Spirit Family Reunion Played Bowery Ballroom

On Saturday night Spirit Family Reunion played Bowery Ballroom. I know most of the band so I was super excited for them. If any band deserves to play the big stage it's Spirit Family. Not only did they play but they managed to sell the place out, which is incredible!

The first act up that night was Blind Boy Paxton, who is a 24 year old kid from Watts, Los Angeles. Somehow in that urban jungle he discovered blues, Americana, ragtime and bluegrass and he dedicated his life to it. The man is fantastic! He plays several instruments - banjo, guitar, fiddle and more - and plays them all very well. Seeing him play is like getting into a time machine and transporting yourself to the Mississippi Delta in the 1920's. Not only is he an awesome musician but he has a great stage presence, getting laughs throughout the set.

The next act was out of place on the bill. Something just didn't click so I headed downstairs and sucked down some brews to kill the time.

As I headed back up I ran into to Stephen from SFR. He came over, said hello and we caught up a bit. I asked him what it felt like to sell out Bowery Ballroom and he very sincerely answered, "I'm freaked out, man".

A few minutes later they took the stage to a packed house and started up. The set was made up of quite a few tunes that I haven't heard them play before. They sound absolutely amazing and the enthusiasm they showed was contagious. They absolutely owned that stage and I can honestly say it was one of the best shows I've ever seen at Bowery Ballroom.

They closed with "When My Name Is Spoken" which is one of my favorites and also a favorite of the crowd. Everyone was singing along and dancing around. Then went off stage for a few minutes and came back for an encore. They asked the sound man to kill all the mics except the main one and then the whole band gathered around for a stunning rendition of "I'll Find A Way". The whole band took turns on vocal duty and then Nick stepped forward in front of the stage and shouted a sing-along with the crowd. Every single person there joined in. It was so loud that you could barely hear the band.

Before the song started Stephen came over to the mic and told the crowd how he was at a show at Bowery Ballroom a few weeks earlier and texted his manager saying, "I don't think we can do this, man" - well, they did it and they did it better than anyone I've seen do it there before.

Tonight: Wild Yaks, EULA, Ritz Riot, Spirit Family Reunion

If you wanna run around town you can see Wild Yaks and Spirit Family Reunion twice tonight! Early on Wild Yaks are playing The Grand St. Bakery on Grand St. in Brooklyn. Also early, Spirit Family Reunion (who recently opened for the legendary Levon Helm) are playing the Invisible Children event at Big Screen Plaza. Later on Wild Yaks are playing with EULA and Ritz Riot at Tommy's Tavern! A shitty dive bar with three of my favorite local bands, yes! Elsewhere, SFR is playing the MeanRed party at DROM which is a weird combo of band/venue/promoter but good for them. 

RSVP & Details:

SFR Early Show

SFR Late Show

Yaks Early Show

Yaks, EULA, Ritz Riot Show

Kings County Cookout w/ Spirit Family Reunion and Sean Kershaw

We've got another edition of Kings County Cookout on Sunday. One of my favorite Brooklyn bands, Spirit Family Reunion, will be playing out back at Lady Jay's. We've also got the king of Brooklyn country music, Sean Kershaw, performing with his 2-piece The Terrible Two. We start dishing up barbecue at 3pm and the music starts around 4pm. As always a plate of delicious grub is only going to cost you $5 and we've got several drink specials in the $3-$5 range.

Now, the fact is this is my party and I'm telling you it's awesome and you should go. Well, of course I'd say that and while you should take my word I understand if you need a little more convincing. Turns out the NY Times, NY Magazine, Time Out NY, Eater, Serious Eats, Brokelyn, Zagat, Brooklyn Based and a bunch more have written it up too!

Details & RSVP:

Kings County Cookout

Here's a little video of what you missed last time

Eddie Clendening & The Blue Ribbon Boys w/ special guest Daddy Long Legs

Pictures from the last KCC

Tonight: Wild Yaks & McDonalds @ Union Pool; Ritz Riot @ Legion; Spirit Family Reunion & Morgan O'Kane @ Zebulon

Some of my favorite BK bands are all playing tonight.

Link:

Wild Yaks & McDonalds @ Union Pool

Spirit Family Reunion & Morgan O'Kane @ Zebulon

Ritz Riot @ Legion

Tonight: Spirit Family Reunion @ Brooklyn Bowl

The always awesome Spirit Family Reunion are opening for Greensky Bluegrass tonight at Brooklyn Bowl. The show is only $5.

Link:

SFR @ Brooklyn Bowl

Spirit Family Reunion Need A New Van

Spirit Family Reunion is in need of a trusty new van so they can hit the road this summer. They've created a Kickstarter page for the cause. You can help them out by contributing anywhere from $1 to $1,500. Contributors will be rewarded with things like a private concert, festival passes, lyric sheets and so on.

Link:

SFR Kickstarter

Spirit Family Reunion "Leave Your Troubles At The Gate" from Possum Den Productions on Vimeo.

Tonight: Spirit Family Reunion & Morgan O'Kane @ Rock Shop; Sundelles @ Ace Hotel; Ritz Riot & Unstoppable Death Machines @ Silent Barn

Despite it being a Sunday there's a shit load of good music tonight.

RSVP & Details:

SFR & Morgan O'Kane ($5)

Sundelles Record Release Party @ Ace Hotel (FREE)

Unstoppable Death Machines, Ritz Riot, Filthy Savage @ Silent Barn ($5)

Spirit Family Reunion - When My Name Is Spoken by BrooklynSkiClub

The Sundelles -- Gold by nikileighbuds

Fuck Yo Shoes (2011 Final) by Ritz Riot

Unstoppable Death Machines - Slumlord by BrooklynSkiClub

New Spirit Family Reunion Video + Tour Dates

We love Spirit Family Reunion and think they're one of the best bands in Brooklyn right now. They played the Brooklyn Ski Club Anniversary show, you might have been there.

Well, the Family has a new video for their song "100 Greenback Dollar Bills" which is one of my favorite tunes by the band. They're also hitting the road for a tour stretching all the way to Texas. 

Spirit Family Reunion "100 Greenback Dollar Bills" from Possum Den Productions on Vimeo.

Tour Dates:
3/2 - The Jalopy Theater, Brooklyn, NY
3/3 - The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
3/4 - Baltimore Free Farm, Baltimore, MD
3/5 - General Store Cafe, Pittsboro, NC
3/7 - WDVX Blue Plate Special, Knoxville, TN **live on-air at noon (wdvx.com)
3/7 - Preservation Pub Speakeasy, Knoxville, TN
3/8 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
3/9 - WRVU Delicious Elixir, Nashville, TN  **live on-air at noon (wrvu.org)
3/9 - Music City Roots from the Loveless Barn, Nashville, TN
3/10 - Music In The Hall, Oxford, MS
3/11 - The Blind Pig, Oxford, MS
3/12 - Government Street Grocery, Ocean Springs, MS
3/14 - Hi-Ho Lounge, New Orleans, LA
3/15 - Red Star Bar, Baton Rouge, LA
3/16 - Houston House Of Creeps, Houston, TX
3/17 - SXSW - Botticelli's, Austin, TX - 5pm
3/17 - SXSW - 2004 Willow street, Austin, TX - 9:15pm
3/18 - SXSW - Invisible Children Silver Series, Republic Square Park, Austin, TX - 3pm
3/18 - SXSW - The Mean Eyed Cat, Austin, TX - midnight
3/19 - Abita Opry, Abita Springs, LA
3/20 - AllWays Lounge, New Orleans, LA
3/21 - Sipsey Tavern, Birmingham, AL
3/22 - Town Pump Tavern, Black Mountain, NC
3/23 - The PinHook, Durham, NC
3/24 - Duke Coffeehouse, Durham, NC
3/25 - Blue Moon Diner, Charlottesville, NC
3/26 - Cafe NOLA, Fredricksburg, MD
3/27 - The Living Room, New York, NY
4/2 - MACRoCK, Harrisonburg, VA
4/4 - WNRN, Charlottesville, VA  **live on-air at 9am (wnrn.org)
4/8 - Black Swan, Tivoli, NY
4/9 - Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
4/10 - THE ROCK SHOP, BROOKLYN, NY

Impose Was At Our Party, "Highest Quality Show...This Year" (Photos)

On Saturday Brooklyn Ski Club threw it's 5 year anniversary party with The Beets, Wild Yaks, Gunfight!, Spirit Family Reunion and Raccoon Fighter at Don Pedro's. The show started around 9:30pm and it was packed all night long.

