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.
Sheen Marina emerged out of Brooklyn in 2016 when guitarists Justin Mayfield and Charles Thomas joined forces via Craigslist with the common goal of creating complex guitar-based music. The resulting sounds of their mutual creations are most typically filed under the math rock genre, a musical subset best
known for sending its listeners into a frenzy with atypical rhythmic structures, wild chord progressions, and stop-start repetition. The genre is at times unpredictable and chaotic in nature, but over the course of their career, Sheen Marina have nailed down the perfect formula that sounds inviting to a broad swath of listeners. The group continues to showcase their trademark swirling, psychedelic guitar sounds, but also finds themselves experimenting further with their sound and melodic structure on their second EP, Great Attractor.
Great Attractor simply wouldn’t be a Sheen Marina record without unconventional and varied time signatures, and while those definitive characteristics are surely present, the five songs on this EP also feature some smoother melodies, in addition to the group’s traditionally angular song structures. The EP’s first track, “Everything’s The Water,” is a four-minute song that’s jittery at times, but also prominently features Mayfield’s soothing voice over some more gentle guitar work. Mayfield and Thomas continue to trade off vocal duties, with the two charging through on the untamed sounds of the EP’s title track and Thomas shining on the final track “Solstice In Space.” The addition of Ed Ryan on bass and Alex Ruiz on drums are huge positives, as the four-piece continues to boast an absolutely killer rhythm section that is instrumental in meticulously crafting their distinctive sound. With Great Attractor, Sheen Marina is ending 2018 on a strong note, giving a hint of more great things to come in the new year.
You can purchase Great Attractor via Bandcamp. The EP is also available for streaming via Spotify.
It’s getting pretty cold out, so get nice and toasty indoors at one of these great gigs happening this week in Bushwick:
The Wants, Automaatio, Toyzanne, Patrick Ellis at ALPHAVILLE
Wednesday, December 5th at 8 p.m.
Alphaville hosts a bevy of eclectic post-punk acts with art rock tendencies on Wednesday night. Krautrock duo Automaatio are celebrating the release of their first EP on Wednesday night at Alphaville. They’ll be joined by three other Brooklyn based act with similar art-rock inspire tendencies, including The Wants and Toyzanne. Opening the show is an electronic-pop performer, Partick Ellis.
Moonheart, Holy Knives, No Swoon at Trans Pecos
Thursday, December 6th at 8 p.m.
Thursday night at Trans-Pecos features three bands that are no strangers to creating lush sounding, ethereal songs. Electronic-pop duo Moonheart recently shared a brand new, beautiful sounding EP, Feel It Out, their first release since their 2016 debut. They’ll be joined by Holy Knives, the project of San Antonio based brothers Kody & Kyle Valentine. The brothers just released their debut full-length album, Year of the Black Dog, last month, and it’s packed with psychedelic desert inspired dreamy sounding tracks with a distinct Southwest feel. Rounding out the bill are local newcomers No Swoon, who have impressed many in 2018 with their string of dynamic, atmospheric sounding singles. Check out their most recent track, the absolutely intoxicating “Blame The Messenger.”
Stray Fossa, Winstons, The Rizzos, Gilliver, Kangaroo at The Footlight
Friday, December 7th at 9 p.m.
Shimmery garage-pop trio Stray Fossa is making a stop at The Footlight this Friday as part of their month-long tour in support of their latest single, “Commotion.” Local garage acts Winstons and The Rizzos are also slated to perform. Earlier this year, The Rizzos released an incrediblly rocking split single with their King Pizza Records labelmates, Top Nachos. Locals Kangaroo are also on the bill, along with Gilliver, a soft grunge trio from New Hampshire.
Spud Cannon, RIPS at Elsewhere
Saturday, December 8th at 6 p.m.
Spud Cannon, the young, fresh sounding band that emerged out of Poughkeepsie’s Vassar College in 2016, just self-released their second album, Squeeze. The record is upbeat, danceable 10 track collection that channels contemporary influences and more classic New York-based groups, including Blondie. Joining Spud Cannon are local five-piece Rips, who are playing their first show since October, so get out to Elsewhere to see both groups play their final NYC gig of the year!
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED!
Radio Free Brooklyn’s Holiday Party is right around the corner! This merry shindig is going down on Thursday, December 13th at Braven Brewing Company in Bushwick. The festivities start promptly at 7pm.
Come mix and mingle with RFB show hosts, management and volunteers. PLUS, your first TWO beers are on da house when you RSVP at https://radiofreebrooklyn.com/holiday2018/. The event also includes food specials from Braven’s kitchen, music from RFB DJs, gifts, and other assorted surprises!