THE RIDER: Big Bliss's Top 10
The band on dollar-store manis, trusting the dice and boysenberry-scented busts at Vape Kingdom
If you woke up without plans this Thursday, YOU ARE IN LUCK!
Please begin your day the Big Bliss-ful way…
And then grab your tickets to see the band TONIGHT at Baby’s All Right, where they’ll be hitting the stage with BODEGA and Two-Man Giant Squid to — in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month — play a very special show where ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to MHANYS.
MHANYS (that’s Mental Health Association in New York State) is an org “on a mission to improve the lives of individuals, families, and all communities in New York State by raising mental health awareness, ending stigma and discrimination, and promoting wellness and recovery.”
As for Big Bliss, the Billboard-lauded, BK-based brainchild of brothers Tim and Cory Race (as well as friend/collaborator Wallace May) has been in operation for nearly a decade, producing a sound they describe as “at once melancholic, tense, noisy, and ultimately uplifting, laced with lyricism that ruminates on anxiety, grief, addiction, recovery, devotion, and heartache.”
The band’s sophomore album, Vital Return, dropped in 2023 and features themes that “document a fight for sobriety, moving through the loss of the brothers’ father, coping with collective and generational trauma, and finally seeking out the emotional/spiritual tools needed for us all to rebuild in our current moment in time.”
In the spirit of this month, this show and what feels like an especially dark time, may we all find the tools we need to get through. Please remember that help is out there and available. Take care of yourself—the world needs you.
Now, plz read on for a Top 10 from Big Bliss featuring rental banjos, Brian Eno and a few key tips for extremely affordable mitt maintenance.
Sending lots of love your way. Have a really great day <3
THE BIG BLISS TOP 10
1. The Welfare State
Universal benefits improve quality of life for all, drastically decrease the poverty rate, are politically popular, and are actually affordable. (Jacob)
2. Trusting the dice
Using a pair of onyx dice to make decisions. Too many decisions in this life! It’s better to leave the lesser ones up to chance. I do odds for yes and evens for no, but that’s dealer’s choice. (Anjoli)
3. Caffeine pills
(Cory)
4. Preparing my mitts
It is essential to trim one’s nails before playing one’s little instruments in front of people. It is even better to apply nail polish from the dollar store. My preferences are green, purple, and a weird rust-colored one that may or may not be actual rusty lead - at least it was $1. (Tim)
5. Vape store
I just adore visiting the vape store on Wilson Ave and Jefferson St. I’ve deemed it Vape Kingdom. If you get there at the right time, you may catch it being raided by the NYPD, which means you can watch officers diligently haul out a hundred sweet-smelling garbage bags full of vapes to the street. You will notice there are ten of them and they all have guns. Good thing - this is a dangerous mission. They’re working so hard! This is a great opportunity to appreciate that government is neat and is working well! (Tim)
6. Listening to Goldfeather
(To be read in the voice of The Most Interesting Man in the World from the mid-00s Dos Equis commercials): I don’t usually listen to hyperpop, but when I do like when it’s also math rock and written by classical musicians who’ve read Proust. (Jacob)
7. Renting axes
If you are thinking about picking up the banjo or mandolin but have commitment issues, you can rent one from the library and give it a test run. (Anjoli)
8. Soaking up the sun
It’s spring in New York and sunlight is good for you! Better head up to your roof and have a nice, midday sit. Plus, they can’t find you up there. You’re finally safe! Imagine the relief. Remember to use sunscreen! (Tim)
9. Music For Airports
: The single greatest record ever made is Music For Airports by Brian Eno. I listen to it at the airport (as the directions suggest), in bed, in the shower, while walking the dog, the list goes on. It will transport you if you allow it, or it will hang in the air unobtrusively when you need. The method by which Eno produced the record (using a series of tape loops of different lengths cycling in and out sync with each other) is a beautiful metaphor for the diverging and converging strands of our lives. It’s a useful tool for meditation - I often will play it as I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. Truly letting my thoughts wander has been difficult these days, though, in no small part due to the constant presence of Mr. Saul. Ever since I played Music For Airports backwards, Mr. Saul has been a part of my life. He is just there - neither threatening nor benign; he never speaks, but he is always communicating. At first I had questions: who is he? Why is he here? Has he been wearing my clothes? However, answers beget more questions, and the cycle persists. Only my dog and I can see him it seems, and she’s taken a liking to him. I don’t like him. I’m very busy, and it’s difficult to manage my daily tasks with Mr. Saul standing near me at all hours of the day. Yesterday he suddenly dissolved into a cloud that smelled not dissimilar to a vaper’s mango exhale and I thought, “at last, Mr. Saul has died.” After some reflection, however, I’ve realized that that’s how he relieves himself, and thus another concern is born. At least I can hide on the roof. (Tim)
10. Dry shampoo
(Cory)
Top 10 written + provided 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): Anna Schultz