sevensevenseven #5
featuring dba james, carol, petite league, psymon spine, momma, psymon spine, ringing, mj lenderman, richard orofino, geese, michelle zauner, pictoria vark and joy again!
February always flies by too quickly; it’s everyone’s birthday, there are like seven awesome shows every night, and so many new songs came out. But thinking about birthdays for a minute, I’m a year older today and a lot has changed since last February, but one thing is still true; I love guitar music.
Last week, we announced the first (of hopefully many) shows hosted by sevensevenseven; dba's Day Off featuring dba James, Lucca Dohr, and DJ UCarly on Thursday, March 23 at Heaven Can Wait. It’s free, it’s fun, and everyone I know will be there. What more can I ask for? Make sure to RSVP here to make sure you get in.
Onto the music, we have a lot of special guest writers today!
Here’s what going on:
SEVEN SHOWS YOU NEED TO SEE
2/27 Carol, Babehoven, Jane Lai at Baby’s All Right - This one is tonight and it’s stacked. It’s the release show for Carol’s debut album More Than A Goodbye, which came out on Friday and is definitely worth your attention. Listen to “Yours Eyes Say” by Carol, “Get Better” by Babehoven, and then “Forget Feed” by Jane Lai. All three of these acts feature beautiful and intimate songwriting featuring orchestral guitar work. There’s nothing better than orchestral guitar work.
3/3 Spirit Ghost (Album Release), Petite League, Big Dumb Baby at Alphaville - I wanted to share this show so I could talk about the modern indie classic “Raspberry Vines” by Petite League. This song feels like Summer 2018 to me, it instantly brings me back. It’s just a simple nostalgic guitar track, but it feels so full of life even years later. This bill is so solid, Spirit Ghost is celebrating the release of their album, Melting Right Before Your Eyes, while Big Dumb Baby opens the night. I really like “Jenny’s Place” by Big Dumb Baby too. Love a good night at Alphaville.
3/4 Momma, Hello Mary, The Taxidermists, Julia Cumming (DJ), Harry Teardrop (DJ), Chanel Beads (DJ) at Baby’s All Right - Joe and Jack are throwing another party at Baby’s, are you really gonna miss it? The lineup is stacked, even the DJs. We listened to Household Name on CD in the car the other day and I’m still thinking about it. I can’t wait to see Momma again.
3/9 Psymon Spine, Raavi, Trophy Wife at Sultan Room - I just turned on Psymon Spine for the first time to write this recommendation because I just loved the support for this one, but Psymon Spine is downright fun. Their sound has some synth glitchiness, but they also maintain a psych-pop spirit. Excited to see how they are live. Having Raavi and Trophy Wife on this one is insane in a great way, it’s Boston indie rock representation. You guys know I love Trophy Wife and this song Raavi put out last year is one I always go back to. Love a good excuse to go to Sultan Room, but this is a great one.
3/11 Bleary Eyed, Sean Henry, Joyer, Plastic at Alphaville - Everyone I know saw Sean Henry at The Broadway recently and said it was the best show of their lives, so now I know to never miss a Sean Henry show. I’ve also been trying to see Bleary Eyed (formerly Julia’s War, now Born Losers) for a bit now and this is the perfect opportunity. I really love both of their recent singles, “Run” and “Wreck.” I don’t know anything about Joyer or Plastic, but I’m excited to find out in the moment. I haven’t been to a show in a while where I’ve let myself go in blindly, but I think this is a good one for that.
3/11 Ringing at Berlin (The New Colossus Festival) - The New Colossus Festival is coming up! There are a lot of great bands on the lineup this year including but not limited to; Slow Fiction, English Teacher, Father Koi, High., Laveda, Paper Lady, Picture Show, Pulsr, Thus Love, and of course, Ringing. I forget how I even found out about Ringing, but I love their song “Sleeptalker” and I think they should be on more bills around town.
