Kristin Flammio & the Pretty Bitchin are excited to celebrate the release of their next single “Never Too High” on April 20 with a release show on Wednesday May 8th at The Broadway in NYC.
Kristin Flammio & the Pretty Bitchin delivers a strong love letter of empowering and fun rock and roll with a nod to pop, country and dance. The Brooklyn based four-piece, formed in 2019, consists of Kristin Flammio, Jericho Davidson, Matt Puckett and Will Noland. The band released their debut album, If You Want to Leave in 2021 and their crowd favorite, “Not This Time” in November 2023. Finally, the group is back at it with the release of “Never Too High” on April 20.
Kristin Flammio & the Pretty Bitchin’s upcoming new track, “Never Too High” is cleverly releasing on 4/20. The track is explosive with energy and feel-good. The song has been stuck in my head ever since the first listen. It certainly has the sound and atmosphere of a hit single. Punchy drums, joyous melodies, a soaring voice define this track as something to behold.
“Never Too High” has a classic indie vibe, reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. Influence from alternative, pop, pop-punk, and indie groups are more than apparent. This group utilizes sounds from all across rock and roll to craft their music. “Never Too High” is a prime example of this.
To learn more about Kristin Flammio & the Pretty Bitchin, their upcoming and existing works, click here.
Michael Seyer has brought back his most popular album, Bad Bonez, for its sixth anniversary, playing the entire album live. Seyer even had to write live renditions for some songs on the album which had never been performed before. Elsewhere Zone One provided the perfect setting for this show as an intimate crowd of a couple of hundred fans gathered Sunday, April 14, for a concert filled with soft vocals and fan interaction. It was an experience you can rarely find with an artist of Seyer’s size.
Seyer has a strong following in New York City and has played shows across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Buffalo almost every year since 2018, excluding 2020 for obvious reasons. In 2021, Michael Seyer accompanied Men I Trust on their Untourable Album Tour across the US. At their two sold-out shows at Brooklyn Steel, the audience instantly recognized he had something special. His soft dream pop vocals and RnB-inspired instrumentation matched well with the sound of Men I Trust.
Seyer, now on his own headliner tour, brought out fellow California-based artist Sundiver Ca to open. You may know Sundiver Ca from their synth-forward hit song “Soundtrack for Your Backseat,” but songs like “Wet Dreams” and “Oh Honey” conjured acts like King Krule with reverb-heavy guitar that culminated in belting vocals.
Seyer entered the stage and opened his set with a rendition of “Zelda’s Lullaby” from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on an ocarina of his own, with additional backing from the full band. The audience was clearly familiar with Seyer’s discography and personality, given the number of people singing along to every song and bantering with him. In the middle of the set, Seyer teased new music to balance out the older repertoire, only to break out a tongue-in-cheek cover of Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me.”
Most of the audience may have been toddlers when Nickelback’s Silver Side Up was released, but the audience immediately got the joke and belted out gravely supporting vocals. For another song, Seyer asked a fan to hold up a lyric sheet (as you do when playing a 6-year-old album in full) only to notice mid-song that he had given him the wrong sheet and instead repeated the first verse to laughs from the audience.
Now, Seyer’s tour continues up the East Coast, through Canada, and then back through the Midwest to finish with four California shows. It has been three years since the 2021 release of his last album, A Good Fool, so we hope he will be back in New York soon with new music. Seyer has shown the world that he is a talent both as a musician and lyricist, so we are excited to see where his career goes.
Michael Seyer – Elsewhere Zone One, Brooklyn – April 14, 2024
Setlist: Zelda’s Lullaby, Bad Bonez, Ring Around the Rosie, Show Me How You Feel, I Feel Best When I’m Alone, Weekend at Santa Cruz, Kill All Your Darlings, Untitled Bonez, Waiting for You, Lucky Love, Father, An Awful Lonely Summer, Motions, Sonata for a Bad Ghost
On the heels of back-to-back chart topping albums, Future and Metro Boomin will be bringing live performances to an arena near you after announcing a “We Trust You” North American tour, with a performance at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center set for the summer.
Notably, Future and and frequent collaborator/ producer Metro Boomin took the internet by storm with the release of We Don’t Trust You on March 22, creating plenty of social media fodder with disses to Drake littered throughout the album, including the heavily deliberated Kendrick Lamar verse aimed at Drake and J. Cole. Less than 3 weeks later the duo made more waves with the release of a second, double-album in We Still Don’t Trust You, serving as melodic counter to the heavily trap influenced predecessor. In like manner, the latter is expected to have high first-week numbers in another chart-topping effort from the prolific duo.
Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Trust You” tour comes to Brooklyn this summer.
“We Trust Your Tour” Details
Thus, the duo announce their “We Trust You Tour” that will see them perform throughout the United States along with two notable dates in Canada roughly a month apart, including an August 11 stop in Drake’s hometown of Toronto. Presented by Live Nation, the “We Trust You Tour” begins on July 30 and will see the duo perform 27 dates in roughly a month-and-a-half. Moreover, they will bring the show to the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with an August 15 date in New York City, before closing out the tour in Canada with a September 9 performance in Vancouver. Other notable stops include performances in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Presale tickets for the “We Trust You Tour” are available Wednesday, April 17 for Cash App card customers, starting at 10 a.m. local time. Additionally, general sale will begin on Friday at 10 a.m. local time on livenation.com.
The Means of Production is a Brooklyn-based collective of artists interested in an output of experimental jazz. The group released the single “Silver Pools” on April 11, and see the release of their debut LP in June.
The Means of Production is a meeting point for six of Brooklyn’s most fearless, young musicians with musical backgrounds as divergent as you’ll find in any modern outfit. They are comprised of Matt Gibbs, Ben Pirani, Tre D’Ambrocia, Rafferty Swink, Pat Carr and Jay Mumford. Each of these artists have their own diverse, unique, and mind-expanding talents.
Rafferty Swink was entrusted with the job of arranging these group improvised, spontaneous compositions. The result is a potent, genre-defying kaleidoscope of electric jazz, psych, and soul. The Means Of Production can be described as nothing less than the raw and adventurous sound of the current.
“Silver Pools” by The Means of Production kind of slapped me in the face in the best way possible. The opening little diddly and soft drum kit fiddling followed by the burst of jazzy life took me for a ride. That old style organ, xylophone backing, indie-sounding guitar, smooth bass, and all the other intricate instruments combined to form some real soulful jazz.
There are elements of several artists and eras here. It is clear off the bat that this is heavily influenced by 30s-40s jazz. Not only that but 60s-early 70s rock, blues, and even some modern indie twists are heard here. The Means of Production are certainly performing in the spirit of free-form music and creative lightning.
Ben Pirani
“Silver Pools” was released as a single, and also as the second track on the band’s upcoming self-titled LP. The LP titled The Means of Production is set to release June 14.
The Means of Production Track Listing
1. Welcome 2. Silver Pools 3. Provence Avanti 4. In A Silent Jay 5. Sertraline 6. Positively 5th Street 7. Sun, Moon, Wind, Earth 8. (Di)stance 9. Beware Of The Midnight Special 10. Blank 11. The Lone Square 12. Well…
Rafferty Swink
To hear the bands recently released single, “Silver Pools” and to stay up to date on future releases, click here.
In the formative years of hip hop, where the DJ reigned supreme, skill was the only testament to success. And if that world remained Mister Cee’s name would be commonplace in contemporary folklore. However, much like the rest of the entertainment industry, the glory goes to whomever fans see holding the mantle. Hip hop resembles the sports world in that sense. The MVP trophy holder gets all the credit, no matter the invaluable contributions of coaches, trainers and lesser-known role players.
In like manner, if an album goes number 1 then the name on the cover has accomplished a great feat. Notwithstanding, hip hop much like sports is a collaborative effort. One rapper can’t make a great album. It takes a team of producers, engineers, marketing experts and much more to propel a body of work to critical-acclaim. However, before any rapper reaches that point they need someone to believe in them and connect them to the industry.
This is where Bedford-Stuyvesant native and hip hop purist Mister Cee made his greatest contributions to the game. In the world of hip hop, Mister Cee–born Calvin LeBrun on August 17, 1966–was a connector. Someone who was a fan of the genre and pushed it forward several times over. Although, his talents as a DJ were second-to-none. Ultimately he was “the finisher because, you know, after he plays, the party’s over. You can’t go on after him,” according to Peter Rosenberg, protege and Hot 97 cohort of the legendary DJ.
Thus, in a sense his meticulous mixes featuring rare freestyles and album cuts was a microcosm of his overall presence within hip hop. After all DJ’s aren’t inherently creators, hip hop emerged from the turntable masters putting soul records together in a rhythmic, uptempo groove. Nonetheless, the connections made with sampling and knowing which records sounded best for scratching set the stage for hip hop.
