Northside Festival is upon us once again. Ella outlined several excellent shows yesterday. Today we are going to introduce you to four of the eight bands – that’s right, eight! – playing at OUR showcase, which we are presenting along with Shorewave Records. It takes place Saturday June 14th at Muchmore’s (2 Havemeyer) starting at 1:00 PM (doors at noon) and it’s FREE. I interviewed all the bands in advance of the show. Today you can read about David Pollack, Such Hounds, Honey Wild, and Half Moon.
This is going to be an exciting afternoon, let me tell you. The lineup is diverse and fun. I hope at this point you believe in the Greenpointers music team seal of approval, but if you don’t, here’s a chance to get to know the bands better. We hope to see you Saturday. You can RSVP on Facebook here.
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David Pollack is a New York City singer-songwriter who has honed his craft busking all over the city. Perhaps you’ve seen him on the subway or in your favorite park. He’ll be playing his heartfelt pop tunes, including the reggae-inflected “Why Not Now?” And as an added bonus, we have a special premiere for his “Hot Love” live video. Scroll all the way down for that. You can check out the release party at Santo’s Party House tonight. David will be touring this summer, too. Here are the dates:
6/25 Nectar’s, Burlington, VT
6/26 Beast of Bourbon, Brooklyn, NY
7/10 Bar Matchless, Brooklyn, NY
7/12 Uncommon Ground, Chicago, IL
7/13 TBA Minneapolis, MN
7/16 TBA Portland, OR
7/17 TBA San Francisco
7/31 Barrio Bakery Burlington, VT
8/1 Benefit Morrisville, VT
8/2 Radio Bean Burlington, VT
GP: If you had to describe your sound as “If X had a baby with Y and the first record the child heard was Z,” what artists/genres would you plug in as X, Y, and Z?
David Pollack: Weezer meets Jimmy Eat World meets Death Cab For Cutie.
GP: What is one of your favorite summer jams and why?
DP: “Digital Witness” by St. Vincent cause it makes me dance.
GP: Is there anyone else you are looking forward to seeing at Northside?
DP: The bagels at Bagelsmith.
GP: What is something you love about Greenpoint or the Northside?
DP: CU 29 Bar and Grill | 232 N 12th St.
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Such Hounds is a Brooklyn-based four piece. Their most recent EP I Hate Summer is a blast of good old and rock and roll of the garage persuasion that will be perfect for a Saturday afternoon of music and day drinking. I’m particularly into the track “Too Late” at the moment. Besides our showcase, they play Spike Hill Friday during the Festival as well. Ross Anderson answered the questions for the band.
GP: If you had to describe your sound as “If X had a baby with Y and the first record the child heard was Z,” what artists/genres would you plug in as X, Y, and Z?
Ross Anderson: If Tom Petty had a baby with The Replacements and the first record the child heard was The Misfits “Static Age.”
GP: What is one of your favorite summer jams and why?
RA: Thin Lizzy’s “Jail Break” checks all the boxes. It’s got this possessive power that commands you to drink beers with your best friends in a swimming pool at night.
GP: Is there anyone else you are looking forward to seeing at Northside?
RA: There’s a ton but perhaps Eagulls, Titus Andronicus and The War On Drugs if we had to cherry pick a few. Definitely excited to catch all the bands at the Shorewave x Greenpointers showcase as well.
GP: What is something you love about Greenpoint?
RA: The $1.00 Jello shots at Capri Social Club.
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Honey Wild is another quartet from Brooklyn. They are on our co-presenter Shorewave Records’ roster, they put out the double A-side 7″ of “Garden” and “Magnifique Innocent” last fall. This band has an ornate yet catchy retro guitar pop sound. Very easy to get lost in their melodies, textures, and that guitar solo on “Magnifique Innocent.” They are hard at work on a six song EP to hopefully be released later this summer. You can check out a live version of their song “7 Train” here. After playing Northside, they’ll be heading to NXNE (North By Northeast) in Toronto. If you are up for it, I highly recommend NXNE. It’s a great time in a great city. Singer and guitarist Joe Stevens answered the questions.
GP: If you had to describe your sound as “If X had a baby with Y and the first record the child heard was Z,” what artists/genres would you plug in as X, Y, and Z?
Joe Stevens: If John Lennon had a baby with Yoko Ono and the first
thing it heard was Double Fantasy.
GP: What is one of your favorite summer jams and why?
JS: “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and The Family Stone.
GP: Is there anyone else you are looking forward to seeing at Northside?
JS: Some of us saw Homeshake at 285 during CMJ and it was awesome,
definitely gunna try to see them again. As far as local stuff,
probably Zula, Friend Roulette, Big Ups…
GP: What is something you love about Greenpoint?
JS: Most of us live in Greenpoint. It’s just a sick place to chill.
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Half Moon is a musical project of Justin Ferraro, another talented Brooklyn musician. I’m excited to see how his music translates live. His recent EP, The Graves Light, is a layered affair, with multiple stringed instruments, percussion, and of course Justin’s vocals. It’s primarily acoustic so it wouldn’t seem too difficult to strip down, but it could also be something built with loops. Either way, it’ll be great, I’m sure. Check out the track “The Lighthouse Keeper” to get a taste. According to Justin, “Half Moon is going to be featured on a split cassette with mystical folk mage Jon Arbuckle released by Brooklyn’s own King Pizza Records, sometime in the coming weeks. My other band Long Kill will be performing next on the last day of Pizza Fest, which starts June 20th.” So look out for all that.
GP: If you had to describe your sound as “If X had a baby with Y and the first record the child heard was Z,” what artists/genres would you plug in as X, Y, and Z?
Justin Ferraro: Half Moon’s sound can possibly be described as “If Wilco had a baby with Elliott Smith and the first record the child heard was Mule Variations by Tom Waits.” (I wish).
GP: What is one of your favorite summer jams and why?
JF: One of my favorite summer jams is “Hella Good” by No Doubt because it’s just dripping with sweat and sex. Plus that video is sick as hell.
GP: Is there anyone else you are looking forward to seeing at Northside?
JF: Haybaby! Which is great because we’re sharing a bill with them. I’m a huge fan of their stuff and so getting to see them after I play is ultra double convenient.
GP: What is something you love about Greenpoint?
JF: Greenpoint’s nice because it’s close to the water, and it’s a ways from the trains so it feels a little bit more private and special.
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See, I knew you’d like the bands we’ve got on the bill. Plus there are still four more! Be sure to check back tomorrow when I share the responses from Cosmonaut, What Model Citizens, Haybaby, and The Meaning of Life.
And here’s David Pollack’s “Hot Love” live video: