brook pridemore – News on Shuffle

The Great Big CMJ Post

Hi all! A week later and the dust has finally settled on a crazy/productive CMJ experience. Some band discoveries for me worth mentioning this year were Multimagic, Wild Sun, and Brother Valiant. Def go check them out. Here’s one of my favorite shots from seeing Multimagic at Arlene’s Grocery.

I also went to a couple networking events, including one on the roof of The Delancey that gave us free beer (and one of my favorite shots I think I’ve ever taken).

There were a lot of great new acts I was introduced to over the week, but my favorite show (that I wasn’t working) was getting to see The So So Glos at Baby’s All Right for the BrooklynVegan party on Saturday.

With all the running around I did last week, the highlight was documenting a showcase by my friend from TJO Presents at Our Wicked Lady in Brooklyn.

Besides having a sick lineup of bands (which I’ll get to in a moment) there were also drink specials for Coney Island beer!

*check out those great options ^

Everyone seemed to enjoy the delicious brews, both audience and bands alike flocked to get a taste.

*thanks to Jon Good of Out of System Transfer for the photo opportunity

Beverages in hand, it’s time to start the show. Like I said, I really enjoyed this lineup and had a lot of fun photographing everyone. First up was Dreams of June.

Next up, my buddies from Out of System Transfer, one of which has already been featured with tasty beer in hand.

Moving right along to Bree and the Whatevers, which I also took video that can be viewed on my YouTube page.

Brook Pridemore:

Slim Wray (who you can see again on Wednesday as part of Grundle Thunder‘s EP release)

Jamie Register & the Damn Thang:

And finally, we closed out the night with Bushwick Hotel:

Overall the night was a lot of fun with a solid lineup and equally awesome crowd. Congrats to TJO Presents for putting on such a great show. Thanks to Coney Island for the beer specials and everyone who showed up and rocked out with us. Thus ends my CMJ coverage for this year. Until next time, folks!

Housekeeping Stuff! plus Out of System Transfer release a thing!

Hey all! I did really good with the writing stuff for a couple days in January and then dropped off the face of the Earth. Sorry about that, folks. I meant to give you a review of “The Interview” and the Murder by Death/O’Death show I went to on Sunday but somehow never did. I probably will go back to those over the next week since I seem to have a lot of free time ahead of me and there’s only so much Adventure Time you can watch before Netflix starts questioning your life and the choices you’ve made (or at least asks if you’re still awake). Right now there’s a thing I have to talk about IMMEDIATELY because it just happened and is BREAKING NEWS and something I’m super excited about.

The breaking news is that Out of System Transfer, a band I am friends with and think they are awesome and stuff, just released a NEW SONG on bandcamp that you can go download for FREE. As in ZERO DOLLARS. Or for as many dollars as you feel like, as it’s a pay-what-you-want type deal. So go judge what they’re worth and download a new song. Also, come see them AND Brook Pridemore AND Pat the Bunny play a show tonight at Palisades in Brooklyn. Prewar Yardsale open up the show at 8pm. It’s gonna be a fun night that your’s truly will be attending. I’ll probably be the girl with the camera, bouncing around and taking pictures.

CMJ 2014 – The Final Post

Alright, time to buckle in folks, because I helped TJO Presents run not one but two monster shows as my CMJ finale. There are lots of pictures to share and a final message at the end to wrap everything up in a nice little bow. Also as a side note, I might not have loved everyone who played, but I at least enjoyed everyone I saw to some extent and don’t have anything bad to say about them, so unless there’s a story to share I’ll probably just post names and photos instead of repeating myself a lot. Without further ado, however, let’s go on with the show…

Our story starts at Rock Shop for a day show with 8 (!!!) different bands. First up was Brian Bonz, who I remember seeing several times before paired up with one of my favorite local artist, Kevin Devine. You know it’s going to be a good day when you can boast something like that.

I got to speak with Brian after the show and found him to be quite enjoyable to talk to. I look forward to seeing him again in the future.

