8.9 A wknd w/ Rogue Music Festival
The organizers on street mango, French fry-stuffed sandwiches and their three-day DIY fest at Baby's, Starr Bar and 3 Dollar Bill
Until landlords start accepting experience and coffeeshops let you exchange exposure for lattes, it’s pretty important to get paid in… you know, actual money.
(It’s capitalism! Or something! We don’t make the rules.)
And because it’s impossible to think of something more inherently valuable than art or more essential to the human experience than music, it’s important that the people providing those things—those responsible for making life beautiful—are properly compensated. Which hasn’t exaaaactly historicallllllly been the case… until now?!
ENTER: ROGUE MUSIC FESTIVAL, a three-day, queer-female-run fest created by artists, for artists, and “celebrating the independent musicians who make Brooklyn unique, and ensuring that everyone gets paid.”
They do this first and foremost by removing room fees, meaning that money starts going to the bands as soon as you, the fan, buy your ticket.
Now in its second year, this round Rogue is showcasing 20+ artists over three days/nights at three Brooklyn venues:
and Starr Bar…
And it all starts TONIGHT!
Grab your tix here to experience a weekend of seriously sick tunes—all while putting real-ass money in artists’ actual pockets. Then keep reading for a weekend plan courtesy of Rogue Festival organizers, featuring an outline of the event itself, plus plenty of good stuff to eat, drink and do when you’re not out there making those sweet, sweet musical memories <3
FRIDAY
6:30 p.m. - Work's over! Grab a quick bite at Mission Sandwich Social, known for their creative combos like Peruvian chicken with addictive green sauce, guacamole, and fresh cilantro. If you're a hungry carnivore, you may gasp in awe when you behold Korean BBQ bulgogi beef with fresh mozzarella and french fries inside your sandwich. And there's a whole vegan menu including a Peking-duck-inspired sandwich made with vegan chicken tenders, cucumbers, scallions, and hoisin sesame sauce. Chef Brian Tsao is multitalented. He not only beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay, but also plays guitar in the metal band Loss Becomes.
7:00 p.m. - Head over to Baby's All Right and get ready for Rogue Music Festival, a celebration of Brooklyn's independent artists and venues. At the bar, pregame the show with our drink special, a Rosaluna Margarita made with mezcal handcrafted in Oaxaca. Chat with fellow music lovers who support up-and-coming bands, and chill for a while before the room fills up!
8:00 p.m. Rogue Music Festival begins with a set from Crosslegged, a rising singer and guitarist whose album Another Blue came out on Subpop last year. The night will continue with dreamy indie pop from Kolezanka, then spin out into the wild punk of AK & the Hallucinations, led by former Titus Andronicus member Amy Klein. Coming all the way from Boston will be rockers Mint Green, fresh off their show at Grrrl Camp festival, where they opened for Mannequin Pussy. Brooklyn-based Night Spins, who once received positive feedback from Alice Cooper during a battle of the bands in LA, will bring their signature energy and get you dancing. And then headliner Noun (Marissa Paternoster of the band Screaming Females), recognized as one of Rolling Stone’s and Spin’s “Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” will take the stage to melt your faces.
SATURDAY
10:30 a.m. - Stumble over to Variety Coffee all bleary-eyed and wake your ass up with a yummy drink. We recommend the Graham Ave location or the Wyckoff Ave location, where we interviewed many of our festival artists and held lots of meetings to plan the festival. Variety Coffee is donating a number of awesome prizes to our festival raffle including gift cards, so you may not have to pay for your coffee after today.
11:15 a.m. - We told you to rest up and not stay up doomscrolling. That's because we want you to join us at Haven Boxing! Haven is a radically inclusive boxing studio owned by women, queer folks, and people of color. You'll feel the positive energy when you step out onto the mat, even if you're an absolute beginner (like we are)! Boxing is amazing for all people to relieve stress, build confidence, and gain strength. Get sweaty with us!
12:15 a.m. - Hopefully you're still caffeinated, and now on an endorphin high as well. Go home and shower, and get dressed in your most fabulous fit. It's Chappell Roan summer, okay? Glitter, cowboy boots, and latex are all highly recommended.
3:30 p.m. - Join us at 3 Dollar Bill, a queer-owned club, for Day 2 of Rogue Music Festival. The afternoon's artists will include the country singer Paisley Fields, who blends inspiration from Andy Warhol and drag artists with his musical memories of playing piano in a rural parish as a teen.
