9.6 A wknd w/ Caitlin Mahoney
The artist on off-leash loops, the search for Springsteen t-shirts and her Sunday-night show at Arlene's Grocery
First and foremost —
Happy birthday to the BdBK book, which hit shelves two years ago today! (THEY GROW UP SO FAST 🥺)
For those not in the know…
Somewhere in Brooklyn, and all over Brooklyn, your favorite, and soon-to-be favorite, bands are… Writing. Rehearsing. Recording. Performing. Scouring thrift stores. Stuffing down pizza. Drinking and dancing. Lounging and living. But where is this happening? Where are the local musicians whose music, styles, and tastes we admire working, playing, and hanging out in Brooklyn? What spots do bands on tour stop by when they’re only in town for the night? What do their versions of Brooklyn look like?
In Bands do BK, Sam Sumpter explores Brooklyn from the unique perspective of the bands who live it and love it. Equal parts oral history, guidebook, and music-fan memoir, Sumpter shares behind-the-scenes stories, sound bites, and recommendations on places to visit from hundreds of featured interviewed bands—a hot slice of New York City indie chronicling the people and places that define it.
Based on Sumpter’s music blog, Bands do BK supports local Brooklyn musicians while sharing new ways to explore and enjoy the borough. In Bands do BK, you’ll discover stories you don’t read on an about page or social-media bio, details and recommendations that aren’t incorporated into reviews, and the defining characteristics that definitely don’t factor into typical guidebook ratings.Meet your new favorite band, discover your next go-to bar, expand your personal playlist, and experience the weird, wonderful, and unbeatable beauty of Brooklyn’s influential music scene for yourself.
The book is still ~avaaaail~ and ~onnnn saaaaale~ online wherever books are sold. For direct links to purchase, click here. Now on with our regularly scheduled programming.
This week’s SETLIST features indie singer-songwriter and former New Yorker (current Floridian) Caitlin Mahoney!
Back in 2019, when Caitlin was still living in the city, we caught up with her for an IRL interview at Three’s Brewing in Gowanus, where she shared her go-to spots. Now, five years later, she’s back in town and back in action, ready to celebrate the release of her third album Name What I Need— ”a mature, hopeful reflection on boundaries, burnout and self-love.”
If Caitlin’s voice sounds familiar, that def makes sense. You may have heard it on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, on Freeform's The Fosters or Good Trouble, on the Family Channel in Canada, on Daytrotter or, perhaps, playing in a Starbucks somewhere.
Now, even better, you have the opportunity to experience her sweet, sweet sounds live THIS SUNDAY, when the artist hits the Arlene’s Grocery stage alongside TYA, Laika Songs and Evangeline Young!
Beyond celebrating her album, Caitlin will also spend this weekend hitting up her old haunts—many of which are, of course, detailed for you in the SETLIST she’s created for us below.
Listen/Read/& Plz Enjoy. We’ll c u out there <3
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
It's the last day of the week, and you are welcoming in abundance as you send out emails for [insert your hopes & dreams biz here] that you're trying to get off the ground. You need a cute, all good vibes kinda place to do your work and wrap up the week, so you treat yourself to a day pass at The Malin Williamsburg to work in a hip spot with comfy seating and sweet views. Be sure to high five the general manager there (who is also my longtime dear pal) Madeline Vicari when you walk by her into the quiet library to crank out all your emails and decks, welcoming in all the success you've been hustling toward all week long. You walk up Kent Ave, basking in the intro to Fall in NYC, and you enter "weekend mode" by bopping into Awoke Vintage just to peruse and see if there are any Bruce Springsteen tees. You wrap up the day with a couple cold beers and a smash burger at Three's Brewing Greenpoint. Then it's up to you if you keep boppin or *safely* citibike home, but I do have you getting up early for a walk to the dog park tomorrow so choose wisely.
SATURDAY
When I lived in Brooklyn, I was in Boerum Hill. My first activity of the day always revolved around my dog Annie, so your September Saturday starts bright and early with a long walk up Union St from Boerum Hill to the Prospect Park offleash hours. A coffee for the walk is a MUST and my fave stop along the way was the Hungry Ghost on 7th Ave and Garfield Pl. I am a fan of a black drip coffee with 2 ice cubes in it, but you do you. After the off leash hooplah in the Long Meadow ends at 9am, Head south through the park and make your way to Winner Bakery. Grab yourself another coffee, a sandwich and a pastry and chill at one of their cute outdoor tables and people watch. Walk back home and take a nap to recover and prepare for more carbs. When you have a second wind, get all cute and make your way to my favorite neighborhood restaurant Rucola to meet a friend for some deep chats over pasta and wine. After ordering like all the pasta options to avoid feeling FOMO, bop down the street to Brooklyn Inn on Hoyt St and casually walk by some movie star at the bar but pretend not to notice them because that's what New Yorkers do. Play some pool, have some drinks, you did a great job with your Saturday in South Brooklyn!
SUNDAY
Since you got all your steps in the day before, you earned sleeping in on Sunday because you have a really cool concert to attend in Manhattan on Sunday night so rest up, friend!!! You mozy into Manhattan on the subway and get a chill brunch at Westville Hudson around 1pm. My friends have come to know that when I return to NYC for a visit these days, I will eat at Westville a minimum of 3 times. My faves are the kale salad with chicken cutlets added, the brussel sprouts, and the french fries. But it all hits the spot. If you need to recover from the night before, I really like their health tea concoction. Perfect for September in NYC vibes! From there, I would meander the streets of the West Village until you got to the Strand Bookstore and spend some time perusing all of the books. Do you need some recs? I've been enjoying the feel good rom com books by Emily Henry, and I'm currently reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which is great. Next up on my list is The Interestings by Meg Woitzer so I can be ready for the next Broadway musical composed by Sara Bareilles! I am a Sara B superfan for sure. On your way to the really cool concert you are heading toward, you pop into The Scratcher for a Guinness and hopefully chat with the cool humans running that place. THENNNN your final bop of the evening is to Arlene's Grocery for the Bands Do BK show at 6:30 for a sweet round out to this glorious NYC weekend you've had. I will be there playing songs from my new album Name What I Need at 7pm and then basking in all the acts following, so I can't wait to hear how all these activities treated ya. Make this former New Yorker proud and see ya at Arlenes! :)
Itinerary above written + submitted by Caitlin Mahoney. Follow the artist at @cmahoneymusic, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlist!
Feature image provided by the artist.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Just a reminder that we’ve got Richard Lloyd (YES, OF TELEVISION FAME) Group playing Union Pool with Short Porch and Kristin Flammio and the Pretty Bitchin on 10/30 and you can grab those tix right here.
ICYMI, this week we released an edition of THE RIDER featuring Pop Music Fever Dream. Find Tim’s Top 10 right here.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (+ occasionally, once-local) artists we love, listed in no particular order whatsoever:
“Pickup Truck” video // Tea Eater
Moth Mouth // Charlotte Rose Benjamin
MIRRORHEAD // Pink Mexico
“WHERE YOU BELONG (LIVE AT THE CREAMERY)” video // Brandi and the Alexanders
“Another Screen” // Pop Music Fever Dream
Still In It // 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