Mister Cee The Connector
Alongside the other proprietors of hip hop’s golden era, Mr. Cee lived and bled the genre and along the way served as a connector for two of hip hop’s most influential acts. Beginning with Big Daddy Kane, who Mr. Cee connected with in high school and served as a DJ for beginning in the late ’80’s. With his connections to the Juice Crew, the fabled hip hop collective â spearheaded by producers Mr. Magic and Marley Marl â who introduced several legendary acts to the scene including Big Daddy Kane, Mr. Cee had successfully helped one of hip hop’s revered lyricist get on. As a testament to this, Mr. Cee notably featured on Big Daddy Kane’s classic debut album on the track “Mister Cee’s Master Plan.”
🙏🏿R.I.P to the legend MR. Cee God bless him, to all his family and friends I send my condolences. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/poOcoaruVe
Moreover, the one known as “The Finisher” is widely recognized as the man who connected the Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and what eventually became Bad Boy Records. The rest as they say is history, but history’s nuance is rarely discussed. Hence, Mister Cee’s contributions to the career of arguably the greatest rapper ever remains stuff of legend. Yet, as he kept his ear to the streets as a local celebrity, he became known for showcasing rising acts. Along the way he came across the Notorious B.I.G. — who at the time went by Biggie Smalls– and connected him to the industry while also serving as an early producer for the legendary rhymer.
So Cee would definitely want me to credit Biggie’s first DJ, who was a guy named 50 Grand. And while Biggie and 50 Grand were working on a demo, doing their thing, Mister Cee was the DJ who was actually connected to the industry. He was the one who could get him different places, and he played the connector for Biggie. Sometimes it’s more complicated than rapper and DJ or artist and DJ, whatever it may be. There are these other people who play roles, and Cee was a connector for Biggie Smalls.
Furthermore, as he settled into his role as a tastemaker for hip hop, he enthralled listeners with his “Throwback at Noon” mixes on Hot 97. Which then became a staple of the lives of fellow hip hop enthusiasts. As his legend grew his moniker of “The Finisher” felt more apt than ever. With the April 10 passing of Mister Cee, hip hop lost one of its purists, someone who selflessly pushed others and the genre forward. As hip hop grew from local neighborhood parties to a worldwide phenomenon, Mister Cee’s contributions as one of the genre’s vanguards must not be forgotten.
Like, you knew you were listening to a guy who believed in every word that he was saying. But one thing that has to be stressed – I have never – in my now 30 years of DJing, I have never known a more meticulous, prepared deejay than Mister Cee
Rock group The FMs have announced the upcoming “Frankie Fest” music festival honoring the late Frankie Rex in Coney Island this May 11. The festival sees a stellar lineup of NYC queer bands and performers and marks the festival’s inaugural opening.
The event will also serve as the record release party for PINK + BLACK and features the first performance from The FMs in over four years – and the first-ever without Frankie. Frankie Fest highlights a range of cutting-edge, NYC-based queer performers showcasing indie rock, goth, riot grrrl, punk, metal, and more. Featured acts include Pink Velvet Witch, Jordan Fiction, Villains, Llynks, The FMs, Frida Kill, Miss Cherry Delight and more.
Their sophomore double album was completed the moment the pandemic started. It is now making its release after the tragic death of singer Frankie Rex in 2022. The material highlights the group’s love of analog synthesizers combined, ethereal guitars and takes a more emotionally dynamic turn. This contrasts their debut album spanning themes from sexual irreverence, the nature of dreams and human connection, to hope for the future of gender freedom.
The show begins May 11 in Coney Island. Doors for the show open at 4pm and music lasts until 10pm. The FMs will release PINK + BLACK on May 10.
To learn more about Frankie Fest and to purchase tickets, click here – to learn more about The FMs and to stay up to date on the group’s upcoming release, click here.
Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), one of New York’s longest running international competitive film festivals, has announced its 27th edition, “Immersion,” which will premiere 150 films from May 31 to June 9 at the Windmill Studios in Greenpoint with additional screenings being held on June 3 to June 6 at the Wythe Hotel Cinema in Williamsburg.
Since 1998, the Brooklyn Film Festival’s organizers have been putting on competitive, international film festivals. The mission of BFF is promote artistic excellence and the unrestricted creative freedom of artists, encourage the rights of Brooklyn residents to witness the power of independent filmmaking, and offer a public forum in Brooklyn to advance public interest in films and indie production. BFF, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
BFF divides films into six categories: Feature Narrative, Documentary Feature, Short Narrative, Short Documentary, Experimental, and Animation. The festivals’ selection criteria is a 27-year-old set of rules that constitute the true festival’s trademark: participating films cannot be older than two years; films are selected from submissions only; all films in the festival participate in the award competition; even the smallest film can win the top festival award: the Grand Chameleon.
