Tom Gallo is the host of Look at My Records on Radio Free Brooklyn
Radio Free Brooklyn and Bushwick Daily are proud to announce a new weekly local-music column that will focus on artists that call Bushwick home. Each week, a Radio Free Brooklyn personality will pen a record or performance review of a different Bushwick based artist, with a curated selection of the best upcoming local gigs in the neighborhood for the following weekend.
Garage rock mainstay Mark Sultan, best known for his work with King Khan & The BBQ show, is adding another solo album to his massive discography that spans several decades and includes various projects under different monikers, such as BBQ, Krebs, and Needles. His latest effort, Let Me Out, is credited to his original stage name Mark Sultan, and sees the prolific figure recording all instruments in his Berlin studio,further cementing his
legacy as an otherworldy, one-man garage rock machine.
Sultan made a name for himself through his songs that seamlessly blend 60s pop, garage, doo-wop, rockabilly, and R&B to create soulful masterpieces, but Let Me Out sees the multi-instrumentalist achieve a level of sheer cohesiveness and atmosphere not present amongst typical garage rock revivalists. While Sultan has at times been known for his lo-fi minimalism, the songs on Let Me Out are dense with deeper textures and a more expansive sound, all still marked by his trademark croon. The album’s lead single, “Coffin Nails,” features a signature garage rock guitar riff and accompanying organ sound with lyrics evoking a sense of anger and loss. Other standout songs include the album’s other single, “Everybody Knows,” a slower tempo track with a cleaner, jangly guitar sound, and “Black Magic,” a more classic sounding Sultan song, featuring an upbeat with doo-wop styled backing vocals and voodoo references galore. As a whole, Let Me Out is a well-sequenced collection of some of Sultan’s best work yet, as he sticks to his guns, delving deeper and further into a sound that he’s spent decades perfecting.
Sultan almost exclusively performs live as a one-man act, where he simultaneously plays guitar, drums, and any other necessary instruments. However, he is treating Brooklyn to a rare performance with a backing band. On October 10th you can see Mark Sultan perform live with The Mystery Lights serving as his backing band on the rooftop of Our Wicked Lady. Don’t miss out on this ultra rare event!
Let Me Out is set for release on October 12th, 2018 via Modern Sky USA. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp.
The first week of October features some excellent shows in Bushiwick. Get to the gigs:
Slaves, Honduras at Alphaville
Wednesday, October 3rd 2018 at 8p.m.
English punk rock duo, Slaves, are kicking off their two-night stand in Brooklyn on Wednesday night at Alphaville. The band just released their ferocious fourth album, Acts Of Fear And Love,” in August. They’ll be joined by local punks Honduras, who released the Need The Water b/w Water Signs single back in March and hope to release a full length sometime next year.
The Natvral, Tallies, Showtime Goma, Drew Citron at Flowers For All Occasions
Thursday, October 4th 2018 at 8p.m.
The Natvral, the solo moniker of The Pain Of Being Pure Of Heart’s Kip Berman, begins a small northeast tour this week in support of his debut EP, Know Me More. Joining him for a string of dates are Toronto indie-pop outfit Tallies, who are set the drop a brand new single, “Beat The Heart,” on October 19th. Also appearing is Showtime Goma, the project of Jen Goma, which has been described as “indie pop’s best-kept secret. Drew Citron of Beverly and the newly formed Public Practice will open the show with a rare solo set.
Corridor, Petite League, Sic Tic at Alphaville
Friday, October 5th 2018 at 8p.m.
Montreal’s Corridor blew critics away with their 2017 French language psych-pop masterpiece, Supermercado. Now the band is back for their first show in New York since their spellbinding Northside Festival performance at Elsewhere. Petite League is getting back into the throws of things after only a few live appearances in 2018, which is all the more reason to catch them on Friday. They’ll likely be playing tons of songs from their latest record, Rips One Into The Night, a fuzz infused collection of bedroom pop gems. Performing first are locals Sic Tic, who will get the night started with their own brand of loud psychedelic grunge.
A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Paul Collins at Elsewhere
Saturday, October 6th 2018 at 7p.m.
Folk duo A Hawk And A Hacksaw released their seventh studio album, Forest Bathing, in April and the band has spent a good portion of the year on tour sharing this new batch of songs with the world. Their latest output is vibrant sounding, highly experimental instrumental folk. Also performing is the king of power-pop, Paul Collins. So, arrive early and you may get to hear some high-energy classics, including “Don’t Wait Up For Me” and “Hanging By The Telephone!”
