cheese and it is divine. From there, roll through Maria Hernandez Park for the farmer’s market, skating, and live performers. Maybe even pump some iron at the outdoor gym. Grab a beverage from Brooklyn Kava or Misfit nearby and wander around the neighborhood. Stumble into OPC on Troutman Street and grab a new fit or just to take in the pretty colors. Or, skip all that and get to Barclays Center at 5pm to march in solidarity with Gaza.
Wow, so many shows happening. Overwhelmed? No problem, we’ve narrowed it down to two options. Catch our friends Little Slugger at Heaven Can Wait for some top-notch indie pop, or head over to Union Pool for Ben Seretan’s record release party. Both are guaranteed to be a good time. Then, if you haven’t already had a chopped cheese, consider grabbing one at midnight from your favorite local spot. We might be a chopped cheese band?
SUNDAY
So, how did that late-night chopped cheese make you feel? Pretty good right? Now it’s time to move. Go for a long run until your emotional pain transmutes into physical pain. And/or get to the beach, because hey, it’s still summer! Take the subway to Brighton Beach, Coney Island, or the Rockaways. If you’re feeling adventurous in Coney Island, grab a fried dough and ride the Cyclone, but maybe not in that order? For a quieter beach adventure, catch the ferry from Wall Street Pier 11 to the Rockaways and enjoy a scenic ride.
Get back in time for LVL UP at Baby’s All Right. They’re celebrating 10 years since the release of their album Hoodwink'd. Their Friday and Saturday shows at Baby’s are sold out, so they added a third show!
On a recent Friday night, we went to see an 11pm showing of Longlegs after practice at the end of a long week. Great film. Very disturbing. Two out of the three of us got vivid nightmares from the experience. The movie is no longer in theaters after Thursday 8/1, but for our last item, we recommend you replicate our experience to the best of your ability sometime. One night, when you’re extremely tired, start watching Longlegs at 11pm. Sit too close to the screen, crank the volume, and see what kinds of dreams come to you that night. That is the Pencildive way.
Itinerary above written + submitted by Pencildive. Follow the band at @pencildiveband, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next STRONG LITTLE SONGS living-room show is comin’ at ya on Tuesday 8/13, and this round we’re raising money for World Central Kitchen, an org that’s “first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises” and is doing a lot of great work around the world, including in Gaza, right now. As always, BYOB and donation-based, and we’ll be matching the first $100 in donations. (The sets will also—as is custom—be streamed on IG, with the option to watch and donate to WCK on that platform.) DM @bandsdobk for address. <3
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no particular order whatsoever:
(It’s No Secret) The Truth As Bad As The View // The Big Easy
“Our Love” video // Ok Cowgirl
“Went on T” video // Um, Jennifer?
“But I Do - Edit” // lovetempo
“Cycles” // Moon Kissed
“Half Cut” video // Casual Male
“Bodega Bay” // Peter Wise
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