9.3 A wknd w/ Strangepride

The band on park beers, book browsing and one big-ass cookie

Sep 03, 2021

!TGIF! DO THE DAMN THING W/ STRANGEPRIDE

One of the best things about live music is the thrill of IRL artist discovery, and nothing/no one has been more instrumental in putting Brooklyn bands on our radar this summer than New Colossus Festival.

Every Sunday since May, Lio Kanine and Steven Matrick have been presenting stacked bills FOR FREE at 18th Ward Brewing, where on the sidewalk stage across from Brooklyn Steel we’ve had the opportunity to catch some of our favorite BK bands—from Safer to S.C.A.B., Jelly Kelly to Climates, Ok Cowgirl to Colatura to Clone—all while also being exposed to new local acts whose music we’ve instantly fallen in love with.

One of our favorite discoveries thus far has been NYC/Boston band Strangepride. We caught the group on one particularly lovely afternoon a few months ago, ended up buying a tape… and after a few more beers, a t-shirt… from them, and we’ve had the record on heavy rotation—flip/flip/flip/flip/flip—ever since. (Haven’t taken the shirt off, either.)

While Strangepride was new to us, they’re by no means a brand-new band. The aforementioned (very rad) album We’ll Take It from Here came out in 2019, and most recently, Strangepride’s Anthony Tinnirella teamed up with Philly artist Anika Pyle on the Flowers EP. For this two-track split, the artists each beautifully covered a song—“Orange Flowers” and “Daisies And Blue”—that the other had written in honor of a parent they’d lost, with proceeds going to Nurses House, a national fund for nurses in need. (You can watch the video for Strangepride’s original “Daisies And Blue” here.)

Fast-forward a few months to what’s somehow suddenly fall (?!?!?!?!), and now we’re stoked to play the role of sonic sherpas and guide any unfamiliar ears towards the sweet tunes of Strangepride as they hit the FirstLive stage with War Violet (another New Colossus vet!) for our in-studio session THIS SATURDAY NIGHT.

As is custom, now that we’ve provided you with precisely one plan, we’re letting our artists do the rest. Check out the excellent + extensive set of weekend suggestions from Strangepride below, and don’t miss the opp to catch their awesome set in *live* OR ~live-streamed~ form tomorrow evening.

Your weekend starts now. Let’s get a little Strange with it.

[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]

FRIDAY

Friday: If you got it in you trek out to the beach to catch the show at Rippers featuring major rippers Haybaby and Oceanator. It’s free and outside and at the beach. Perfecto! Grab a smoothie and some other healthy snacks at Brothers Rockaway on your way because it’s gonna be a long weekend and you need some nutrients you dirtbag.

Train or split a car back to the neighborhood and grab a nite cap. Maybe a cocktail at Diamond Lil or a pint in one of the snugs at Black Rabbit. (Or, if you’re Rob, Mr. Fong’s or Clandestino or The Dancer or most likely all three.)

SATURDAY

Saturday I’m probably grabbing a bacon, egg and cheese and a coffee at Peter Pan and trying to sit at the counter. The service is usually great or at least charmingly bad and the people-watching is top notch. You’ll most likely get chatted up by some Greenpoint elders which is actually so much more fun than it sounds. These folks got stories. Are they true? Don’t know, don’t care. (Or, if you’re Rob, get an açaí bowl from Hawa Smoothies and an iced coffee from Cafe Grumpy or Porto Rico then read a book with said coffee in Seward Park.)

Head outta Peter Pan just as the crowds close in and start walking north toward the Pulaski Bridge. Take the long way up Franklin St. because no self-respecting person walks up Manhattan Ave. for fun. Maybe dip into Word (126 Franklin St.) to look at some books or Academy for some records (85 Oak St.) Cut over to the bridge and crossover toward Long Island City.

After having your New York Moment on the bridge with its sweet sweet skyline views grab coffee number two at Sweetleaf and head toward the water to chill at the new AND improved (Both?! But how?!) Gantry State Park to soak in more of those oh so sweet Only in New York views with your bandmate, Dan. Or maybe your bandmate has a different name. Something like Steph. Or Alex. I don’t know, maybe you’re not even in a band. That’s fine. Meet up with a regular old friend. Steve? Whoever, just meet up with someone. It’s nice.

After burning away a couple hours with your over-caffeinated annoying-to-whoever-is-in-hearing-distance convo, stroll to one of the nearby breweries to counteract the chemicals with an afternoon pint. I like Fifth Hammer. Rockaway is also great and close to the park if you wanna sneak your to-go back to a bench.

