It always irks me when I see The Troggs called a one hit wonder. “Wild Thing” is obviously an anthem for the ages, but they had so many other wonderful songs that you’ve probably heard a few times before. Since the band’s lead singer Reg Presley passed away yesterday at the age of 71, I figured now would be as good time as any for you to go ahead and blast three of those songs as a tribute to Mr. Presley, […]
Band Booking: Talking Searchable Band Names and Booze With The Denzels
The Denzels have been playing shows around Brooklyn for the past two years, releasing two EPs in the process: Slow Death and last year’s Easy Tiger. Their membership (David Beegun, Tom Hinga, Aman Ellis, Matthew Degorio and Paul Lizarraga) hails from the South and the West Coast, and have gathered in Brooklyn to produce a garage rock and synth-inflected musical project with overt pop ambitions. I saw them play at the Living Bread deli in Bushwick, and met up with singer Tom Hinga and keyboardist […]
We’re Hanging out With Ian Svenonius at WORD on Monday
We like to sometimes joke that the Golden Era of Washington, D.C. punk could be identified as the time when many of the scene’s best-known musicians and thinkers had names that were three letters or less. Ian MacKaye, J. Robbins, H.R., Guy Picciotto, etc. Ian Svenonius is part of that group, and like them, he has held our attention for years. From the moment when we first heard 13-Point Plan to Destroy America by his first band Nation of Ulysses […]
Soundtracking Emily Raboteau’s “Searching for Zion”
Earlier this week, I finished reading Emily Raboteau’s terrific book Searching for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora. The book follows trips made by Raboteau to Israel, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the American South; as the title suggests, her goal is to gain an understanding of the concept of Zion. Raboteau’s narrative includes meetings with different factions of Rastafarians, an examination of the organization of Rev. Creflo Dollar, and a visit to Ghana shortly after Barack Obama’s electoral […]
The Zinophile: Black Flag and Neutral Milk Hotel in Half-Size Form
Two zines released in recent months each chronicle the life and times of a beloved band. One takes a historical approach and throws in some artistic history for context; the other takes a more collage-like approach, and in doing so evokes the diverse ways one can dedicate oneself to a particular artist. Black Flag and Neutral Milk Hotel are, admittedly, groups about which much has been written; still, each of the zines covered here brings a unique perspective to the […]
Band Booking: Talking Fetishism, Language and Narrative With Parenthetical Girls
Parenthetical Girls are an art pop band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 2002 under the Brian Eno-inspired name “Swastika Girls”, they’ve developed a varied repertoire of albums and singles across a decade-long career, centered on their three previous full-length releases: (((GRRRLS))), Safe As Houses and 2008’s Entanglements. They’ve collaborated with Xiu Xiu and Dead Science, and have accumulated a devoted following.
John Jeremiah Sullivan Keeps Us Looking South
You would think we’d want to journey out of the American South after two posts dealing with Flannery O’Connor, but then all of a sudden we notice that The Paris Review has published an essay by John Jeremiah Sullivan, “Saved,” and we realize that resistance is futile. Today is officially Vol. 1 Brooklyn Loves the South Day. This latest J.J.S. piece might or might not be the same essay you get when you purchase the Tompkins Square compilation Work Hard, Play Hard, […]
Bad Brains Have a Hot Sauce
Via Brandon Stosuy comes the news that Bad Brains now sell an official hot sauce. “Punky Reggae party in every bottle,” the label says. Which, I suppose, you could put on your breakfast while drinking Will Oldham’s coffee blend to chase off a hangover from chugging Craig Finn’s beer the night before. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and our Tumblr.