by Zak Mercado (@ciaoguaglione) and Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
The weekend of July 7th through 9th, the Rogue Music Festival will bring a full spectrum of New York based musicians to three venues in Brooklyn. The main purpose of the festival is to get listeners and concert-goers exposed to some great music and to support the community of artists in the borough. The cost is affordable, a steal, at $20 per day. This money is going to the artists and venues with fair, equitable payment, so you can rest assured that corporate interests or big money (or those absurd fees to unnamed ticketing services) are not involved. This is a women-organized, 100% DIY, festival and a special opportunity for this music and art community to come together. It also includes live screen printing and other local vendors.
As rents increase and inflation bites, the New York City of progressive thinkers and artists is ever threatened. The best way to support musicians facing these challenges, those who are just getting started or already established and making fascinating music, is to come out to see them live. For those nearby and those willing to travel some distance, this is an incredible opportunity to see heaps of live music including many of New York’s best and brightest: Youbet, Goo, Wetsuit, Titus Andronicus (solo), La Neve, Tetchy, TVOD, AK & The Hallucinations, Attia Taylor, Anna Altman, Foyer Red, Maneka, Grandma, Hard Nips, Nihiloceros, and more.
The full lineup can be found below. Tickets are available HERE. Check out a message from the organizers HERE, and find their festival playlist at the bottom of the post. We’re highlighting a few of our favorites below. Check them out and see you there.
ANNA ALTMAN
It’s been far too long since Anna Altman last played, but thankfully the wait is nearly over. There’s a ramshackle connection between Lucia Arias and Christian Billard that results in perfectly saccharine songs that are as mesmerizing as they are raw (like a minimalist Breeders). The return of Anna Altman is reason enough to get to The Sultan Room on Saturday.
ATTIA TAYLOR
We’re very excited to see how Attia Taylor’s shimmering psych-pop sound translates live. Last year’s Space Ghost LP was a great mix of alternative rock, loungy psych, and sun-spotted pop, lead by swirling synths, programmed rhythms, and lush harmonies. Taylor’s music is enchanting, looped, layered and elegant.
GOO
We’ve written a lot about Goo recently, and we’ll take every opportunity we can to do it. The band make ultra beautiful psychedelic folk, nuanced with a sense of twang, and brought to life by Beck Zegans’ incredible vocals. They are stunning to watch live, the band maneuvering between delicate acoustics and swarming fuzzy rippers.
LA NEVE
Equally abrasive and impactful, La Neve’s brand of “digital hardcore” erupts with mutant disco punk noise and a sense of sordid charm. They carry with them empowerment for queer and trans rights, operating with a brash message of inclusion amid the chaos of their hypnotic punk, slinking between electronic carnage and dance floor grooves.
MANEKA
No one does it quite like Maneka, a band capable of post-hardcore magic, their sound darting freeform in all directions under the framework of Devin McKnight’s elastic structures. They remain determined to push boundaries and explore outside themselves, and their music rips… you can’t ask for me.
TETCHY
What you hear on Tetchy recordings and what you witness seeing them live are two very different things (at least for now). The Brooklyn quartet put on an explosive show with each of the members really putting their entire selves into the performance.
WETSUIT
We’re fairly new to the music of Brooklyn’s Wetsuit, but we’re digging what we’ve heard and excited to catch them live. The band recently announced their debut album, Sugar, I’m Tired, due out in August, and lead single “Local Celebrity” is a delightfully wonky indie rock song with wavering folk touches and a unique vocal delivery that’s as engaging as it dips and drawls.
YOUBET
Anything we write about Youbet is going to sound like hyperbole, but yes, they are that good and yes, they are one of the most important bands in the city. Their expansive approach to warped and animated indie rock is full of psychedelic exploration, and the band really capture a near-spiritual connection with their live shows. It’s hard to believe but they just keep getting better too.