I was running around like a maniac the whole night making sure the bands were all set and the door had change and what not. But everyone else there seemed to be having a hell of a good time.

We started promoting the show very late. Hell, we didn't even announce two of the bands until 4 days before the party. Needless to say I was a little worried about the turn out. But damn! People came out of the woodwork for this one.

Impose Magazine sent one of their photographers to the party and he said it was "the highest quality show I've been to this year"! I would be proud to hear that if it was January 5th but to get a compliment like that with only 3 weeks left in 2010 - well shit! I'm blushing. Thank you for the kind words Impose. And thank you to all the bands that played and everyone that came out.

Link:

Impose Photo Set (15 Pics)

More Pics On Facebook

20 seconds of Spirit Family Reunion

Tonight: The Beets, Wild Yaks, Gunfight! Spirit Family Reunion, Raccoon Fighter @ Don Pedro's (BSC Anniversary Party)

Brooklyn Ski Club is celebrating 5 years tonight at Don Pedro's! The Beets, Wild Yaks, Gunfight!, Spirit Family Reunion and Raccoon Fighter are playing. Tom from Radio America is DJing. It will be $6 to get in and we've got drink specials all night. $1 & $2 beer 8:30-10pm plus combo deals all night.

We love you, come party with us. It will be totally awesome.

RSVP & More Info:

Brooklyn Ski Club 5 Year

Brooklyn Ski Club 5-Year Anniversary w/ The Beets, Wild Yaks, Gunfight!, Spirit Family Reunion + Raccoon Fighter

Details & RSVP:

Brooklyn Ski Club 5-Year

Tomorrow night Brooklyn Ski Club is celebrating 5 long and grueling years or party hopping, heavy drinking, bands, shitshows, dance parties, nudity and general debauchery. It's been rough but we've survived.

We've asked some of our favorite bands to come to Don Pedro's tomorrow night and celebrate with us. For a measly $6 you get to see The Beets, Wild Yaks, Gunfight!, Spirit Family Reunion and Raccoon Fighter. If someone else put that show together I would happily pay $10+ to see it and when you factor in the $1-$2 beers, well it's a steal! It will be sweaty and boozey and the next day you'll tell your friends who stayed home that they're huge assholes for missing it.

Lady Bree will be bartending, Impose Magazine will be photographing, Tom from Radio America will be DJing and I will be drunk...we all will be drunk.

Not convinced? Well, here are some other people & blogs that say you should be there:

• The Culture Of Me
• The Music Slut
• New York Rock Market
• Shaw Promotion
• Nicks & Dimes
• WFMU
• My Free Concert
• StereoactiveNYC
• Eardrum NYC
• Ode To Awe

But ultimately the reason to come out is the amazing bands. Brooklyn Ski Club turning 5 is just a great excuse to get some of my favorite bands in one room together. Hopefully you all will have as much fun as I will. 

The Beets

 The Beets - What Did I Do?  

Wild Yaks

 Wild Yaks - River May Come  

Gunfight!

 Gunfight! - Woof/Howl  

Spirit Family Reunion

 Spirit Family Reunion - 100 Greenback Dollar Bills 

Raccoon Fighter

 Raccoon Fighter - No Lover 

Spirit Family Reunion Playing Our Anniversary Party, Dec. 4th!

We told you guys to keep an ear out because we had some more bands to announce for our 5-year anniversary show. Well, here's another one for ya! The amazing Spirit Family Reunion will be joining the lineup (Wild Yaks, Gunfight!, Raccoon Fighter) this Saturday at Don Pedro's.

The very first band I saw after being bedridden for two months after my surgery was Spirit Family Reunion. I went to see Morgan O'Kane and these guys opened for him. I'd never even heard of them before that night but they've been one of my favorites ever since. The first show was a block away from my place but I dug them so much I crutched my way down to Zebulon a week later to see them again. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them in an intimate 50 person loft and it was killer.

Will there be more bands announced in the next few days? Maybe. I suggest you RSVP on the old Facebook page as we'll be updating there first.

