Articles by Michela Arlia

Brayden Baird Is Asking the Big Questions – And Making You Laugh Through the Pain

June 17, 2025 by Michela Arlia

Brayden Baird -photo courtesy of Mix-Tape Media

The Lena Horne Bandshell Stage at Celebrate Brooklyn ! photo coutrtesy of BRIC Arts Media

Where Brooklyn Meets the World: BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! 2025 Unites Global Sounds

June 2, 2025 by Michela Arlia

This summer, Brooklyn’s cultural heartbeat returns with the 47th season of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! — a free, open-air performing arts festival transforming the Lena Horne... read article

WFUV NY Slice Session- photo by Gus Philippas for FUV

Ciao Malz Performs On WFUV's NY Slice photo by Gus Philippas for WFUV

Ciao Malz: Music With a Storyteller’s Charm

March 30, 2025 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn’s indie scene is home to countless rising talents, and one that stands out is Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-based artist Malia DelaCruz better known as Ciao Malz... read article

Eric Stern/photo by Hoyeon Choi/ courtesy of the artist

Eric Stern Leaning in Brooklyn photo by Hoyeon Choi / courtesy of the artist

Eric Stern: Brooklyn Born, Jazz Driven

February 8, 2025 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn has long been home to innovative artists, and pianist-composer Eric Stern is no exception. Born and raised in the borough, Stern’s sound is a... read article

Diana Ross Ross performing in 2022 photo by Raph _PH

Brooklyn Beats of 2025: What to Expect in the New Year

December 27, 2024 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn’s iconic live music venues are gearing up for an exciting 2025, featuring legendary artists, rising stars, and immersive music experiences across genres. Kings Theatre... read article

Janet Labelle With Guitar In Hand / photo by John Nyboer

Janet Labelle photo by John Nyboer

Janet LaBelle Takes the Spotlight: Blending Vintage Vibes with Modern Magic

September 17, 2024 by Michela Arlia

Dynamic Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Janet LaBelle continues to push her creative boundaries. Known for her unique ability to fuse analog warmth with modern production, LaBelle has... read article

Afropunk Blktopia Debuts at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!

August 23, 2024 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn is set to host an extraordinary celebration of Black creativity and culture as Afropunk Blktopia makes its highly anticipated debut at this year’s BRIC... read article

Lake Street Dive In The Moment / photo by Shervin Lainez

Lake Street Dive / photo by Shervin Lainez

Harmonies in Motion: Lake Street Dive’s Genre-Defying Journey in ‘Good Together'”

July 19, 2024 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn-based band Lake Street Dive stands out in the contemporary music scene for their unique fusion of soul, pop, jazz, and rock elements. This continues... read article

Album Cover Art courtesy of the artist

All I Ever Wonder-A Soulful Musical Journey Through Life’s Highs and Lows

July 7, 2024 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer Johnny Burgos’ latest album, All I Ever Wonder, is a soulful exploration that seamlessly blends R&B, R&B, Hip Hop,... read article

Celebrate Brooklyn! Stage at the Lena Horne Bandshell BRIC Arts Media

Culture and Diversity: The 2024 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival

June 2, 2024 by Michela Arlia

The much-anticipated BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival returns this June with a lineup that promises to deliver an eclectic mix of musical genres, cultural experiences, and... read article

1 2 3 … 6 Next »

Artists on our Radar

Brayden Baird Is Asking the Big Questions – And Making You Laugh Through the Pain

After decades of producing and releasing music under various aliases, Brooklyn’s own Brayden Baird is stepping into the spotlight with his most raw and refined work yet. Backed by the Once in a Lifetime Band, Baird’s upcoming LP Lord, why do you do these things to me? is a heartfelt and even satirical exploration of grief, identity, and faith that refuses to follow conventional sounds before its time. Across the ten-track album, Baird weaves catchy humor with emotional vulnerability, building a soundscape that feels intimate and extravagant all at once. His lyrics are clever without being cynical and full of sincerity; this delicate balance places him alongside emerging alt-folk figures like Cameron Winter and Nate Amos. The album kicks off with its title track, a sharp, stomping folk-rock number that wrestles with clever anecdotes and the chaos of unanswered prayers. From there, the songs unravel like chapters in a personal essay. The blending of stories of loss, family, addiction, and self-discovery comes about in just about every track. “Light in the Tunnel” turns a daily subway ride into an anthem of personal awakening. At the same time, “When Will the Sun Rise Again?” delivers a haunting, piano-led meditation on mourning and artistic authenticity. Other tracks showcase Baird’s gift for finding light in unlikely places. “Blue for the Body” is a lively reflection on coping mechanisms based on Gatorade flavors, which Baird says “is intended as a fun jam that people can sing and play along to and make light of the weight of addictions.”. “Pelican” draws on childhood lore amid his father’s mythical stories that untangle complex family bonds. With the accompanying music video for this track, Baird draws on whimsical elements of his father’s storytelling, saying, “In life, it is so easy to hate somebody based on the things they’ve done and so hard to forgive. After all, we are just working with the things we’ve got.” One of the album’s most affecting moments, which comes halfway through “It Kills Me to See You Sick,” channels rage and helplessness into a hushed piano ballad that’s both deeply personal and widely relatable, with Baird recounting the pain and sadness behind the song’s creation as his mom was diagnosed with Cancer as other family members were simultaneously hospitalized. On the last track of the album, “When You Were Castrated,” Baird confronts mortality and estrangement with brutal honesty about his father’s passing, delivering a final note that is at once heartbreaking and cathartic. Baird’s musical world is one of contradictions: funny and tragic, sarcastic and sincere, spiritual and grounded. With Lord, why do you do these things to me?* he’s created an album that doesn’t just tell stories but invites listeners to sit with them, question them, and sing along anyway. Catch Brayden Baird and the Once in a Lifetime Band at their album release show at The Rabbit Hole in Brooklyn on June 26 and stream the whole record on June 20.

... read article