When talking about the festival, Marco Ursino the festival director shared that, “Immersion is this year’s theme that reveals the festival’s intention and the desire of the selected filmmakers to tell stories in a vertical fashion. Stories that will dive way beyond the surface to force the audience to consider not only the obvious outcomes and meanings, but also the hidden and secret ones,” Ursine added “In the extremely complex historical and political moment that we are experiencing, we need to understand the truth of things. BFF believes in the truthful spirit of indie filmmakers, and this year we offer the opportunity of a collective immersion, triggered by the film programs, the Q&As at the end of the screenings, the various networking parties, and the infinite chats on social media. We look forward to share with the filmmakers, the media, and the audience our true hopes and inner dreams. Enjoy the immersion.”
BFF, a Canadian Screen Award qualifying festival, received 3,351 films, a festival record, from 103 Countries for its 27th edition, and will program the selected films into 42, two-hour program blocks. The 2024 film lineup will include 150 total film screenings, of which almost all are premieres. All details will soon be announced to fans on the festival’s website.
BFF’s “Immersion” will premiere 150 films from May 31-June 9, 2024 in-person at Windmill Studios in Greenpoint with additional screenings being held on June 3-June 6, at the Wythe Hotel Cinema in Williamsburg. For more information about the festival, fans can visit here, and for more information about KidsFilmFest, visit here.
The indie-electro-folk-rock duo Permanent Moves, based in Brooklyn, will debut on April 12 with the release of their album Don’t Forget Us: A Chekhovian Song Cycle.
With a narrative that explores the depths of human nature, Permanent Moves draws inspiration from the classic works of Anton Chekhov. Their upcoming album features Chris Giarmo (American Utopia) and Jessie Shelton (Hadestown), Karl Blau, Starr Busby, and other special guests.
The pair believes their music allows listeners to reflect on their own paths while navigating life’s challenges. In a statement, the pair reflects on their seven-year songwriting journey, focusing on Chekhov’s talent for capturing life’s unspoken moments. The artists said, “It speaks to the questions we often sit around talking about”.
Photo by: Sammy Tunis
Praised for their “sonically gorgeous” sound, Shane Chapman and Julia Sirna-Frest have garnered recognition from The New York Times. Julia is a performer, director and musician bringing experience to the project. In addition, she is praised for her diverse talents, shining both on stage and off. Their joint vision gains depth from Shane’s skill as a musician and composer.
With build up for the album’s release, Permanent Moves is set to leave a lasting impact on the indie music scene and beyond. Soon, fans will experience Permanent Moves live at Brooklyn’s Sultan Room on April 16 for a record release show.
Get your tickets for the Sultan Room record release show and stream “Don’t Forget Us” now for a preview of what’s to come. You can experience Permanent Moves’ stunning sound in its purest form by pre-ordering Don’t Forget Us on vinyl.
Iconic British producer Chris Lake is bringing his Black Book Records brand to New York City for a special open-air show at the historic industrial waterfront venue Brooklyn Army Terminal.
The label boss and one of the most respected artists in the house music scene will headline the mid-summer spectacle on July 19 and 20, 2024. Chris Lake has released countless hits, including “Turn off the Lights,” “Beggin’’” and “In The Yuma.” He initially launched Black Book in 2016 to share his music but quickly started putting out tunes by fellow stars in the genre, including Walker & Royce, Eli Brown, and Cloonee.
The historic Brooklyn Army Terminal offers a unique experience and unobstructed waterfront views of the Manhattan and New Jersey skylines. The military base turned manufacturing campus in the Sunset Park neighborhood features a large outdoor area and a “raw” warehouse space that form a premier setting for music events. Brooklyn Army Terminal is located at 140 58th Street in Brooklyn, NY 11220.
The showcase will host Lake in a dynamic setting and fashion, unlike anything fans have seen from him before. Black Book Records showcases consistently sold-out shows at the most heralded venues within the dance music community and has included many admired guests carrying the label’s reputation of industry-leading sounds and curation, with the Brooklyn Army Terminal set to join this list.
Special guests and support for this edition in Brooklyn include Chris Lorenzo, Green Velvet, Harry Romero, Book Club Radio’s Jojo Lorenzo, Andruss, Cole Knight, and more. Expect an immaculate mix of casual warehouse vibes and a summertime soiree at this unmissable takeover. Fans can sign up for pre-sale tickets here, which will go on sale beginning April 16 at 12 p.m. EST. All ticket options will be available on April 17 at 12 p.m. EST. Chris Lake: Black Book on the Pier is a 21+ event.