By evening, the music will get louder. The silk punk group P.H.0, who play cyber-metal sounds on traditional Chinese musical instruments, will turn the room into a rave. Next up is the queer nihilist revolt artist Dreamcrusher, whose music has earned accolades from the Fader, Vice, Spin, Pitchfork, and the Village Voice and is featured in the PBS documentary The Untold Story of Noise and Experimental Music. The headliner of the night is powerhouse rock and roller Shilpa Ray, who has opened for Patti Smith, toured and recorded with Nick Cave, and rocked Brooklyn's underground for twenty years. That's not even all of the artists who are performing--come by the festival any time before midnight to discover your next favorite band.
SUNDAY
1:00 p.m. This is about what time you should wake up, considering that you've spent the past two days at a music festival. Get up and drink at least two glasses of water. Self-care is important. Stretch and give yourself a little massage.
2:00 p.m. Eat an enormous chicken katsu sandwich at Mama Yoshi Mini Mart. Mama Yoshi's homemade katsu sauce has so many sweet and sour notes it's like a symphony in your mouth. The chicken is perfectly crispy, and the sauce soaks into the potato chips underneath, making a new kind of potato chips that will blow your mind. If you prefer, you can eat several onigiri (Japanese rice balls filled with exciting surprises and wrapped in seaweed) for lunch instead.
3:00 p.m. Sit in Maria Hernandez Park and meditate on the fleeting nature of summer. How is it already August? Time is a blur. Life happens fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it, as a great wizard once said. Buy a mango from the women selling mangos on Knickerbocker Ave side of the park. Savor the sweetness of the mango, and the sunlight, and the feeling of being alive and existing in New York City right now.
4:00 p.m. Meander over to Starr Bar, a neighborhood gathering place and home of Day 3 of Rogue Music Festival! The first artist is Sammus, a Black feminist rapper and producer who also teaches music at Brown University and leads the University's Black Music Lab. The music will continue with a blend of rock and hip hop throughout the evening. And then headliner Cassie Ramone (of Vivian Girls and The Babies) will take the stage to play her hits from her hauntingly beautiful new album Sweetheart. The whole day and night will be filled with legendary performances.
Midnight - You're still up? Cool down with a nightcap at Cassette. Our festival organizer Natalie books shows in the venue downstairs, so you may run into even more musicians there. Reflect on the new friends you've made and the shows you've seen, and meditate on the magic of this city.
Itinerary above written + submitted by the organizers of Rogue Music Festival. Follow the fest at @roguemusicfestival.
Feature image (of Hard Nips last year, provided by the fest): Michelle LoBianco
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
In freeeee music news! This weekend is also Show Brain Festival at Tompkins Square Park, with performances from 95 Bulls, Thus Love, Native Sun, Balaclava, Pons, SKORTS, Pop Music Fever Dream, Pinc-Louds and The Thing — a lineup that is legitimately insane in how stacked it is. Go check it out, soak up some sun (finally) and tell BdBK BFF Ozzie, literally the hardest working dude in the biz/world, we say hi.
And in MORE FREE-MUSIC NEWS, our pals at New Colossus Festival are still going strong with rain-or-shine Summer Saturdays at 18th Ward Brewing—this week with sets from 36?, Fire Motel, Mr. Pescado, Julia Kwamya and Corsage all afternoon. Apologies for all the options! THAT’S SUMMER BABY!!!
THIS TUESDAY! A reminder that the next STRONG LITTLE SONGS living-room show is going down in our Crown Heights home / HQ with performances from ÊMIA, Noah Lexi, Jess Chase and our forever-co-host with the most Arlo Indigo. This round we’re raising money for the brilliant cause that is World Central Kitchen, an org that’s “first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.” As always, BYOB and donation-based, and we’ll be matching the first $100 in donations. (The sets will also be streamed on IG, with the option to watch and donate to WCK via that platform.) Would love to have you there. Just DM @bandsdobk for address. <3
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no particular order whatsoever:
“Dog House” // wakelee
“Gotta Get to Know Ya” // monarch.
“Spit” video // Trophy Wife
“Mississippi” // JW Francis
“Feel This Right Now” // Greg Furlong
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