MINKS
By the Hedge, the 2011 debut by Brooklyn-based indie-pop band Minks, was one of that year’s quietly underrated records: a languid, sumptuous guitar-rock record that cribbed sounds and textures from the U.K. bands who’d called Creation Records home two decades prior. We haven’t heard much from Minks since then. Turns out, that’s because lead singer/songwriter Sean Kilfoyle wanted to move away from that dense, shoegazer approach, toward something more musically direct.
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Posts by Phillip Pantuso:
Feel Free to Bathe Your Bulldog at Bushwick’s Latest Pet Store
Bushwick’s pet scene sure has gotten frisky: the last year has seen the openings of Bushy Tails, Bushwick Pet Superette, the new dog park in Maria Hernandez Park, and now — Bushwick Bark! Dottie Evans, who opened the pet shop last week, hopes to bring a different flavor to the neighborhood.
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Williamsburg Woman Found Dead; $10-a-Night SRO is ‘Human Kennel’
A woman was found dead this morning in her Williamsburg apartment; cops have taken her partner into custody. [DNAinfo]
At a $10-per-night SRO in Chinatown “men live side by side in filth,” in rooms as small as 7 x 5 feet. [New York Post]
The Depreciation Guild Brought Back Its 8-Bit Shoegaze at Glasslands
“I can’t believe we’re here,” said Kurt Feldman on stage at Glasslands on Saturday. Considering the rapturous, slightly disbelieving response of the crowd, they couldn’t believe it, either. They’d gathered for what was billed as The Depreciation Guild’s first show in more than two and a half years.
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A Beer Born of a Brooklyn Brewmaster and Manhattan Spice Whisperer
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster who gave us bacon beer, so when Brooklyn Brewery releases a new limited-offer, draft-only concoction (as it does every three or four months) we get excited.
We like to imagine Oliver holed up in a windowless laboratory in Williamsburg, surrounded by spices from India and barley from Newfoundland, furiously scribbling chemical equations on a dry-erase board. But he got some help for this latest installment of the Brewmaster’s Reserve series. Cuvée La Boîte is a collaboration with Lior Lev Sercarz, the self-styled “spice whisperer” and proprietor of La Boîte Biscuits & Spices, in Hell’s Kitchen.
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Depreciation Guild Returns, Plus Lots of Good Small Shows
Pretty light week for super attention-grabbing shows in our neighborhoods this week — seems like all the big ticket items are in one or another of our fine city’s public parks. Nevertheless, there are a wealth of quality smaller shows to choose from, starting with The Depreciation Guild‘s return(!) at Glasslands on Saturday.
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House Fire On Graham Avenue; ‘theArtisan’ Coming to Williamsburg
A fire broke out at 293 Graham Avenue in Williamsburg this afternoon. The three-story residential building appeared to sustain little damage, although 60 firefighters responded, prompting one bystander to ask, “Is this a show of force? Show those fires what they’re up against?” An FDNY spokesperson told Bedford + Bowery the fire was placed under control at 4:45 p.m., about a half-hour after it began. Its cause is currently under investigation.
City public advocate Bill de Blasio rocketed into second place in the latest mayoral poll. Sure, it could be a sign that New Yorkers are tired of Anthony “Danger Zone” Weiner’s cock-shot proclivities, but might Blasio’s open courting of “the Williamsburg vote” have something to do with his rise? [Daily Intelligencer] More →
Shows: Maxwell’s Is Closing, Bushwick Block Party
FAREWELL TO MAXWELL’S
When Maxwell’s opened its doors in August of 1978, no one could have guessed the inconspicuous corner restaurant/bar would eventually fit into the same pantheon of iconic NYC rock clubs as CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, and the Bottom Line — definitional venues that instantly conjure a specific sound, in a specific place, during a specific era. At Maxwell’s, that was the Hoboken sound: jangly, blue-collar guitar rock, as played by Yo La Tengo, the dBs, the Bongos, the Feelies, and countless other working-class bands that made Maxwell’s their home base, and a leading stop on the independent rock tour circuit since the ’80s.
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These Schoolkids Wanted Neon Yellow Walls and They Got Neon Yellow Walls
Co-located schools don’t always get along, but these two are of a different color. Neon yellow, to be exact.
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Wanna Go to Summer Camp With Some Brooklyn Bands?
The sleep-away camp we told you about last month has come and gone, but fear not: you can still revisit your summer camp experience in the honeyed glow of nostalgic reverie.
The Wild Honey Pie, a live-sessions-oriented music blog, is teaming up with Consequence of Sound to launch Summer Camp, a day of live recording sessions in the wilderness of northern Westchester County. (The specific location of the property is a secret.)
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