Practice makes OK: The Planes, HBR, and Beatalic Cats.

Greetings dear readers! For this interview, we're talking to Stephen Perry from The Planes. "Wait!" you might say, "isn't that your band?" Well, it is... I tried interviewing myself, but it was coming off more like a cross between Mao's little red book and the Unabomber manifesto, so I decided it would be best to get a hand from Marisha, formerly of the band Corita. I must apologize for the goddamn novels I wrote for some of the answers, but I've been tapping into the writing part of my brain lately, and it's a well that is not easily capped. Marisha was a good sport though, here's the transcript:

Hearts Bleed Radio (Marisha): So, you have a fantastic showcase coming up on Friday. Tell me about the Northside Festival showcase for HBR.

Stephen: Well, it's mostly a bunch of friends bands that I wanted to get together on the same bill. Mostly catchy indie bands, all of whom are excellent performers. The Planes played a super fun showcase with Crazy Pills last year, so I wanted to get them again. Quiet Loudly is a blast to see live, really dynamically good set, poppy, but you can also get a chance to zone out with them. Mount Sharp has a kinda songwriter plus loud dissonant guitar thing, that a sonic youth like myself really digs. pow wow! might be one of the best bands in the city when they really nail it, like, any fan of rock would like them. And lastly, we were fortunate to get Queens natives, The Beets, to round out the bill. They haven't been playing to much recently, and they are kinda getting back into things, so we're super excited.

HBR: Crazy Pills are amazing! It's a really strong line up you've got on a Friday night. You guys are creating a supportive community of bands that tend to curate a lot of interesting shows in Brooklyn on a pretty regular basis. What are some of your favorite venues to play?

Stephen: Venue wise, there are three who have been very friendly to HBR and The Planes... For starters, Matchless, where we're throwing the show. Nice, tight, small room, bar in the band room (key), good food, outdoor area, good location. Cake Shop, has been very kind also, probably the last spot in Manhattan that small bands love to play (not to diss Bowery Electric, but I've never played there). And lastly Grand Vic, where we're doing a showcase on 8/1. Jeremy is a super nice guy and I recommend everyone stops by on a slow night and has a beer with him. Also, we haven't played Fort Useless yet, but we will on 7/13, and we're pumped, 'cause we've been going to shows there forever and what they do is so true to the DIY spirit and the community spirit of indie.

HBR: Fort Useless, Matchless and Grand Victory are great places for live music in an intimate space. I am a major fan of Cake Shop for all of Andy Bodes's ideals, high standards and good taste, all around a great place.

Stephen: I'd take a full room over a big room any day, haha. Legion has been good to us too, and they are super tiny.

I lost those aviators after this shoot. If anyone finds a pair on Meserole Street, hit me up.

Can't cancel this Fleet Week... Talking with Paper Fleet! w/UPDATE

 UPDATE 5/26:  Help Paper Fleet duplicate their new album!

The third Hearts Bleed Radio Showcase Extravaganza is rapidly approaching! Friday, May 17th at Matchless in Brooklyn! Opening up the show is a great local band by the name of Paper Fleet. I sat down with Jon Mann (guitar/), Jim Campbell (bass, vox), and Josh Inman (drums, vox) and talked a little shop. Here's the interview, enjoy!


Hearts Bleed Radio: OK, so you guys have been together since 2008? What was the original lineup?

Jim: Me and Josh, then we added John Ter Louw.

Josh: Actually, Jim and I started Paper Fleet in 2003.

HBR: Wow, so TEN years ago!

Jim: Is that right? 10 years? I have to look that up.

Jon: That's what you dudes told me, haha. 2003.

Josh: I wish I had a better memory for dates, we could have a big anniversary show!

HBR: Ten years, I think it's OK to just guess.

Jon: It's nuts to me to think I've been in the band for five years, honestly.

HBR: When did Jon Mann join the band?

Josh: I think he joined in 2008.

Jon: Well, I moved to Brooklyn in 2007, and it wasn't long after that. Officially, it might've been 2007.

Jim: I have an email here from Jon in 2007.

Josh: It's been a while.

Jon: Jim and Josh posted a craigslist ad under the subject line "Adequate Guitarist Wanted."

HBR: Nice, save that email for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Jon: Woah! If you have the response to that email, I'd be really interested in reading it, haha.

Jim: Unfortunately he started getting good after he joined the band.

Jon: I blame you guys.

HBR: So you have a couple of recordings up on Bandcamp, some with Ter Louw on bass, and newer ones with James Blood, but now you're a trio. Why make the switch?

Josh: Jon Ter Louw quit the band shortly after Jon (Mann) joined up.

Jon: Yeah, he got a job and had a kid around the same time.

HBR: Well, you can't have two Jons, right? It's bad luck...

Jim: We did pretty okay with 2 Jons/johns. We called them Johnny T and Jonmann to avoid confusion. He (Ter Louw) started a family and moved to New Jersey. Hard to practice.

HBR: But still, you have Blood on bass after that?