On March 30, the Bozeman, Montana-based Kitchen Dwellers capped off a pair of impressive shows at Brooklyn Bowl, proving that jamgrass is thriving nationwide on their cross-country L.F.G Tour.
Going into Saturday night, the crowd was eager with anticipation; Friday’s show saw a sit-in from opener Cris Jacobs and encored with a thrilling cover of “The ‘59 Sound” by New Jersey rock bandthe Gaslight Anthem.
Saturday’s opener, Yam Yam, gave a jazz-funk-infused performance, setting the tone with a high-energy psychedelic kick-off to the night. Jason Mescia’s saxophone playing was a welcome standout surprise, a sound not typical for a night of bluegrass. The Kitchen Dwellers opened with unmistakable bluegrass energy on “Wind Bitten” from their latest album, Seven Devils, before dipping into their back catalog with “Broken Cage.” Shawn Swain showcased impressive talent on the mandolin during the instrumental “Whitewater.” Bassist Joe Funk, banjo player Torrin Daniels, and guitarist Max Davies then shared vocals to harmonize over Willie Nelson’s “Bloody Mary Morning.“
The band’s rock and roll inspiration showed in Torrin Daniels’ impassioned vocals on “Shadows.” Performed today, the 2019 song’s lyrics and delivery could be seen as an early sign to come of the rising folk-rock resurgence seen in artists like Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan. The band would turn back to a more bluegrass sound with a “Muir Made” sandwich, slotted around “Unwind” which offered a tease of the heavier jamming in the second set.
The first set then closed out, aided by a sit-in from Fruition’s guitarist Kellen Asebroek on piano. With the addition, the group performed Elton John’s Love letter to New York “Mona Lisa’s and Mad Hatters,” showing off the band’s ability to take a song and transcendence genre. Asebroek stayed on keys to perform Fruition’s 2016 song “The Meaning,” closing out the set.
Performing against the carnival-inspired backdrop at Brooklyn Bowl, the Western quintet easily evoked the feeling of a picture-perfect state fair. The Kitchen Dwellers describe their version of jamgrass as “galactic” and the description is fitting for a show that rides from highway tunes to dark looping jams. The second set opened with “Drowning (… Again)” as the band began to take a more exploratory route and opened up to deeper jamming. The group would nod again to the local crowd performing Justin Townes Earle’s “One More Night In Brooklyn.“
The Kitchen Dwellers continued pulling the audience through the edges of bluegrass jamming with “Phaedrus” and “Their Names Are the Trees.” Through the band’s skillful picking, it was easy to see how the worlds of metal and bluegrass share common bonds through a love of shredding guitar. The playing would bring the crowd to an energetic crescendo, with the whole room dancing during “Sundown.”
Before starting into their recent single, “The Crow and The Raven,” the band would call the crowd’s attention to their guest, New York City-based director Kayla Arend, a college friend of the group who recently directed the song’s music video.
The band dipped into a dark rhythmic jam rhythm for the title track on “Seven Devils.” Proving to be anything but it’s namesake, “The Living Dread” injected energy into attendees before the band took a brief respite before an encore. A cover of Emmitt-Nershi Band’s “New Country Blues” gave Torrin Daniels a chance to stretch his rock star bravado for a wild-eyed, chest-pounding performance to close-out the night.
The Kitchen Dwellers are cooking up a show well worth seeing two nights in a row. With a deep repertoire to pull from and a stadium-worthy light show from Matt Allmond, expect to find the Kitchen Dwellers serving up galactic jamgrass across the country. Kitchen Dwellers are on tour now, you can find out more and purchase tickets through their website. Their latest album Seven Devils is available for streaming.
Set 1: Comet > Southern Flavor > Paradise Valley Cabin Pressure > Drop Tine Night Rider’s Lament, Meagher’s Reel > Waterford Son, Woods Lake, Daughter, Daughter [1] > Pretty Daughter [1]
Set 2: Pendulum, Here We Go > Can’t Stop Now, Years of My Life > Sit At My Table, Covered Bridges > Ebenezer’s Winter, What the Night Brings > Covered Bridges
Encore: The ‘59 Sound
[1] With Cris Jacobs and Bryan McDowell
Kitchen Dwellers – Brooklyn Bowl – March 30, 2024
Set 1: Wind Bitten > Broken Cage Whitewater > Bloody Mary Morning, Shadows, Muir Maid > Unwind > Muir Maid, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters [1] The Meaning [1]
Set 2: Drowning (… Again) > One More Night In Brooklyn > Drowning (… Again), Phaedrus, Their Names Are the Trees > E.M.D. > Sundown, The Crow and the Raven, Prelude > Seven Devils > The Living Dread
