sevensevenseven #2
featuring grace ives, built to spill, dan english, panik flower, scarlet rae, kierst, BCNR, frost children, clovis, earth dad, julia jacklin, ethel cain, emma stacher, powerviolets, sitcom and more.
Can you guys believe it’s September? It’s my favorite time of year as someone who thrives on being so busy that there’s no time to think. There’s also so much newness after the summer; new people, new projects, new venues. It’s a time of hope, but also a great time to go to a show every night. My favorite shows of the year usually happen in September or October, it’s usually when the post-festival season British invasion occurs. The newness of the fall felt particularly special last year when I was going out to shows for the first time since the pandemic, reuniting with people, and rediscovering the feeling of being around music. However, this fall feels different too and I think that’s something I’ll say each fall until I die.
Anyways… onto the music… if anyone ever wants to contribute to this thing please email, text, DM, whatever me, I’d be happy to have you! Caroline Safran and Martin Garcia both contributed words and photos to this edition and I’m so honored to have them be a part of this. Support them, hire them, and buy their photos. They both deserve all the success!
SEVEN SHOWS YOU NEED TO SEE
9/8 Grace Ives, Frost Children at Zone One - Elsewhere - I am devastated to be missing this show, but you’ll see why I had to miss it in the next newsletter. I found out about Grace Ives earlier this year when she opened for Remi Wolf at Webster Hall. I missed her set and caught Remi’s set after my box office shift there, going in completely blind. Remi was amazing, so I figured I needed to check out her opener. Grace is a complete force of nature. She just released her sophomore record Janky Star (UMG / True Panther Records), which is an album that just completely engulfs me every time I listen. It’s one of those records you can just put on repeat for hours and live in. She originated in the Dots Per Inch scene here in New York and has such a solid team behind her, I mean she was just on fucking Jimmy Kimmel. Huge win for New York music. The moment she’s having reminds me of the early stage of Dua Lipa’s career when my friends were going to see her at bars and then she just exploded. Grace Ives is going to explode. This is going to be another packed-out night at Elsewhere. I mean Frost Children are opening. It’s a criminally good bill. It’s sold out so you might not make it in, but when you can’t get into the show, you always have Jackie’s show.
9/8 Clovis, Girl Dick, The Mainliners at TV Eye - To write about two insane shows happening on the same night, sell you guys hard on both of them, and then not go to either of them is downright mean, but I’m going to do it. Clovis is headlining TV Eye and you shouldn’t miss it. I saw Clovis for the first time this summer, but I found out about them last fall someone said they are the 6th best rock band in New York, so I should’ve been on this wave sooner. I emailed someone about how much I loved the Clovis show I went to, so I went back to see what I said and turns out I actually saw them twice in a week, once at Bella Ciao and once at Gold Sounds. My memory is shit, which is part of the reason why I’m doing this thing. Moving on, Clovis is a four-piece that embodies everything I love about rock music; their sound is grungey, gazey, and just tight as fuck. Girl Dick is a band Jackie has been telling me about forever so I need to make it out to a show of theirs soon. I’m checking out The Mainliners now and this is such a TV Eye bill it hurts. I love a punk show. I love going to TV Eye, drinking a beer, seeing a show that is insanely good, and then spending $25 on their delicious food. You should go to the Clovis show and do exactly that.
9/9, 9/10, 9/12 The Weekend of Ethel Cain - The critic’s darling Ethel Cain returns to New York this weekend for two shows at Bowery Ballroom and one show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, which are two of the best rooms you can play in this town. Do you remember where you were when you first read the NY Times feature on Ethel Cain? I think I saw it as bazillion people tweeted it, then her shows at Market Hotel sold out, and then she was everyone’s favorite pop girl. In my old age, I’ve come to appreciate Southern music and especially anything with a country twang. To me, Preacher’s Daughter (2022) feels like Pang (2019) but with the sadness you can only feel in the American South. I wish I listened to this record when I was in Tennessee in June, it would’ve hit. I think Ethel is a more emotional Kacey Musgraves, a girl who queers country pop. I think I’m going to try to catch her at MHOW, but who knows what will happen.