3/23 dba's Day Off: dba James, Lucca Dohr, DJ UCarly, Hosted by: sevensevenseven at Heaven Can Wait - Taking the time to plug my own show… I’m hosting dba’s Day Off at Heaven Can Wait on March 23! I’m really excited about this, I love James and Lucca and Jackie and their music and I can’t wait to hang out with all of our friends. It’s free and you should come out. Will talk more about this soon, stay tuned.
SEVEN SHOWS YOU WISH YOU WENT TO
2/7 MJ Lenderman at Market Hotel - This show changed my life as expected. I’ve never seen Market Hotel so packed out and filled with dudes. We caught the end of Florry, said hi to Joe at the merch table, and made our way to a place where we could actually see a little something. MJ Lenderman and his band are just fucking tight. They jam so well together, without being absurdly jammy and folky. There’s a groove and a purpose to everything they do and it’s epic to see Karly Hartzman on guitar. I think Wednesday or MJ Lenderman will be my top streaming artist of the year at this point, I’m so addicted. They did “TV Dinners” which really hits me and then the “Powderfinger” cover with Florry at the end was a perfect send-off.
2/23 Richard Orofino, Lazylazy at Elsewhere - shamefully, i missed renny conti’s set, but eva and tope both said his folky vibe set the evening off on a great start.
avi (lazylazy) performed an epic set framed by joe on guitar, eva on bass, and akiva on drums. emma remarked how his vocal sounded very “strokes-y”. i saw some younger fans in the crowd mouthing the lyrics to his recent single “tear it apart,” which was very cool.
it’s hard to believe this was richard’s first official headlining show. he’s been quietly tinkering in his room making some of the most angelic, dreamlike sludge music i have ever heard and i am so glad he’s been playing more shows. this time he was backed by a whole new band, and they sounded super tight. alex from bloomsday covered guitar and harms, a tall guy who goes by 48 thumped the bass, and maya stepansky tore up the drums. these three set up a perfect scaffolding for richard, who is an absolute superstar.
his songs make me feel like i am dreaming, picked up in a wind swell, light as air, tumbling and drifting around and bumping into trees and branches until i wake up and crash back down. his vocals are light and his pedals are fuzzy. the crowd ate it all up. i dont think a single soul tore their eyes away from the stage during his brief set. this guy is a freaking supernova. - Caroline Safran
2/24 Pictoria Vark at Baby’s All Right - caught Pictoria Vark’s set at Baby’s on Friday. she is inimitable!!! I love her songs but “Out” most of all – watching her scream it and seeing that the band was so in it with her. I was moved and you could feel that energy in the room. my fav show in a while. - Blakely Annarino
2/25 Geese, Been Stellar, Godcaster at Mercury Lounge - I Got Dropkicked at Geesefest 2023: Mercury Lounge is a venue near and dear to my heart. Not only has half of my friend group worked there at some point, including myself, but it is also a great spot for up-and-coming artists as well as underplays from established faves. This past weekend, it was the second home for fellow Brooklyn natives Geese. It’s been a minute since the release of their debut album, Projector, but these shows proved that they are back and better than ever.
The lineup for both nights were stacked. I went on the second night, which included sets from Godcaster and Been Stellar. I caught the tail-end of Godcaster who kicked off the night with their eccentric art-punk. Honestly, I wish I had seen more, but something about the electric atmosphere in Manhattan combined with the fact it was Alicia’s birthday made me fiend for drinks at the bar in the other room. I went out for a smoke and before I knew it, Been Stellar was setting up. But goddamnit, did I have to pee. Not wanting to miss even a minute of their set, we hit the stalls hastily and scurried to the stage right on time. Things couldn’t have worked out any better!
Or so I thought because it was at this moment in time I realized that I fucked up. In the midst of the chaos I somehow lost my phone. I know what you’re thinking - as an avid BS enthusiast who has seen them upwards of 10 times I should do the sensible thing and leave their set to look for it.
I didn’t, because well - Priorities. Every time I see Been Stellar perform it’s as exhilarating as the first time. Especially given the new additions to the set. That last unreleased song they played was a true showstopper. It’s the kind of thought-provoking track that will have you contemplating your entire life’s choices. Needless to say I’m obsessed and need to hear it again immediately. Fingers crossed for SXSW.
