Articles

Planet Brooklyn Festival courtesy of Planet Brookyln Festival

Planet Brooklyn Enters the Borough’s Festival Orbit

July 3, 2025 by David K. Moseder

Brooklyn, the music festival capital of New York, is getting another jewel in its crown this summer. Planet Brooklyn, set for August 23-24, will feature... read article

Willie Nile at City Winery NYC © photo by B.L.Howard

Willie Nile Lights Up the Darkness With “A Great Yellow Light”

July 3, 2025 by Michela Arlia

The Great Yellow Light, the latest album from rocker Willie Nile, is a defiant and bright collection that blends driving rock with heartfelt lyricism. The... read article

Brayden Baird -photo courtesy of Mix-Tape Media

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

June 17, 2025 by Michela Arlia

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... read article

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

Sharon Jones and Lee Fields at Celebrate Brooklyn! photo by B.L.Howard

Daptone Marks a Musical Milestone

May 9, 2025 by David K. Moseder

Daptone Records, a pioneer of Brooklyn’s music renaissance since its launch in 2001, marked a major milestone earlier this month with the 20th anniversary release... read article

Jalopy Gala '25 Display / photo by David K. Moseder

Jalopy Embarks On Its 20th Year With A Grand Gala

April 25, 2025 by David K. Moseder

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, well over one hundred devotees and supporters of Brooklyn’s folk and Americana music scene gathered at St. Ann’s Church in... read article

The Brooklyn Music Kitchen photo by Giulia Arlia

Brooklyn Music Kitchen: Local and Global Music in an Intimate Setting

April 24, 2025 by Giulia Arlia

Brooklyn Music Kitchen is a premier venue located near the heart of the Brooklyn music scene. A newer venue, it opened in July 2021 soon... 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

Beach-Goers at Sea.Hear.Now Festival photo by Kyra Kverno

The Photo Pit-2023 and 2024 Sea.Hear.Now Festivals

March 26, 2025 by Kyra Kverno

The much anticipated line up has just been dropped for the 2025 Sea.Hear. Now Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, which includes Alabama Shakes, Blink... read article

JALOPY REMAINS BROOKLYN’S HQ FOR FOLK AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC

March 17, 2025 by David K. Moseder

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music is a multi-faceted arts space showcasing evolving folk and traditional music. It has been welcoming local artists as... read article

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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.

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