I wrote this really quickly because I got news that SXSW was canceled! Read more about that below, and check out the shows coming up (one tonight if you are quick!)
upcoming shows 🎟️
You can find out what shows are happening this week in here!
3/8 | For The Record Gallery Opening @ TV Eye ~ a series of Erbu Yildiz’s portraits of women behind the scenes in the music industry
3/12 | The Orielles @ Fred Perry Brooklyn ~ free
3/13 | John Eartherly @ Fred Perry Broome St ~ free
3/20 | Sleepies & Video Daughters (Joint Record Release), Godcaster, Flexi, Sunk H @ Trans-Pecos ~ all ages
3/22 | Lily and Horn Horse @ Purgatory BK
No ticket link yet! Will update later.
4/10 | Why Bonnie (EP Release!) w/ Hypoluxo and Peaer @ Elsewhere Zone One ~ 16+
in my queue 🎶
My friend Fayola did this amazing playlist for SMK BRK Co, and when I was talking to her about it I mentioned that it re-introduced me to songs I forgot I loved — apparently that was the point! So even if these tunes are new to you, they come from a place of deep attachment and you’re bound to enjoy. You should also follow Fayola’s Spotify and their Instagram!
I got to write about Disq (more below) and their great debut album. I’d been streaming it already before it dropped today, so I already have a favorite song picked out. Close second is “Konichiwa Internet”, and a third would be “Gentle”. Aw, and “Loneliness” because it’s so tender (just stream the whole album).
what i’ve written📝
Wrote about Disq for AdHoc! Stream their debut album Collector! It really spoke to me (probably why I got a little personal in the intro). I relate to the feeling of being young and so unsure of everything that every little mistake feels like the end of the world…as if it’s proof that you aren’t doing anything right and never will. Or that you are suddenly thrust with all this responsibility and completely unprepared for it. That may be projecting, but you’d have to listen to the album (and read my piece!) to figure that out.
the discourse™️
I’m so sorry for people who hate to read about SXSW, but I have to write about it again. Literally an hour prior to me writing this, SXSW got canceled after a series of tech companies (Twitter, Facebook, Amazon) pulled out earlier this week. And while in previous newsletters I’ve written about how horrible SXSW, I’d like to spare a moment to talk about why it’s cancellation is so bad.
But, before I do I want to re-center the people of China, and the disastrous effect that coronavirus has had on them. The Western world is busy wringing their hands about what will happen to them, that we seem to forget that almost 2,000 people have died of the virus in China. Add to that the horribly Sinophobic and plainly racist responses that have emerged in recent weeks, and you can only imagine how hard it is to be Chinese at this time. For someone who put it way better than me:
Okay, so now on a more local level. I wrote about how expensive it is to attend SXSW if you are an independent artist (more so if you are international), and the heartbreaking thing about the cancellation is that artists that put their savings on the line for this ‘big break’ have no way of getting that money back. Thousands of dollars, down the drain. International artists who spent months preparing and getting excited for their first trip to America, only to have the rug torn out under them a week away. I’m also really sympathetic to local artists who booked entire tours around SXSW, many of which are in danger of being canceled as well. A quick catch-up as to why that may be:
This is money out of their pockets. Besides merch, touring is one of the ways that artists make the most of their money. Shows are being canceled worldwide, making an already vulnerable group (small & indie artists) even more vulnerable. March is traditionally a very busy month for the music industry, and it follows a winter waning period when there aren’t as many shows (late December-early Feb). In other words, we just exited an off-season for a lot of venues and bands — which means they needed the money from SXSW and Spring tours! There’s a great thread by music critic Gary Suarez about how this might impact your local music community:
Local artists are likely to start speaking about this soon, especially those who might have to cancel even more show dates. I can’t confirm anything, but I’ve already started to notice ticket links break for some venues. I’m interested in connecting with anyone who is organizing around this issue and trying to help artists recoup from this. Here are some more thoughts that have been streaming on my timeline:
shout-outs
In terms of organizing the music community, I want to take a moment to shout out Practice Space! It’s a monthly conversation-based support meeting for the Brooklyn & Queens music and art community. If you are based in NYC, I would love for you to show out!
I put their event in my last newsletter, but you can follow their Instagram for more updates.
concluding remarks⌛
I’m just really fired up about this SXSW news! This is really an opportunity for music lovers to get involved, and help their community. Again, please contact me if you know of any efforts underway.
This newsletter is pretty late (sorry!) so I cut some stuff so I could at least send it out. So no questions or reading reccs today :( I might send out a separate email this weekend with some reading if that makes sense.