BGS 5+5: Spirit Family Reunion

Artist: Spirit Family Reunion
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Mag, Kendo, Pank, Zuba, the Stiv.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

There are many treasured stage moments to choose from, like collaborating with some of the biggest inspirations for our band, but probably the most transformational moment was our first performance at the Newport Folk Fest on Sunday morning 2012. It’s hard to put into words what made that moment so special, but it was as if all these enormous things like years of passion, dedication, exhaustion, the music, which has a life of its own, the history of that festival, and so many more elements were all being crystalized into what felt like one single moment that was so extraordinarily palpable. It was a genuinely special moment that revealed the power in music. Both fleeting and eternally memorable.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be musicians?

We had been screwing around playing some haphazard late-night sets at a bar that a couple of us worked at. One weekend this guy Frankie from the bar invited us up to Saugerties, New York, to a big house he was looking after which belonged to the guy from Swans. We gathered some instruments and he put a microphone in front of us, and I think that was the first time we heard ourselves recorded. We maybe had one or two original songs at the time, but it gave us enough encouragement to put some real effort into this thing. We got a few more songs and a few more musicians, and all of a sudden we had ourselves a band.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

We usually eat a meal together before whatever is next. When our band was beginning we used to get together pretty regularly to make big family feasts. On the road a good meal can reach legendary status, and over the years we’ve gathered up some favored spots we always try to return to. A good meal has a special way of bringing people together.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Our band has always been guided by the social nature of music. We want to convey the energy and attitude of the good old stuff that pre-dates the record industry, while being genuine and relevant to ourselves today. The danger of looking back is to fetishize either through absolute preservation or appropriation. We are drawn to the raw, communal, rebellious spirit of the old music we love, and we want to translate that into our own original expression that is vibrant and alive right now. We want people to sing and dance who have no idea of the old stuff we’re referencing, and we want traditionalists to recognize that familiar essence in the music we’re making today.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

When we got to open for Pete Seeger in 2013 the organizer of the show said Pete requested Chinese food and asked if that was OK with us. We said whatever Pete wants is fine by us, but I think we were far too nervous to eat anything before the show that evening. Pete Seeger has always been a guiding light for our band and it was an unbelievable honor to join with him that night, cold leftovers and all.


Photo credit: Rakel Stammer

WATCH: Jon LaDeau, “Call My Name” (Feat. Hayley Thompson-King)

Artist: Jon LaDeau
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Call My Name” (feat. Hayley Thompson-King)
Album: Roads
Album release date: October 11, 2019

In Their Words: “‘Call My Name’ is the first single from my new album, Roads. It’s a duet with Hayley Thompson-King. I wanted to get the feeling across that a strong relationship with a close friend or family member or partner is such a special thing to have. You can always call on this person and they’ll be there. And they can call on you, no matter what.” — Jon LaDeau


Photo of Jon LaDeau by Brian Geltner
Album cover image credit: Jon LaDeau, Brian Geltner, Alyssa Kriner

LISTEN: Kevin Daniel, “Time to Rise”

Artist: Kevin Daniel
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Time to Rise”
Album: Things I Don’t See
Release Date: July 12, 2019 (single)

In Their Words: “I wrote the first draft of ‘Time to Rise’ at my hotel in Nashville during AmericanaFest in 2018. My friend and I were riffing and he gave me a word to rhyme. That word was ‘apologize’ and then a song came out, which I worked on over the next few months. It features Shannon Soderlund from Punch The Sun on vocals, singing into a super vintage RCA mic from the 50s. We met at a random show in NYC and she’s so good, I just had to have her sing.” — Kevin Daniel


Photo credit: Robbie Quinn

LISTEN: Ruby Landen, “Rock”

Artist: Ruby Landen
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Rock”
Album: Meditation Sounds (EP)
Release Date: June 21, 2019

In Her Words: “I recently unearthed the lyrics to this song and put them to music. I wrote this after a breakup and then couldn’t play it for a few years because of feelings and stuff. At the time, I was feeling all kinds of guilt for not being able to be what this particular person thought I was and should be. [I] was expected to be unconditionally supportive without reciprocation, which is where the whole rock metaphor started. In other words, it’s a breakup song — but I learned a lot about rocks in the process.” — Ruby Landen