Spirit Family Reunion - When My Name Is Spoken by BrooklynSkiClub

Spirit Family Reunion & Listenlisten Loft Show

On Tuesday (I know, sorry it took so long) I went to a private loft for a show that Spirit Family Reunion was playing. The loft was on S.5th and Bedford and you had to RSVP to get in. When I go there I chatted with the dude who lives there and was throwing the party. He said the show was the first of many to come. The loft space itself is huge room with a kitchen off to the side. It's a great spot for shows and can handle about 50 people or so pretty comfortably.

We got to the show kinda early and brought with us a bunch of Bud and a flask of vodka (it's BYOB). It was a little awkward at first because there weren't all that many people there and those who were there all seemed to know each other. That's what the booze is for though.

The first performance was by Redding Hunter (from Peter & The Wolf). He played most of the set solo and on piano with the occasional back up vocals by two girls standing by. It was good but I didn't love it. Towards the end he switched to guitar and played an absolutely amazing song. I'd see this guy all the time if the whole set was similar to that song.

Next up was a band all the way from Texas called listenlisten (yup, all lowercase and one word). They started off kinda rough but after the first song they hit their stride. Halfway through the set I made up my mind that not only did I like these guys but they're pretty damn good. The vocal harmonies were impressive to say the least. The music itself is kinda country but as Tom put it, "I feel like I'm about to go to battle at Gettysburg." And while that might not help out anyone reading this, if you were there you would agree with that statement.

After listenlisten we went for a bodega run and grabbed a couple of 40's of Bud. When we got back Spirit Family was started to get ready. I've seen SFR twice before and they were amazing both times. In the setting of a small loft I could only expect them to be even better. In my experience rowdy country in a Brooklyn loft means good times.

Spirit Family Reunion came out with guns blasting Tuesday night. The whole place erupted into a arm-hooking, foot-stompin' dance off. The stomping got so intense that the neighbors downstairs complained. So the band simply took off their shoes and the crowd followed suit. The dancing continued on, sans shoes.

Spirit Family Reunion is one of those bands who make you feel like your part of something bigger when you see them play. This might sound weird but their music really captures that raw feeling of being alive. Really! It's that feeling that you used to get all the time when you were a kid which has since become unfamiliar but all the more appreciated when you do feel it.

They played some of my favorites like "100 Greenback Dollar Bills" and "When My Name Is Spoken." Most of the crowd seemed to know at least the choruses to the songs so there were some nice country sing-a-long moments. The dancing never stopped until Spirit Family did and then the loft emptied out and the patrons went their separate ways. It was one hell of a show.

Spirit Family Reunion




listenlisten

Tonight: Spirit Family Reunion @ Living Room

Since you didn't get into the secret Yeah Yeah Yeahs' show why not check out something new? I highly recommend heading over to the Living Room tonight and catching Spirit Family Reunion. I've been raving about this band for about a month now and I'm not stopping any time soon. They're pretty young kids but they play country music that is so damn good and authentic that Hank Williams himself would have been dancing at their shows.

Spirit Family Reunion 

@ Living Room

10PM

FREE (I think)

Wanna read about the first time I saw these guys? You will dig these guys. I drug some friends who hate country to their last show and they loved them. It's damn near impossible not to love this band once you see them live.

Spirit Family Reunion Playing Tonight + MP3 (Free Download)

About a week ago I saw Spirit Family Reunion for the first time. They went from being completely off my radar to one of my favorite Brooklyn bands after only hearing one or two songs live. Tonight they're playing Zebulon in Brooklyn with Morgan O'Kane, who they played with last time. Morgan O'Kane is more than worth coming out for alone, the dude is brilliant on a banjo, so coupled with Spirit Family Reunion I don't think you can miss this shindig.

If you're a fan of Forest City, O'Death, The Goddamn Rattlesnake or any other Brooklyn band rooted in folk, bluegrass, country or any other Americana roots music you'll love this band. They have a way of taking you straight out of Brooklyn and bringing you right to Appalachia. Seeing Spirit Family Reunion live is like going on a 30-minute vacation to place where life is simple and sweet.

Link:

Spirit Family Reunion on MySpace

Morgan O'Kane & SFR @ Zebulon Event Page

MP3:

 Spirit Family Reunion - When My Name Is Spoken