Since the fall of CBGB in 2006, punk rock (and its sibiling garage rock) lost its footing in NYC, and punk bands have been roaming around the concrete jungle for years now, playing obscure venues while disguising themselves as something else. Punk is dead, right? Not if you ask Animal Show who is the epitome of a bygone era of music with their hard pounding drumbeats, charged power chords, and fabulous fashion sense. Animal show delivers punk rock the way it was meant to be heard, no tricks or gimmicks, and it’s currently in a New York groove, having just returned from a tour that included stops through SXSW and New Orleans. Their next stop, which is not to be missed, is here at home at Baby’s All Right on March 29. Check out their new record titled simply EP, out now. – Rene Cobar

Hollis Brown has been releasing music since 2013 and is about as conscientious and hardworking as a band can get. The Queens, NY group recently announced they are set to release their latest album Ozone Park on June 7 via Mascot Label Group, the first single off the record “Do Me Right” is out now. You probably have heard Hollis Brown’s all-American rock ‘n’ roll before without even knowing it; their blend of Americana, soul, and hard rock has been featured on major television shows, motion picture trailers, designer fashion shows, and more. The group is happy to pave their way toward national recognition with their sound which pays homage to the rock heroes of the past without compromising its contemporary feel. Folk, country, blues, this band juggles these styles with grace and when necessary blends them powerfully. Check out their new video for “Do Me Right” below. – Rene Cobar

Revolution, a local musical movement partnered with The Deli NYC that highlights artists from Brooklyn and Harlem is celebrating its third year on March 30. Vol. 37 at National Sawdust will be a celebration of community, change, and activism through music. Live performances from artists picked for previous volumes such as SKYES, Salomon Faye, Sonic, Phase One and Aberdeen will headline the bash. A special DJ set by DJL4 will also be featured. Founded, curated, and produced by NYC promoter Katie Jones, this project represents the core of independent pop culture and hopes to keep helping its growth, just like our publication! Get your tickets here. – Rene Cobar

Queens based group WIVES has been brewing in the borough for some time now, but at last, they are hot and ready to be served up to the masses. The four-piece band recently signed to City Slang Records and is gearing up for a spring tour through Europe that will kick off with a farewell show at Mercury Lounge on the third of April. The band’s grungy dark-wave style is in full display in their brand new video for their single “Waving Past Nirvana” as are the skills of director Milah Libin who has previously helmed videos for Princess Nokia and Beach Fossils. Check out the video below and be on the lookout for the 7” out May 24th. – Rene Cobar

Take the simultaneously gritty and polished instrumental style of groups like Television and Talking Heads, sprinkle some indie undertones, and then add a Morrisseyesque vocal delivery for a cherry on top and watch it shape-shift into a twenty-first-century group from NYC called Reptilian Elite. The band is back after a small break and has added Sam Grossman (not pictured) on bass to the line-up, assigning guitar duties to Dylan Kelly and Pablo Narea and freeing Eamon Rush to unleash his full vocal prowess. Their style is classic NYC: open dress shirts, sharpei boots, worn out chucks, and some good old indie rock. The group will be keeping their new run going by playing The Well Public House in Brooklyn April 6. – Rene Cobar

Bands like New York’s own BIG HUGE seem to exist sometimes for the single purpose of making you remember the past, only to suddenly find yourself relishing in its fascination. Power pop was an American counterpunch to the British Invasion of the ’60s and in their 2017 record CRUEL WORLD BIG HUGE channels it beautifully. With the fun and upbeat tempos of power pop heroes like Cheap Trick well ingrained into songs like “WENT BAD” and “LOST CLASSIC” the group takes full liberty to crank up the style to one hundred with fuzzy vocals and crunchy guitar licks that will shine proto-garage undertones at you. This New York City quintet remains above everything faithful to themselves, catch them on April 15th at Brooklyn Bazaar. – Rene Cobar

Nu-Disco continues its resurgence with artists like LEFTI whose new EP Discoteca is a full-blown ode to the intoxicating rhythms of ’70s NYC Disco and ’80s European dance music. Inspired by the colorful disco show posters he saw scattered across the streets of Spain during his childhood family vacations, LEFTI (real name Alex Suarez) injects a heavy dose of house and funk into each song. The lead single “Every Time” (ft. Spencer Ludwig) is a powerhouse of high bass harmonics, snappy snare hits, and of course Ludwig’s fantastic trumpet. New cuts of “Make You Mine” and “All Night” also bring LEFTI’s classic disco influences to light with percussive beats and guitar riffs that would make Nile Rodgers proud. LEFTI will celebrate the release of Discoteca on April 4th at the Toucan Sounds label launch party at Freehold in Brooklyn, NY. – Rene Cobar