Photo credit: Angela Scileppi

LISTEN: Liz Vice, “It Was Good”

Artist: Liz Vice
Hometown: Portland, Oregon (currently Brooklyn, New York)
Song: “It Was Good”
Release Date: Single — May 31, 2019

In Their Words: “We are more alike than different. I like to erase the line between the stage and the audience by bringing some people on stage (when possible). When I perform ‘It Was Good,’ I always break the ice by saying this is my ‘Make America Great Again’ song. The crowd reaction is about 50/50 haha. My hope is to transport the audience back to a time, that I believe describes the creation of the world and humans in a poetic way; a short time of innocence before humans decided to play god and draw the line between good and evil/’us vs. them.’ If I only have 5 minutes to remind a group of people that they are made from love to love freely, then I hope ‘It Was Good’ does the job and in the process, through their faces, I, too, am reminded to love.” — Liz Vice


Photo credit: Chimera Rene

LISTEN: Damn Tall Buildings, “I’ll Be Getting By”

Artist: Damn Tall Buildings
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “I’ll Be Getting By”
Album: Don’t Look Down
Release Date: June 7, 2019

In Their Words: “‘I’ll Be Getting By’ harkens to a summer day, almost assuredly finding yourself in a boat on a river. You glance at the wake behind you, unable to prevent memories flooding back from miles upstream. You reach into the water and realize the very same river slipping quickly through your fingers is faithfully carrying you with it. As the river and you barrel forward together, time’ll get you where you’re going whether you think it’s wasted or not.” — Avery ‘Montana’ Ballotta, Damn Tall Buildings


Photo attached: Scott McCormick

Jam in the Van: The Brother Brothers

BGS is pleased to partner with our friends at Jam in the Van to premiere two live videos from The Brother Brothers, a Brooklyn-based duo known for stunning harmony and sharp songwriting. Check out “Frankie” and “Ocean’s Daughter” from their latest album, Some People I Know.

WATCH: Mike Robinson, “Can’t Come Home”

Artist: Mike Robinson
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Can’t Come Home”
Album: Clevidence

In Their Words: “‘Can’t Come Home’ was written in hotels across the country. Moving from place to place both exciting and isolating for me. This seems pretty obvious and of course I was expecting to feel homesick while touring, but I was still taken by surprise by how profound loneliness can get. I turned to songwriting to try and detail the specific feelings. Luckily enough for me, the low points were infrequent enough that I could just feel them pass over me and come out unscathed.” — Mike Robinson


Photo credit: Justin Camerer

LISTEN: Kora Feder, “He Wants to Live Forever”

Artist: Kora Feder
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “He Wants to Live Forever”
Album: In Sevens
Release Date: April 2nd (album) / March 26 (single)

In Their Words: “My grandfather is 92 and still cooking amazing meals, going on hikes, reading book after article after book, and enjoying as many sunsets as he possibly can. He’s always been one of the most curious, philosophical, and hilarious people in my life. I wrote this after a conversation with him where, in an usually serious moment, he expressed his sadness that he would never read his grandkids’ biographies. I hope it speaks to anyone who’s ever lost someone, or has someone they never want to lose.” — Kora Feder


Photo credit: Grace Finlayson

LISTEN: Steph Jenkins, “California”

Artist: Steph Jenkins
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “California”
Album: End to End
Release Date: Oct. 5, 2018

In Her Words: “This song is a pretty straightforward lament of a loved one leaving New York, and moving to California. The conceit of this video is pretty simple: sad, solo beach party in the snow. On a bitterly cold day in March, co-director Tim McAleer and I took the subway pilgrimage through Brooklyn to Coney Island, got a Nathan’s hot dog, and I did my best to be festive on a blustery day.

“I’m primarily a clawhammer banjo player, so this song represents a bit of a departure for me, and became a layered ensemble piece in the studio. The sensitive playing of Ben Cosgrove on piano, Aaron Shafer-Haiss on percussion, Ethan Jodziewicz on bass, and Luke Schneider on pedal steel, made for a wistful, beachy number, which I hope will lure listeners gently back into the crisp fall weather.” —Steph Jenkins


Photo credit: Tim McAleer