Sunburnt and loopy, grab the train and head over to FirstLive on Central Ave. in Bushwick to see the Strangepride/War Violet show/livestream at 7pm! Drink some cocktails or more fancy coffee and hang with us. Then go home. Just go home.

SUNDAY

I’d love to start my day with a Big Brekkie at Five Leaves. But only if I can get there early and beat the hordes of aspiring influencers that are closing in on the neighborhood as we speak. Hurry! I’m goin' scrambled with baked beans and grilled tomatoes with my hash browns and toast. And a coffee. Just as good or probably better is the Hashwich sandwich at Lite Bites. Grab that and/or maybe something off their special Caribbean menu and take it to the park. (Or, if you’re Rob, grab a bagel at Kossar’s and eat it in the same park as yesterday with probably the same book then meet some friends in Greenpoint but not your bandmates.) Wow, Rob.

From there I recommend taking the train into the city to go to the American Folk Art Museum in Lincoln Square. It’s small enough to do in about an hour or so and it’s free! You should donate if you can, of course. The exhibits change fairly often and there’s almost always something cool to see.

Then, if it’s not a million degrees outside, take the pleasant stroll about 20 blocks north to go to Westsider Books, maybe stopping into the original Levain on the way for a big-ass cookie. Westsider is a cozy little shop and super fun to poke around. I’m most likely buying a few cheap books and not so cheap records and maybe petting a cat. They almost closed last year but stayed open after a successful Gofundme saved them. Good news for us and maybe bittersweet for its owners who were possibly looking forward to some time off? I don’t know, just a hunch.

Now you're sleepy so you should probably grab coffee number two and head a couple blocks over to Central Park and sit and watch the people rollerblade and play with their dogs and other romcommy stuff until your late onset hangover from the incredible show you went to last night kicks in and it’s time to head back to Greenpoint. Grab a burrito at the Bistro Latino truck by McCarren Park and go home and watch some TV. Probably Reservation Dogs because it's hilarious and has a killer soundtrack and you've earned it.

Itinerary above written + submitted by Strangepride. Follow the band at @strangepride_, buy their music on Bandcamp and add their songs to your Spotify playlists.

Feature image provided by the band.

MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS

It’s BANDCAMP FRIDAY, which means the site is waiving all fees, and 100% of whatever you spend goes straight to the artists! Go buy yourself some music + merch. You earned it.

On a non-music note, what happened in Texas this week is truly fucking horrifying. If you have the means to help, consider donating to one of the organizations supporting women and fighting the abortion ban. (Fun fact: Lucy Dacus is donating Texas concert proceeds to abortion funds! There, now it’s music-related.)

If you’re not going to the Mary Shelley release show tonight (for shame!), plz hit up Home Sweet Home for Femme Fatale’s Heaven Sent Party. Hosted by High Waisted’s Jessica Louise Dye, the bill features Ista, Amy Rose and Austin’s Calliope Musicals, who routinely put on what we promise will be one of the best shows you’ll ever see in your life.

RELEASE RADAR

New(ish) stuff from local artists we love:

“Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud” // Oceanator

“Plastic Windows” // Work Wife

“Magazines” // Glassio

“Minor Leaguer” // Loose Buttons

“Two Extremes” (lyric video) // Drager

I Dreamed I Was You, Dreaming of Me // Geena Kaye

IT’S HAPPENIN’

Here’s a look at the shows we’ve got coming up this month (and beyond). Mark your calendars and come hang!

9.3 BDBK PRESENTS: Mary Shelley Single Release [TONIGHT] @ FirstLive Studios (buy tickets here // stream the band @ 10 pm here)

9.4 BDBK PRESENTS SATURDAY NIGHT (FIRST)LIVE w/ War Violet and Strangepride @ FirstLive Studios (buy tickets here // stream War Violet @ 7:30 pm here // stream Strangepride @ 9:30 pm here)

9.9. BDBK PRESENTS: Sallies, HYPEMOM, Gal Fieri, Blue Yonder @ The Nest

9.17 Razor Braids, S.C.A.B., May Rio @ The Bowery Union

9.18 BDBK PRESENTS: Colatura + Di Ivories @ FirstLive Studios

9.30 BDBK PRESENTS: Lazylazy, Birthday Girl, Marinara @ Bar Freda