Reviews

BIG SOUNDS AT LITTLEFIELD: DEGRAW FEST PRESENTS ECLECTIC BROOKLYN ARTISTS

August 8, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

Brooklyn-based recording studio Degraw Sound organized the Degraw Fest 2018 at Littlefield on Saturday August 4, 2018 in Gowanus. From 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.,... read article

Aimee Mann On Stage at Celebrate Brooklyn! photo by Ray Fontaine

A Summer Music Mix With Aimee Mann and Superchunk

July 2, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

Celebrate Brooklyn! welcomed an eclectic group of musicians to the Prospect Park Bandshell stage on Thursday, June 21st, opening the evening long before sunset with... read article

Lucite Tokki photo by Ray Fontaine

Northside’s Ten Year BK Festival-The Music !

June 14, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

Brooklyn Roads feasted on a music buffet of indie artists at the Northside Festival 2018. Northside, in a SXSW fashion, functions by booking music all... read article

First Acoustics Tenth Anniv Puerto Rico Benefit 5-19-18-5

Artists and Audience Give Generously at Benefit Concert for Puerto Rico

May 27, 2018 by David K. Moseder

More than two dozen performers, half of them Brooklyn-based artists, donated their time and talent on Saturday night, May 19, 2018, for “A Benefit for... read article

J Sosa and Matthew Malave at Bushwick House Party photo by Ray Fontaine

Lex On Decks Showcases Rising Stars of Hip-Hop in Bushwick

May 7, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

On April 28, 2018, Lex On Decks, a Brooklyn based record label, threw a basement party at Bushwick Public House to showcase up-and-coming hip-hop artists... read article

Tiffany Wilson at C'mon Everybody photo by Ray Fontaine

Tiffany Wilson’s Sweet, Soulful Songs at C’mon Everybody

April 25, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

Brooklyn Roads visited the cozy Clinton Hill venue C’mon Everybody on April 19, 2018, to see Tiffany Wilson play her sweet, soulful, folk tunes accompanied by... read article

Ashanti at the Kings Theatre photo by Mark Doyle

Ja Rule and Ashanti , Lil’ Mo and Lloyd Concert: A Success in Brooklyn

April 5, 2018 by Dominique M. Carson

Brooklyn natives started their 2018 Spring holiday weekend with a groundbreaking and innovative concert at the Kings Theatre. R&B songstress Ashanti and hip-hop rapper Ja... read article

MGMT’s Little Dark Age

February 16, 2018 by Albert Testani

With their first album in over four years, which was partially recorded in Brooklyn, and where one half of the duo now lives, MGMT moves... read article

Latasha’s Hip-Hop Dream Takes Hip-Hop To New Heights

February 14, 2018 by Ray Fontaine

Latasha, once known as L.A. for Latasha Alcindor, recently changed her performance name to just plain Latasha. She sings, she raps, she acts and she... read article

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit On The Kings Theatre Stage photo by Kyra Kverno

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Celebrate a Special Anniversary in Brooklyn

February 11, 2018 by B.L. Howard

The third anniversary of the reopening of Brooklyn’s historic Kings Theatre in the heart of Flatbush was an especially memorable one on the night of... read article

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Artists on our Radar

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

Brayden Baird -photo courtesy of Mix-Tape Media

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.

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