Ahead of the Sunday screening of the band’s NYC Live set, watch a video interview with the band’s Cameron Castan
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I’m going to preface my second statement with an important first: I appreciate people who make stuff, who put themselves out there, who are creators rather than consumers. And we’d be nowhere and have nothing without the balls, ego and energy that inspire people of all stripes and skills to produce.
That being said, I’ve ingested a lot of… mediocre content… over the last year. From unhelpful self-help books (def not user error!) to uncomfortable millennial takes of TikTok trends (ugh, why do we need another THING?!) to the 7,000 Adam Sandler movies that are apparently on Netflix (okay, that’s my bad), my couch-bound consumption could be characterized far more by quantity than quality—
Except, that is, when it comes to music.
On the contrary, I’ve been beyond blown away by the innovation, ingenuity and straight-up incredible art being displayed and released by artists over the past year—particularly of the local front—and for that very reason, it’s even more impressive when something really stands out.
When it comes to albums, the new Whiner record is my most recent favorite. The flight from JFK to SFO is six hours and 35 minutes, and I ran Peace Out Cruel World on repeat for the whole flight (that’s like 10.97 times), an excellent 8-track soundtrack that made a masked, depressingly drink cart-less journey not just tolerable but enjoyable (?!)… And come next weekend (SEA –> JFK), I plan on doing the exact same thing.
As for video, I think NYC Live is doing it better than anyone in the biz, taking streams to a whole new level and coming closer than anyone—tied with our faves at FLTV—to capturing the power of local bands’ live performance and translating that energy to 2D. In a year lacking in live shows (with way too much Hubie Halloween), this has been 100% the next best thing.
And THAT brings us to the main event: As two major stand-outs, I couldn’t be more stoked for their powers to combine, which is a collab we can all witness THIS SUNDAY, with the debut of Whiner’s NYC Live session, featuring the band playing Peace Out Cruel World in its entirety—
And to get you as pumped as I obviously am, ahead of the screening, I’m super hyped to premiere the new episode of NYC Live’s Are We Home Yet?, featuring Whiner’s Cameron Castan, right here on BdBK!
The NYC Live team described the doc series for me as follows:
“This short doc series explores musicians’ relationship with music, how their hometown inspires them, and how the road changes them. Find out where the music within them comes from and how they get it out to the world.”
As for this particular ep.:
“Cameron of Whiner joins us to talk about Whiner’s new album Peace Out Cruel World. He gives us insight into how they combine the darkness of rock with the head banging parts of pop music. Hailing from NJ, it wasn’t easy for Whiner to break into the Brooklyn scene and get the respect they now revel in. Cameron talks about juggling school, full-time work and keeping the band on track.”
My personal favorite part? When the artist says he wishes he’d been less of a boomer and been better at internet promo… which also makes me feel like I should talk a little less shit and maybe go ahead and give that TikTok thang a try (or at least, like, hire a Gen-Z intern to do it).
Watch the doc for yourself (+ check out another one on Jelly Kelly via Ears to Feed), and then meet me on the internet for the stream of my dreams this Sunday, or—even better—grab your friends and catch it on the big screen of the Our Wicked Lady rooftop with nachos infrontofyerface and a cocktail in hand—
The perfect pregame for the day (hopefully soon!), when we can see Whiner LIVE live on that roof, in full-on 3D form.
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Follow Whiner at @whinerbb, buy the record on bandcamp and add the band to your Spotify playlists!
Follow NYC Live at @nyc_is_live.
Catch the livestream (also featuring Moon Kissed!) on the big screen at Our Wicked Lady or via Twitch, this Sunday at 8 pm!
Feature image provided by NYC Live.