Articles

Norah Jones Returns To Her Roots With Day Breaks

October 20, 2016 by Dominique M. Carson

In the minds of many, Norah Jones seemed to have slipped into obscurity after her 2002 multi-platinum debut album, Come Away With Me. This perception... read article

Who Needs the Great Pumpkin? Brooklyn’s Got Great Music!

October 10, 2016 by David K. Moseder

“Nobody on the road…nobody on the beach…I feel it in the air…the summer’s out of reach.” It’s fitting that the man who wrote those lyrics,... read article

elizaebeth-nestlerode-as-gypsy-photo-by-bella-muccari

The Gallery Players Celebrate 50 in Brooklyn with GYPSY!

October 7, 2016 by Dominique M. Carson

The Gallery Players, an elite theatrical institution in Brooklyn, celebrated their 50th season by presenting the legendary musical, Gypsy . Brooklyn natives were given an... read article

Raia Was, Iris Lune and Courtnee Roze – A Musical Revolution in Brooklyn!

October 4, 2016 by Ray Fontaine

On September 24, 2016, National Sawdust hosted Revolution Volume 7, a musical series focused on displaying the best of independent pop culture in Brooklyn. The... read article

A Band Grows in Greenpoint: American Nomads’ Roots and Revelations

September 14, 2016 by David K. Moseder

American Nomads are a Greenpoint-based Americana group whose first single, “A Revelation’s Gonna Come,” reached number six on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The follow-up, “Dogtooth... read article

The Kids In Brooklyn Wanna Rock!

September 14, 2016 by Howard B. Leibowitz

As great concert performances go, very few can rival the one given by the iconic Bryan Adams at his “Get Up” tour stop at the... read article

Afropunk Brings The Punk To Close Out Summer in Brooklyn !

September 14, 2016 by Ray Fontaine

Every year at Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park, Afropunk helps the summer season go out with a bang. Everyone was ready to celebrate good music and... read article

Rob Thomas and Counting Crows Wow Coney Island Crowd

September 13, 2016 by B.L. Howard

The capacity crowd at the Ford Amphitheater in Coney Island witnessed a rousing performance by Rob Thomas and Counting Crows, as their North American tour... read article

Magic Hours and Hot August Nights

September 12, 2016 by David K. Moseder

To borrow a line from Aoife O’Donovan, Brooklyn Roads witnessed many a “magic hour, when the moonlight gleams,” at Prospect Park this summer, where O’Donovan... read article

Nicole Atkins Bares Her Soul at The Rubin Museum

August 9, 2016 by David K. Moseder

Friday, August 5, 2016 marked Nicole Atkins’ fifth visit to The Rubin Museum’s Naked Soul Series. As much as Brooklyn Roads enjoyed her December 2014... 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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