9/14 PANIK FLOWER at The Sultan Room - PANIK FLOWER is putting out their first song “Pretty Face” on 9/9 and celebrating the release at The Sultan Room on 9/14. I recently met Sage (lead vocals) and Mila (guitarist) (⅖ of the flowers) and they are the sweetest and most talented hogs I’ve met in a long time. PANIK FLOWER formed earlier this year and has been playing grungy dream pop around the city, which honestly seems like a dream genre and I can’t wait to see them play for the first time! Presave “Pretty Face” here.
9/16 Julia Jacklin at Brooklyn Steel - I am currently in a deep obsession with the new Julia Jacklin record, PRE PLEASURE. I was also obsessed with Crushing (2019) which I listened to because I wanted the green Crushing pullover and didn’t want anyone to call me out on not knowing who was on my sweatshirt. Turns out I found the best breakup album of all time at a time when I was stuck quarantining in Connecticut and not seeing anyone besides my family let alone dating anyone. “Comfort” hits so close to home as someone who feels guilty about everything, but every single one of Julia’s songs will make you feel like you’ve been in her shoes. “Ignore Tenderness” is my favorite song off the new record and I can’t wait to go to this show with Lindsay and Blakely.
9/16 Earth Dad at Union Pool - I first started listening to Earth Dad earlier this year when we were trying to figure out support for Sub*T’s show at Baby’s. We all listened to Earth Dad and we were instantly like, yep that’s the band. They are just so cool. The record they put out earlier this year, Birthday deserves your attention. The whole album goes crazy, but my favorites are “It Goes Thwack” and “Bottomofurhart.” I saw them earlier this year at the Sultan Room rooftop which was amazing, but I think a Union Pool show should be surreal. Don’t miss this one.
9/16 Camp (featuring Emma Stacher and Powerviolets) at Rubulad - Rubulad is throwing a camping-themed night and I’m addicted. At the top of the bill is Emma Stacher. I’ve seen Emma perform twice this year and I’m a certified fan. I saw her project Stacher at Sultan Room which was just a mystifying experience and then I saw her solo bass set before Dan English the other day (more on that later). She’s performing as Like a Doll now with a full band, so I’m excited to see what that sounds like. Powerviolets is top tier too. I haven’t been able to catch one of Violet’s shows, but her music is almost always in my rotation. Someone said on Creem’s Instagram story today that Powerviolets could be ferocious live and I agree.
SEVEN SHOWS YOU WISH YOU WENT TO
08/27 Dan English + Charlotte Bumgarner - I found myself going to a show more than necessary as August came to a close. The previous weekend I had just seen Sharon Van Etten at Central Park Summerstage; and just the other night, Julie at Elsewhere Zone One. I probably should take breaks from getting bruised up at shows and commuting late nights to Jersey, but I knew I’d be a bit devastated to miss Charlotte Bumgarner’s set after being entranced by her sound a few months prior.
Although this was not my first time at Rubulad, its eccentric and bright-colored decorations continue to make me feel uneasy. At the venue, I met with Charlotte for the first time after being online friends. She greeted me with a smile and showed off her latest grail; which was a kick-ass vintage Buffy the Vampire Slayer tee. We were able to chat for a bit and it’s almost shocking how interconnected she is with the other artists here in New York although being from Oklahoma.
Before the show, I talked to Jake of Sitcom about shooting his show the day after; and caught up with Caroline, Tope, and Christo…the usual faces I see at shows every week. Although you can hear the fans whirring in the background through all the sets, the night seemed to get hotter by the minute. First up was Dan English + his guitar orchestra.
I caught Dan back in November when he opened up for Girlpuppy. I haven’t listened to him much since then, so I was delightfully surprised to see him once again; now with musicians behind strings, brass instruments, and an army of acoustic guitars. This set was so beautiful and totally makes me miss playing in the orchestra when I used to in high school.
I remember Charlotte saying how nervous she was about playing solo right after Dan, but you couldn’t tell from the audience's perspective. She was so in control of her voice and her playing, I was mesmerized.
