Hello friends and enemies, welcome back to sevensevenseven. It’s been way too long. It’s a whole new year now and the city just keeps evolving. There are so many cool people just going for it and I feel lucky to even be in the same place at the same time.
I’ve been thinking a lot about music fandom and journalism and what happens when they intersect because the product of my love for both is this newsletter. I’ve always been afraid to write about music because I’m just a girl who loves music and I don’t know a single thing about theory or how to play guitar. I famously tried to play bass and couldn’t do it. But I know when I hear something special or when I hear something that clicks for me. Sometimes I hear something that I know is good, but it just doesn’t click for me. What makes me qualified to say that something isn’t good? Nothing. Literally nothing. But reading stuff from Gina Arnold and listening to Yasi Salek on Bandsplain makes me feel better about my own perspective on things. They both speak fearlessly about what they think about the bands they love and don’t spend time trashing the music they don’t like. They truly appreciate music, which is something I aspire to each day.
Anyways, Here’s the stuff I’ve seen lately and the stuff I wanna see and the new stuff I’ve been listening to!
SEVEN SHOWS YOU NEED TO SEE
2/7 MJ Lenderman at Market Hotel - I am so excited to see MJ Lenderman (of the famed band Wednesday) tonight at Market Hotel (which is becoming just Market on Friday). My friends Julia and Molly have been spreading the gospel of his 2022 album Boat Songs and I am converted. I have heard the good news and I am a follower of MJ Lenderman. I don’t think I’ll be the same after tonight’s show.
2/8 Jadu Heart, Goon at Elsewhere - Kendall Stoll put me onto this show and I don’t know much about either artist, but I am going to show up and have a great time.
2/10 Gift, Hooveriii at Baby’s All Right - Gift has been around for years and I’m excited to see they’re getting their due this Friday when their vinyl comes out! Hooveriii is an LA psych band I’ve been hearing a lot about and this will finally get me to check them out. You Missed It is hosting the afterparty, don’t miss it.
2/10 Kiwi jr. at Berlin - Kiwi jr. is playing at Berlin on Friday with Lazlo and The Hidden Strength. It’s already sold out, so I can’t go but I wish I could. Please remind me to check out Lazlo and The Hidden Strength because people rave about them. This is a tiny room for a sub-pop band with crazy good songs like “Cooler Returns” and “Murder in the Cathedral.” You pretty much have no excuse to stay home on Friday night between this show, Gift, and ONOS.
2/12 Lilys at Baby’s All Right - Lilys is my favorite old discovery of 2023 so far. “Ginger” showed up on my first discover weekly playlist of the year and I instantly fell for them. Their first album, A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns, came out in 1993 and it’s a flawless record. They’re playing a little run of shows including a show this Sunday at Baby’s. If you like noisy shoe gaze, you should come with me.
2/16 They Hate Change at Doc Martens Herald Square - What can I say about They Hate Change that I haven’t said before? Andre and Vonne are the best. Come to their Doc Martens show. Refer to a past issue for my review of their live show. If you aren’t convinced after that, you’re a lost cause.
2/16 Trophy Wife, Omat, Panik Flower at The Broadway - Trophy Wife is a Brooklyn-based band now and I’m so excited about it. I haven’t made it out to any of their shows yet (:-1:), but this is a triple-threat lineup so make sure you’re there. OMAT! Panik Flower! Some of my favorite girls sharing one stage together? Unbeatable.
SEVEN SHOWS YOU WISH YOU WENT TO
1/20 Long opening for Telescreens at Mercury Lounge - There’s a whole scene around the Telescreens residencies at Mercury Lounge that fascinates me. Usually, when I go to shows, it’s the same people in the crowd that I see everywhere else. At Telescreens? You never know what you’re gonna get. I think I’ve been to three nights now, only seeing Telescreens once. The whole room is JUMPING, I think I felt the ground shake. It’s like when you see a band play a show in a movie. It’s that surreal. But on January 20, I went to see Long and Long only. Nothing personal, I just wanted to have an early night. If you haven’t seen Long yet, what are you doing? I saw them for the first time at Gold Sounds over the summer at a Clovis show and they’re the band of your dreams. Kyle (vocals + guitar) is everything you love about Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain put into one person while being his own complete and wildly unforgettable performer. Long makes me believe in rock and roll. Hopefully, they’ll have a single out soon.
1/21 Hotline TNT at Bootleg Bar - If you didn’t read Eli Enis’s proclamation in Stereogum that shoe gaze is back, I’m here to tell you that shoegaze is back. It’s alive and well and playing $5 shows at Bootleg Bar. I don’t need to go into Hotline TNT too much because you all know who they are, but this night was one for the books. I seriously think we’ll all talk about it in our memoirs. Jackie and I showed up early (11:30 pm) so we could get in and it was a scene. We caught a few of the bands that played before Hotline which made me ask myself, should I get into hardcore? If you live in NYC, tell me about your hardcore show! These opening sets were crazy and rhythmic and everything that I want a live show to be.
