Somewhere in Brooklyn — and all over Brooklyn — your favorite, and soon-to-be favorite, artists are…
Writing. Rehearsing. Recording. Playing shows. Seeing shows. Pounding tequila shots. Slurping espresso shots. Scouring thrift stores. Stuffing down burgers. Shooting pool. Playing basketball. Taking walks. Walking dogs. Curing their hangovers. Curing other people’s hangovers. Lounging. Loving. Living.
Plus, apparently, hanging out in cemeteries.
(Stay tuned for more on that later.)
But where is this happening? Where are the local artists whose work and styles and tastes we admire working, playing and hanging out in Brooklyn? What spots do touring musicians make sure to swing by, even if they’re only in town for the night. It’s a big-ass borough — what do their versions of it look like? I decided to find out.
Now to clarify, this project isn’t designed to make it easier to stalk these bands (as a general rule, follow your favorite artists on Instagram; don’t follow them home). Instead, it’s to help you sort through the noise and get intel on the coolest spots in Brooklyn, according to the coolest — and, spoiler alert, pretty much nicest!– people in Brooklyn. To give you an original source through which to (re)discover your new favorite restaurants, cafes, parks, studios, galleries, theaters, bars… more bars… and, on top of that, your new favorite music.
As I’m writing this, I’ve done about 25 interviews around Brooklyn that have garnered me 100+ unique picks. Photos featuring the artists at their favorite spots, paired with their brilliant words, will be featured on Instagram (@bandsdobk), while their full lists of picks, along with continuously updated neighborhood guides, will live on the site.
More than anything, I want to say a huge thanks to the artists who have participated by gifting me their thoughtful recommendations, their hilarious stories and, most of all, their very, very valuable time. While I’m really excited about this project, I’m also super stoked to hang out with people whose art I admire, and every interview was a very delightful experience… at least on my end.
Also, a very special thanks to my fantastic photographer (and bff), Ben Curry (@benzadrine), for bouncing all over Brooklyn with me for the last four months to take great photos and drink cheap beers and listen politely as I laugh at my own jokes. (I’m sure that never got old.)
So here she is: Bands do BK — a (continuously growing/evolving) guide to Brooklyn, by bands.
Hope you have as much fun with it as I do–
Let’s go!
sam
PS: If there’s an artist you’d like to see (or you are an artist and want to participate!), please reach out to bandsdobk@gmail.com or holla here. Thanks!
Feature image: Mid-beers, but pre-dog-costume-contest, with Kevin Olken Henthorn — aka Cape Francis — at Kings County Brewers Collective, one of his picks in Bushwick picks (photo: Ben Curry)