Almost accustomed to loud rock spaces, it was refreshing to hear Charlotte’s set being so stripped down and honest. When listening to her work I find myself in places of feeling defenseless and lost in lyrics where I cannot express myself.
New York can’t wait to have Charlotte Bumgarner back! - Martin Garcia
8/28 Sitcom, Frost Children, The Life at Baby’s All Right - The night opened with a set from The Life, a project by Curtis Everett Pawley, who set the tone with bright, nostalgic pop-punk.
I’d never listened to The Frost Children before seeing their set, and after seeing it, I fully bit the hook. Siblings Lulu and Angel’s punky tech sonic landscape had the crowd at Baby’s genuinely levitating, plugging in the video game universe that Lulu and Angel built through their set. Upon hearing the abrasive intro to the acidic “FOX BOP,” the entire room bent to the shape of the music, a hyper-saturated sonic Rainbow Road of sorts.
The time came for Sitcom’s set, and the crowd was peppered with the band’s friends and lovers. The enthusiastic and eager Sunday night Baby’s attendees were vibrating, launching cheers of encouragement and playful negs (“is that The fucking Dare?” re Harrison Patrick Smith on second guitar) at Sitcom, headed by Jake Lazovick. This was my second time seeing a Sitcom show (the first one being at NuBlu with Test Subjects a few weeks back), and after this one I have drank the proverbial Sitcom KoolAid, which tastes like Sugar Ray if they grew up on Lou Reed and jet fuel. Jake’s most recent release “Question” had the crowd bouncing from the get go, as it built into a ragged soundscape defined by smooth synths, chunky basslines, record scratches, and lyrical whimsy. Maya of True Blue glided onto the mic to lay down effortless chic vocals over “Question.” During “Kiss My Baby,” Jake stood on one of the speakers, arms outstretched, while the crowd carried the chorus, in a tender moment of symbiotic energy exchange between artist and audience. Baby’s was thumping from top to bottom. The image this show called to my mind was that experiment where they gave hamsters cocaine water, except the thirsty hamsters were the community of new-New York analog media makers, writers, and creators, and the cocaine water was Sitcom’s dizzying pop punk precision. - Caroline Safran
9/1 CFCF, Scarlet Rae at Zone One - Elsewhere - I saw Scarlet Rae play with Clovis and Nitefire at Bella Ciao this summer and was too distracted by the heat to really enjoy it. Bella Ciao supplies you with noise and expensive drinks and it’s fun, but not my favorite place to really watch a band play, so I wanted to make sure I caught Scarlet opening for CFCF last week. Jackie and I went not really knowing what to expect of the crowd, but there were definitely some movers and shakers. I wasn’t familiar with CFCF before that night, so it was a real surprise to who their fans were. I think this was a sold-out show? Anyways, Scarlet is really special artist. Seeing her in a room that does her sound justice and allows you to look at what she and her band were doing on stage felt so important. “Built to Spill” was my favorite song of the night, the chemistry Scarlet and her band have makes the songs land even harder than they do when I’m listening on my own. She’s making really cool music and I think more people should be taking note. We stuck around after her set to get a taste of CFCF and it was really cool. I’d never seen a guitar used in electronic music like that. It sounded similar to Doss but got a more classically house feeling at one point. He had really cool visuals too. I love going to a show that makes you go home and sit down and explore someone's discography; CFCF did that for me.
9/3 Dan English Orchestra, Emma Stacher at The Cactus Store - All summer, all anyone can talk about is Dan English and his guitar orchestra. I can’t believe I missed every single one, except for the last one this past Saturday at The Cactus Store, a trendy spot in Dimes Square. If anyone can explain what Dimes Square is and why, please let Jade know. I think it was my first time ever in Dimes Square. I was nervous to see how a forty-piece orchestra would fit in a cactus store with a big crowd, but the orchestra sat behind bamboo in the alley which made for a beautiful scene. By the time we got there, the folding chairs were full but Caroline and Jackie saved us a spot on the bench along the wall. Emma Stacher started off the night with a solo bass set. She got up on a rock with her pedal and stood there for the whole set, which is impressive in its own right. Emma made me view bass in a whole new light and I really can’t wait to see her play again. One power outage later, Dan and his orchestra began. I don’t think I’ll ever hear that many guitars in one place ever again. The crowd was so big it spilled out onto the sidewalk. Dan kept apologizing for losing his voice, but I think everyone felt lucky just to be there. The set ended with a cover of “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed which everyone sang along to and that alone almost me cry. It was an experience that words cannot describe, so I’ll let these quotes from Dan doing the talking:
“Is there too much guitar?”
