It wouldn’t be a summer weekend without a whole boatload o’ stuff to do, now would it? Here are some music events to check out, plus we catch up with the latest songs, videos, and offerings from local artists.
Our neighbor to the north, Long Island City, has recently kicked off what sounds like a promising running event: The Lot LIC Music & Film Series. On Thursdays, they show films (6:0o to 10:00 PM) and on Saturdays, they host bands. The concerts run from 3:00 to 9:00 PM, with bands at 5:00 and 7:00 and DJs in between. It’s all ages and free. This Saturday (8/9) they host a nice combo of Brooklyn bands Streets of Laredo and Walking Shapes. Hard to beat that.
If you feel like staying closer to home for a different, equally high quality free show, Ghost Beach will be playing the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. This band has a sound perfect for summer nights, just check out this delightful video for their song “Miracle.” They play with Dom, Ayer, and Dreamers. Doors are at 7:00 and it’s 18+. You can RSVP and get VIP experience tix if you desire here.
Do you know what’s even better than a free show? How about a show that also serves as a fundraiser for environmental advocacy? Climate change is a huge issue and massively important to our lives. It can be daunting and even scary, so the ability to learn a little and help out those with the passion and knowledge to make a difference while having a good time seems like an excellent thing. You have the chance to support a great cause and see bands like Friend Roulette and Field Guides at the CliMates event at Secret Project Robot in Bushwick. It also happens Saturday night. Besides music, there will be art and plenty of local businesses participating in a raffle. Brooklyn Brewery is a sponsor. CliMates is an international network of students and young professionals involved in research on climate change. They have an international skill-building conference later this month; the party will help raise money for that. It’s $7, and you can RSVP and find more information here (or on Facebook).
Big time Saturday night, but don’t go anywhere yet. We want to share some other stuff we’re digging lately, starting with a cool video from Greenpoint artist AK. Her song “Circles” is already wonderful in its own rite, but now there’s also visual accompaniment. It depicts a group of friends on a joyful bike ride and it feels like a loving tribute to being outside in nice weather in a great place with people you enjoy. What more can you want? Watch here.
Our buddies at All Axis Music, the live video performance series, have released a new clip of the band TEEN performing “Tied Up Tied Down” at their recent record release show at Baby’s All Right. Both song and video sparkle. Check it out here.
You may recall the feature we ran on the ultra cool Singles Club, a project that mixes vinyl releases with music journalism in an impeccable package. They are gearing up for issue 3 (featuring Woodsman) and as part of that, they have teamed up with Soundsupply for a neat collaboration. Dubbed a “label drop,” you can purchase a digital collection of one album each from the Singles Club year one artists. Or, you can get all that AND a subscription, which means exclusive 7″ records. To purchase, go here. Act now, this is only available for a few more days.
We’re going to close with a new Greenpoint band called Star Ballads. They’ve released a video for their track “Summer Pop Song.” You may have detected a running theme through this post that could perhaps be described in those exact words, so it’s pretty much impossible to not share it on title alone. Then after listening, it’s definitely impossible. It’s a fun tune, tight and buoyant. The video contains such delights as roller skating, balloons, and swimming, all over the city. Get excited about their forthcoming album, people.