After Been Stellar, you could say I wasn’t feeling so stellar myself. The drinks were starting to catch up to me and my phone was still MIA. As a last resort, I checked with the bartenders and thankfully another kind patron turned it in. From the bar, I watched Geese hit the stage in a more intimate setting than their previous New York show at Bowery Ballroom. I heard the beginnings of the crowd-pleaser “Low Era” when I had the sudden urge to spill my guts and ran to the bathroom. I would spend the rest of my night there- in and out, on all fours leaning over the toilet, scrutinizing the decisions I made which lead me to this point. I even missed the song I was looking forward to seeing the most, latest single “Cowboy Nudes.” At least I was able to pop in for a moment to witness the epic Keytar in the flesh.
On the way out I passed Geese’s merch and thought about how fitting it was for the occasion. “I Got Dropkicked at Geesefest 2023.” Same. But with my particular situation, specially dropkicked in the liver thanks to an abundance of alcohol. “I Survived Geesefest 2023,” barely. - Monica Kurowski
2/25 The Piano Recital (featuring Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, Kevin Morby, Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats / Bonny Light Horseman, Courtney Marie Andrews, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Uwade, Phil Cook, and Johanna Samuels) at Carnegie Hall - Living in New York is crazy because one month Michelle Zauner is getting her ID checked behind you at Baby’s and the next you’re seeing her play at Carnegie Hall!
Out of luck, I was able to accompany Sage to an event at Carnegie Hall. I had no details except that it was an “indie” piano recital. The performances were by people I’ve heard of but never listened to. I loved it, Sage cried. It really reminds you of how many corners of the music scene there are in this city and how nice it is to do something out of your comfort zone…. (@ ̄︶ ̄@) - Jade Alcantara
2/25 The Great Slowening // Frost Children at XPIZZA - As of recently, I found myself a bit burnt out from going out to too many shows. The bitter cold has been getting to me; and on most nights, I’d rather be sleeping in early. I’ve almost become accustomed to avoiding nightlife at all costs. Though avoiding late-night partying, this past week has been fruitful with smaller intimate gatherings.
My week kicked off with the very much anticipated The Great Slowening at XPIZZA on Tuesday 2/21. It was the first time since New Year’s Eve that I had seen a majority of the people in the room. Blaketheman1000, Precious Human with Jane Lai, and the Frost Children all performed acoustic sets. All music was kept under 100 bpm, and it was a night of easy listening that was very much needed for me. There were no more than 20 people packed into the parlor. It was so great to be able to talk to friends without having to scream over loud music. The whole thing wrapped up by 11 and I was home by around midnight. - Martin Garcia
2/25 Joy Again, Harry Teardrop, Tony or Tony at Racket - As I’ve mentioned previously, getting to check out a new venue is special, but especially when there are local bands on the bill and your favorite promoter rep is running shit. I headed to Chelsea on Saturday night to Racket to meet the girls, which is actually one of the hardest things in the world when the L is down. I got there just to catch the end of Tony or Tony, which was wild and I wish I saw more of it. Harry Teardrop was up next; Harry and his band are my ideal teen movie band. Like the band that plays at the prom or the talent show or even practices at the local garage ala Michael Moscovitz. It’s some early 2000s rock heartthrob music, which is one of the best genres we have. I think a lot of people came out to see Harry, the crowd was so excited to see him.
But of course, this was Joy Again’s first New York show in forever and they were missed. There was a pit for almost the entire show and it just got bigger with every song. They played the classics like “Kim” and “Looking Out For You,” but some really exciting new songs too. I’m excited to see what they’ll be up to next, especially after closing out the show with one of the most fun covers I’ve ever heard; Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy.”
1. You Turned Off The Light by Sharp Pins
2. Breakup Song by Narrow Head
3. Cut From Toxic Cloth by @
4. Special Treat by Hello Mary
5. bedside by crushed
6. Alibis by shame
7. Involved by James Ivy
As always, invite me to your shows and send me your music!
Love,
Kenzie