I’m really grateful to be here.”
“First of all, I would like to take an hour to introduce my band.”
“Thank you for witnessing this.”
9/3 Built to Spill at Irving Plaza - When I realized Built to Spill was going to be in town last week, I immediately texted Jade and we made plans to go after Dan English. We took the train up to Union Square, ate some Sticky for dinner, and headed to Irving Plaza. Irving Plaza is a venue I have mixed feelings about. It’s great when it’s empty, but horrific if they oversell it even a little. The Built to Spill crowd was a comfortable size and we were definitely out of our element. I’ll be honest, I don’t know Built to Spill’s discography well at all, but I knew they were a bucket list band for me. Watching Doug Martsch play guitar was inspiring. It was one of those crowds where people think they can request songs and shout things at the band and they’ll listen. Someone sat on the floor behind us with their hands over their ears and some guy told them if everyone in the room wasn’t sweaty and dancing, he’d stop playing. Doug never stopped playing.
9/4 Kierst, Paper Lady, Porcelaine - Kierst’s single release show for her new song “How to Be” was an event for the girls. What a fun night with friends and the bill of all bills. Porcelaine drove down from Connecticut to do one of the most beautiful solo sets I’ve ever seen. She finished her set with an Elliot Smith cover sung with so much conviction that you would think it was her own. Paper Lady drove down from Vermont on the heels of Birdsong Festival and their set was so good you wouldn’t even know that they only had three hours of sleep. Alli’s voice is a gift to us all. I especially loved “Violet,” a song about a dream about a woman. And Kierst, the star of the show, was wonderful. I wish I got a Twilight-themed setlist. She played a mix of some new songs and some old ones, all with the emotional intensity that makes her music so special. It was so cool to be a part of this moment and I’m excited to see what comes next for Kierst!
9/5 Black Country New Road, Horsegirl at Bowery Ballroom - Alicia’s prom night, the post-punk superbowl, the show to end all shows, and the earliest show I’ve ever been to at Bowery Ballroom. We all took a stretch limo (the J train) to Bowery in our finest clothes (the pants I wore out the night before) for BCNR’s US debut. Horsegirl opened the show at 4pm and they sounded even better than they did last month at their NYC headline show. It was strange to see a band on stage while the sun came through the windows, I wished they were serving coffee or something. The crowd was eerily still throughout the set, no one knew how to act. This was actually one of the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen at Bowery, so we went up to the balcony for BCNR to get a good view. I really went into this show not expecting it to be in alignment with my personal taste, but I was stunned. I kinda thought they would rework their existing discography around the departure of their lead singer Isaac, but the band played a set of entirely new songs that were all unbelievable. My favorite song they played was called “Dancers.” When their new music is available to listen to all the time, I think my life will change. More rock bands should have flutes, violins, saxophones, etc. on their songs. It was hard not to be transfixed by the whole thing. It was another show where everyone was genuinely so excited to be there. At one point, one of them said, “Crazy city, cool people.” I would have to agree.
I realized that I want to let my song picks stand alone for themselves instead of really delving into my thoughts on each one... why read what I think when you can listen for yourself? Lindsay said it’s pretentious to explain songs to you guys when I told her about this decision, she’s right.
Key to the City by Sorry
Jadakiss by They Are Gutting A Body of Water
Marcy by MILLY
Break! by Fazerdaze
Shed Head by Deaton Anthony Chris
Worth It by Nitefire
Comedown Song (Gunk) by Porches
Talk to you on the 17th… :)