Next up was Charles Ellsworth:

Next Bree and the Whatevers. One critique I have here is that Bree has always struck me more as a performer than just a singer. There’s always a lot of energy on stage and a feeling that she loves every minute of her time there. I love that about her and think it’s what makes this band more enjoyable than average.

Daniel Sage:

Hot Jam Factory:

These guys were a fun mix of a lot of different things, but the hint of Arcade Fire was what I think really sold it for me.

Next up, End of Love, which included members of a little band called “Wilco”…

Next act was Andre Obin, who offered an odd transition from the previous band but I enjoyed nonetheless.

Last band for the night was The Netherlands, but unfortunately we had to run to get two evening shows up and running. One of them was at Bar Matchless, but I was only really there for a few minutes to make sure things were running smoothly. The show I mainly was interested in was at Muchmores. Before I delve into all the bands who played that evening, I have to say at the end of the night I got a chance to chat with the owner and he is incredibly nice and bright and overall a great dude. I would love a chance to work with him in the future. Honestly the concept he has going for him now is one I’ve had for awhile and the fact he makes it work so well gives me hope that there’s still a chance I can too one day. In the meantime I wish Andy Muchmore great success. You will definitely see me hanging out in those parts again.

With that little bit of sidetracking done I will now continue to give you lots of pictures and stories from Saturday night.

First up were some very good friends, Out of System Transfer. This band always brings the fun in, so if you ever get the chance I definitely suggest checking them out.

These guys were followed by another good friend, Brook Pridemore. You might know him from the band Brook Pridemore. You might also know him as the guy who does that song about building a death ray. However you know him, be glad that you do, because your musical library probably thanks you.

Moving right along, we have Manic Pixi. This female fronted band had a ton of energy. I really dug their lead singer, and had a fun chat with her later in the night. I have to say I usually hate the color pink, but this girl had matching dress and boots that somehow was awesome and not infuriating to me. Props to you on that one.

Up next we have Fancy Balloons. For a bit of trivia I’ll tell you that this band shares a member with one of the bands from the day show, Bree and the Whatevers. While I might be partial to Bree, I still found Fancy Balloons enjoyable.

At this point I was dealing with a dying camera and a room that was starting to get packed, both signs we were having too much fun and total first world problems, but it did make it harder to keep getting good shots throughout the night. In quick succession let’s break down the next few bands.

The Shackletons:

Grundle Thunder (made up of a bunch of friends from my local bar AND voted one of the best band names this CMJ):

Cosmonaut:

And finally, Great Caesar:

I didn’t know anything about this last band going in, but it was a nice surprise hearing some horns to close out my night. Also was glad I got a final burst of energy both from myself and my camera to enjoy their set.

Thus concludes a very successful CMJ Music Marathon. Shout out to the man in charge of TJO Presents, TJ Olsen. He’s a very good friend, and I was beyond proud of how well his marathon Saturday turned out. Much success to you in the future, good sir. Anyone wishing to follow all the great shows this guy is doing can check out Facebook and Twitter. And if you come out to a show perhaps I will see you there.

“My Name is Brook Pridemore, and I live in Brooklyn New York”

I consider myself lucky enough to call myself both a fan and a friend of Brook Pridemore. This musician from Brooklyn has had an interesting journey in his musical career, and now you can own a piece of that history with the live tape of one of his last solo shows he is releasing. The tape is very aptly called, “My Name is Brook Pridemore, and I live in Brooklyn New York.”

Of the record, Pridemore explains, “I made sure to include songs from all five albums, as well as a few B-sides. I don’t like greatest hits packages. Greatest hits packages are for people who’ve died. If one, however, were looking for an introduction to my songs, this would be a good starting point. The record was made at Sidewalk Cafe, in the East Village, because that’s where I learned everything I know about being a song and dance man.”

From what I’ve heard of his work so far, everything he knows is a lot. Pridemore has an honesty and passion in his music that is refreshing in a world full of fake, insincere people who may or may not be in this business for the wrong reasons. I’ve seen his live show before, and it takes the energy and cranks it up to 11. The release of the album, which will be available on cassette and as a digital download, is tomorrow, Wednesday, January 29th at Mercury Lounge. Don’t miss this chance to be blown away by some honestly good music.