Soundcheck at Shea
Shea Stadium, which name takes after the New York Met's former ballpark, was a unique DIY music venue in New York's Brooklyn that doubled as a recording studio. Concerts of an eclectic variety took place here nightly, inviting New York City's plethora of local rising talent. In collaboration with Shea, a new series of pre-show soundcheck session took place, featuring select artists playing gigs there. Check out these exclusive live sessions here.
Twiga is a band with some good ol' upbeat and poppy rock music. Before their show at Shea, frontman Dave Lucas and guitar-mate Justin Krim took the stage to play a couple songs. Dave laid down the foundation with catchy vocals and bright rhythmic guitar, while Justin layered his own color in there that varied from melodic licks to deep droning effects. In just 2 songs, they managed to pull off a sound with variety. Take a listen for yourself!
It isn't easy to categorize any music nowadays and Kyle Duke is no exception. Upon first listen, the band's single Pipe Dream sounds a bit vintage with some phased guitar and fun melodies to easily groove to, but an effects-laden cello and a group singalong chorus certainly shakes things up! They even go with a speedier tempo in this live version, giving the song quite a different feel. Definitely go and enjoy both versions.
Right away, one can tell Stello is a young man who lives rock and roll. His sound is hard to describe, but it certainly takes from several different genres and eras, yet maintains an essence that shows his knack for writing tasteful songs. During soundcheck, he goes solo with a couple songs that exemplifies the beautiful simplicity of a guy and his electric guitar.
Grit is a good word for the alternative sound Silverteeth brings to the scene. They certainly didn't hold back in this soundcheck session of their song Train. Gabriela leads the way with a calm and cool combo of voice and bass, Bill provides plenty of guitar feedback and licks, and Tom drives it home with pounding drums. A fitting title for a fun ride. Hop on!
Lily Mastrodimos of Long Neck was not even scheduled for a soundcheck session, but she didn't hesitate to jump in when she was asked to last minute. What a treat it is then to capture this. She performs here Broken Ring, a song with a fun guitar picking rhythm that nicely complements the easygoing nature of her voice. The stripped-down sound instantly feels approachable - like being part of an intimate conversation. Listen in.
With reverb-y guitars and bare vocals, Lina brings an intimate and honest indie folk sound good for some sit-back listening. For the stage, she and her bandmate Ty maintain this simplicity, as heard in this session of her song Perfect. Perfect.
Bethlehem Steel
There is some fuzzy scruffy indie punk going on here. Led by singer/guitarist Rebecca Ryskalczyk, the aptly-named Bethlehem Steel comprises of an energetic, raw rock sound. Before the band's gig at Shea, she went solo during soundcheck, which proved to be quite contrasting to the full band's loud sound, but it somehow still works. She performs here the songs Deep Back and Kolonopinterest.
Long Beard
Leslie Bear is the creative mind behind Long Beard and even though she does not sport hair on her face, she does bring a delicate sound that the ears easily welcome. At Shea, she performed a solo gig with an electric guitar, but not before sharing one of her tracks, Porch, during soundcheck.
Ben Seretan
With unusual song titles such as I Like Your Size and In A Twin Bed, one can't possibly predict what sort of music to expect from Ben Seretan. Turns out, such tunes are of the pleasant and intricate variety that subtly expresses a certain beauty through ringing jangly guitar parts and inviting soft vocals from Ben. He and his lap steel bandmate strip down their band setup during Soundcheck to play these tracks.