After we did a bit of Jackie’s show (episode coming soon) and hung out with Kendall, Alex, Natalia, and Sarah, Hotline TNT went on at 2:00 am. Nineteen In Love gives me a feeling in my chest that I can’t describe, it’s overpowering and transformative. Their lineup is ever-changing under Will’s leadership, but they are so tight and amazing every show. It was Sarah’s first show on bass and she killed it. They are just the coolest band ever and I wish I could see them every weekend. As Kendall Stoll once said, I love guitars!1/25 White Reaper at Rockwood Music Hall - White Reaper feels like a band I grew up with and at this point, they are. I love when a band you love releases a new record and you can build memories around it, specifically building memories around the release. When You Deserve Love came out, it was the summer of 2019 and they did an underplay at the venue formerly known as Coney Island Baby. Erin (graciously) put me on the list as an industry person (I think working the door at a venue makes you an industry person) and it was the sweatiest little summer show of my dreams. I was so young and angry and excited to be a part of things.
It’s fun reflecting on these memories as I listen to their new album, Asking For A Ride. Life is so different, but also the same because White Reaper still plays tiny Manhattan rooms to industry dudes and girls like me. They played the singles from the new record, including my favorite “Pink Slip.” They always kill it and I’m excited to hear their return to the garage rock that made me fall in love with them. (sorry I forgot to take a picture)1/25 Lucy at Brooklyn Monarch (ONOS) - I made it to my first ONOS to catch my first Lucy set maybe over a year. Mia has been throwing these parties under the ONOS name since last May and they’re always an eclectic lineup of beloved local artists and artists you are gonna fall in love with. This night’s iteration featured Evanora, Ivy Knight, Taraneh, and of course Lucy (thee Cooper B Handy). Malena, Becca, and I headed over after the White Reaper show and it was pouring. The worst rain I’d witnessed in so long. By the time we got there after we met Jackie at the Taco Bell off the Grand L stop, we were all soaking wet. But we were seeing Lucy, so who cared?
Ever since I found out about Lucy, everyone who put me on has sung his praises. I saw him for the first time opening for Momma at Elsewhere in 2021 and I was just shocked. To see Lucy is to have the most fun ever and be shocked. No one else does a beauty and the beast cover like him. We also caught a bit of Taraneh before Lucy and they were insane. I need to see them intentionally and I would die for a full backing band. Taraneh had a sound that filled up the whole room. It’s so nice to accidentally see a new band and that’s why ONOS is so fun. See you at the next one on Friday!1/31 A. Savage at Sundown - Sundown recently started doing shows downstairs, so Jade, Malena, and I went over last Tuesday to see A. Savage. I’ve seen my fair share of Parquet Courts shows, but it was my first time seeing Andrew acoustic and it was so cool to see him solo because it made me understand his influence on Parquet Courts in a deeper sense. It was a nice low-key show and the best surprise was seeing Eaters, who is an experimental duo that played a glass armonica. I never thought I’d be able to see anyone play a glass armonica live and it was just simply so fucking sick.
2/3 Catcher at Union Pool - The first Catcher show in months was completely epic. So cool to see your friends return to a sold-out crowd on a Friday night at Union Pool. Nino opened the show and I didn’t know what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. His use of pedals and samples with a cello was hauntingly beautiful. It was the perfect primer for Catcher’s noise punk. Catcher played the hits; “Only Advice” and “Comparing Saviors and Friends” rang out along with some new songs. My new favorite is a slow, melodic one called “Time.” Excited to see what’s next for Catcher and excited to see them again on Friday!
2/6 Pear Juice and Emma Blue Jeans at Purgatory - Congrats Enne on your first solo show! Last night at Purgatory was so lovely, getting to see Enne, Olivia, and Jackie play together was special. The room was full of all of their friends and it was so nice to see everyone come together to see the people they love. Seeing Enne perform was so cool. They are honest and smart in their songwriting, which compliments their abilities as a beautiful guitarist. Pear Juice’s set was full of intimate moments, it was the kind of show that makes you feel lucky to be alive. It made Jade cry. We also caught Emma Blue Jeans, who has so much fun with their cathartic songs. It was their first time playing together as a band and they were awesome. Just overall a really pure night at Purgatory.
Early Reflections by hydrodate
Live and Maintain by charlie
Waiting by Lola Star
Dale by Clovis
Hug by R. Ring
Waking Dream by Scarlet Rae
Bad Dream by Local Weatherman
Thanks for reading! Send me your new music and tell me when you have a show.
Sending love,
Kenzie