Jon: And then James (Blood) is just another busy dude. He was working on a comedy film with a buddy of ours, and they do digital comedy shorts online, on top of his job. He also DJs. It's probably sort of surprising he stuck around as long as he did.

Josh: James Blood had a lot of other stuff going on, he started shooting a film and was doing Drunk Talk Show.

Jon: Yeah, that's their comedy thing: www.drunktalkshow.com 

Paper Fleet in ACTION!

All Forces ready for action!

Hey everyone!  Hope you're enjoying the weekend. I think Spring has finally sprung in New York City, and I'm totally ready to go on a long walk as soon as I get this post up. All Forces (formerly Gold Streets) is playing the Hearts Bleed Radio showcase on 5/8/13 at Cake Shop, along with LUFF, Big Quiet, and Corita. The band consists of Norman Vino (guitar/vox), T Almy (drums/vox), Gizella Otterson (bass), and Johnnie Wang (guitar/vox). I sat down with Norm via Facebook chat.  Here's the transcript:


Hearts Bleed Radio: I think Gold Streets was one of the first really good small bands I saw when I moved to NYC in like, 2007. You guys were a three-piece for years. When did the band start?

Norm: About 8 years ago... I hadnt been in a band since college and was desperately looking for some kind of creative outlet... And started replying to a bunch of different Craigslist ads. Everything from singer songwriter stuff to metal, to whatever... Really just to see how I measured up... Met some really crazy people and found myself physically scared a couple of times...

HBR: Haha, yeah... There are some weirdos on the olde CL. But eventually you ended up meeting T and Gizella?

Norm: Yep. Just listed a bunch of stuff I was into.... Everything from The Pixies to Apex Twin and met a couple of great musicians. Then Gizella answered and it turned out that she worked around the corner from me in Manhattan... We wound up jamming for a couple of months once a week and new right away that we were creatively compatible. We're both self taught musicians and right of the bat were coming up with some really fun stuff.

HBR: So fast forward to the near present, you added Johnnie Wang on guitar... What led to his addition?

Norm: We've been friends for years upstate... Fell out of touch for a while, then linked up for a few shows in New Paltz. He wound up moving to Brooklyn and we decided to have him jam with us, then guest with us for a few live shows. And then one thing led to another. We started writing together. He has an amazing ear and is a fantastic guitar player. Way more technically fluent then Gizella and I.

All Forces prepare for the photo shoot...

A Farewell to Brooklyn's Corita

Monday evening I had the pleasure of Gchatting with Marisha (guitar/vox) from the band Corita.  She, along with Eleanor (guitar/vox), Aileen (bass/vox), and Nick (drums), will be closing out the 5/8/13 Hearts Bleed Radio show at Cake Shop.  We're are super excited to have them on the bill, but before we got to talking music, we felt it necessary to tackle the day's depressing news...   

Hearts Bleed Radio: Hey. Crazy shit today, huh?

Marisha:  Yeah, it's so sad and weird. WTF? I had a friend I just discovered was running the marathon, a girl from my college radio station. But she's OK. And I felt a little freaked out, working across the street from the Empire State Bldg and passing under GCT twice a day on the subway.

HBR:  I remember like, watching the marathon as a kid. It's like someone bombed the Macy's Thanksgivings Day parade to me. Did you see a lot of cops and security around today?

Marisha:  Kind of. I heard a lot of helicopters hovering around. I felt a little on edge anytime I heard a siren. I lived in NYC during 9/11 so I get a little flashbacky.

HBR:  All my Bostonian friends are accounted for, I think... The nice thing about Facebook is that like, the second it happened, everyone started popping up in my news feed, "I'm OK, I'm OK."

Marisha:  Oh OK. Yeah social media really makes everything immediate. Good and bad news. I'm glad all of your friends are safe and alright.

HBR: I mean, I guess we'll get past it.

Marisha:  I also stayed in that area during a conference so I know exactly where that is. Yes, the news cycle moves all too quick...

HBR:  Glad all your people are ok too.... Yeah, it's a pretty centralized and populated area.

Marisha:  Thanks. The interview hasn't started yet, has it?

HBR:  I don't know. I think we should include some of that, like, it feels better than just ignoring it.

Marisha:  Ok, sure. It's not something to ignore, surely all of these things make up the collective unconscious, or what's on our minds. you can't ignore context of something like this happening in the world on a certain day and time and part of the world.

HBR:  It's kinda how everyone's conversations are starting today. But let's get to band stuff.

Marisha:  Of course. Now on to more happy thoughts.

Corita will let you continue down the hall...  If you can answer a riddle.

HBR:  Corita has a familiar texture to it. How would you describe your sound? I see it as kinda a quasi-shoegaze indie-pop. Or whatever that means.

Marisha:  That sounds accurate to me. I think some of the pedals we've sought out are an intention to pay homage to the bands we love and shoegaze is certainly among our influences but not all of it. And most of us have a love of indiepop or some kind of indiepop upbringing.