NYC group Ghost Funk Orchestra will be taking the stage at Brooklyn Bazaar on April 4th, and they will be bringing the sounds of their 2017 record Something Evil with them. In songs like “Fluorescent,” the group uses Djembe rhythms to lure the listener into a vortex of funky basslines and soulful vocals, their odd time signatures keeping you at the epicenter of the jam. The nine-piece ensemble of Julian Applebaum (bass), Seth Applebaum (guitar), Kyle Beach (drums), Stephen Chen (bari sax), Laura Gwynn (vocals/keyboard), Romi Hanoch (vocals/percussion), James Kelly (trombone), Joshua Park (guitar), and Rich Seibert (trumpet) utilizes every instrument at their disposal to craft a type of “heavy soul” or “dark funk” sound that fits their namesake. If you are up for something new, we recommend checking them out. – Rene Cobar

New York City is a paradoxical place. With familiar landmarks vanishing on the daily, many of the things we conjure when we think about the city are in fact no longer there. This is the city that native Brion Starr inhabits, and his music reflects the disaffected feeling of watching the place you love become unrecognizable before your very eyes. What’s particularly fascinating about Starr’s music is that it draws a lot of influence from one particular New York legend: the underground glam rock scene of the 1970s. The sparkling cacophony of his experimental brand of vintage rock leans more toward Brian Eno than David Bowie, and while watching him perform in sequin jumpsuits its hard not to imagine what those who shaped New York’s past might think of the city today. Perhaps that’s the very question Starr wants us to answer. Wrapping up a tour with The Chills, Starr plans to release his LP Global Identity on March 21st – while you wait, check out “Oh Please”, the first single off the album, below. – Sunny Betz

In an industry dominated by big personalities, it takes a lot for a hip hop artists to stand out. Brooklyn based rapper Leikeli47 has taken on this challenge, ironically, by disguising herself behind a mask – one she dons in interviews and during shows, and is rarely seen without. However, you shouldn’t take the mask as a clue of her being shy, since on her latest album Acrylic she proves she is anything but. Her flow is playful and brash, and on tracks like “Tic Boom” and “Girl Blunt” she experiments with unconventional vocal intonation and rhythm in her takedowns of those who might doubt her individuality and self assurance. Leikeli47 is just one of many talented artists who will be playing this year’s SXSW festival – you can catch her set on March 13th at the Hip Hop/Rap Showcase, and stream Acrylic below. -Sunny Betz

FREE Eventm RSVP here! Info about Day One here!

For our upcoming Austin Pedal & Synth Expo Showcase, we are excited to get to feature the music of a couple of NYC locals. The electronic music Beshken makes is meditative and complex, weaving between digital and acoustic instruments with dreamlike results. His latest track, “Cursed”, picks its way between honey smooth synths and dissonant vocal effects, reflecting on the mental revolutions between sleep and insomnia. On the other end, while their lyrics too reflect on sleepless thoughts, the music of CLAVVS is rather lucid. The production on their most recent single “Devils I Know” places the vocals at the forefront of a hypnotic and unexpectedly baroque electronic backdrop. The Expo will be held on March 16th at the Chugging Monkey – listen to CLAVVS, Beshken and the other artists who will appear below. – Sunny Betz 

Musicians usually have a broad range of influences to draw on, but few can pinpoint them with such specificity as Simon Hanes. As the composer of the 15 piece ensemble band Tredici Bacci, Hanes has a very precise set of inspirations: 1970s Italian film scores. Listening to the music of Tredici Bacci feels like the peeking into a truly eccentric world – Hanes often performs as various characters of his own invention, playing songs that are in turns melodramatic and raucously buoyant. The project’s imagined scores could fit perfectly in a movie by Fellini, for example, and carry all the best elements of camp and drama from the genres the group admires. Their next album, La Fine Del Futuro ’70, is set to be released March 11th – stream their featured single "In The 1970s" below. – Sunny Betz