RSVP HERE: Bad Waitress play Mercury Lounge + MORE

Welcome to our weekly show recommendation column RSVP HERE – your source for the best NYC shows and interviews with some of our favorite local live bands.

photo credit: Michael Amaral

I first heard about Bad Waitress from a friend who described their live set as “a 100mph party train ride,” and they have been on my radar to see their next grand return to NYC ever since. Hailing from Toronto, ON, Bad Waitress are Canada’s premiere alt-punk party band consisting of Kali-Ann Butala (vox/guitar), Katelyn Molgard (guitar), Nicole Cain (bass) and Eva Moon (drums). Today they have released “That Sedative,” their first single and video since 2018 (watch below), and this week they will be rocking NYC at Mercury Lounge on January 22nd with Castle Rat and Old Lady. We chatted with them about their experiences touring in the US vs. Canada and their upcoming trip to Las Vegas.

AF: What is the difference between touring in Canada vs touring the US?

BW: US has shorter drives… and a lot of signs for selling fireworks and Jesus.

AF: What are your favorite cities to play in the US and Canada? What’s the craziest drive you’ve ever done on tour? Craziest tour story in general?

BW: It’s hard to choose really! Every city has its own place in our hearts but so far Detroit, Brooklyn, and Montreal have been major highlights. Our craziest drive hands down was straight from Toronto to Saskatoon which lasted 32 hours. Still have nightmares of that… woof!

We have so many crazy stories. One that sticks out is the mysterious black eye Kali got after our weekend playing Fest in Gainesville. Still don’t know to this day! Playing Crystal Lake fest two years ago was insane too. Katelyn met a woman who was former world champion body builder and ended up crashing at a Christian retreat owned by said body builder’s father while Kali disappeared into the woods while on acid to softly fall asleep in a nest of pine needles.

AF: You’re playing Punk Rock Bowling festival in Las Vegas next May. What bands are you most excited to see? 

BW: We’re definitely stoked for Lunachicks. They are clearly a huge inspiration for our drummer Eva’s fashion sense. Haha. Also Cock Sparrer and Propaghandi.

AF: What other plans do you have for 2020 post-record release?

BW: We are playing at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan January 22 and also playing New Colossus in Brooklyn in March as well as SXSW and Pouzza in Montreal! So much to do!

RSVP HERE for Bad Waitress, Castle Rat, and Old Lady @ Mercury Lounge on 1/22. 21+ / $10 / Early Show (6:30pm)

More great shows this week:

1/17 Big Bliss, Parlor Walls, Painted Zeros, Free $$$ @ Alphaville. 21+ / $10-12 RSVP HERE

1/18 Nation of Language, Lou Tides, and Cutouts @ Baby’s All Right. 21+ / $10-12 RSVP HERE

1/18 NY Night Train Soul Clap & Dance-Off with Jonathan Toubin and Lenny Kaye @ Market Hotel. All Ages / $10 RSVP HERE

1/18 The Hum Presents: Greta Kline (of Frankie Cosmos), Jillian Medford (of Ian Sweet), Emily Yacina @ National Sawdust. 21+ / $18 RSVP HERE

1/18 YACHT, Juiceboxxx @ Rough Trade. 21+ / $17-20 RSVP HERE.

1/19 Caroline Polachek (solo keyboard set + signing) @ Rough Trade. All Ages / Free / 2pm / RSVP HERE

1/21 Frankie Rose, Brandy @ Union Pool. 21+ / Free RSVP HERE

1/23 Water From Your Eyes, Sean Henry, Shadow Year, Sourdoe @ Trans-Pecos. All Ages / $10 RSVP HERE 

 

RSVP HERE: New Myths Play Our Wicked Lady + More

Welcome to our weekly show recommendation column RSVP HERE – your source for the best NYC shows and interviews with some of our favorite local live bands.

New Myths are a Brooklyn-based alt rock power pop trio comprised of Brit Boras (guitar/lead vocals), Rosie Slater (drums/vocals), and Marina Ross (bass/vocals). In 2019 they released three new singles (including a cover of “Unbelievable” by EMF), made two music videos, and  went on tour with The Joy Formidable. I saw a lot of great New Myths shows last year, but my favorites were their direct support slot for Crazy Town at Sunnyvale and their Halloween cover set as The Go-Go’s, where they dressed as The Beauty and The Beat album cover, complete with their hair wrapped in towels and white face paint to look like face masks. Their first show of the decade is on 1/6 at Our Wicked Lady with Looms, Jelly Kelly, and Color Tongue, and we chatted with them about their favorite gas station food, Brooklyn bands and future plans.

AF: How did you meet? What was the first movie you all watched together?

Brit Boras: We met a long time ago individually – Marina and I went to middle and high school together and were on the same school bus, but didn’t become friends till after high school. Rosie and I met at music school; we were two of only like six females in the whole program which is part of why I really wanted to start a band together. Also ironically, Marina and Rosie played in a band together throughout high school. I don’t know if we’ve ever watched an entire movie together honestly… If the three of us are in a room together we are usually chatting, writing, rehearsing, recording, playing shows, or dancing.

Rosie Slater: Marina and I had been playing together in another band through high school and college, and then Brit and I went to college together. I’m not sure what movie? We talked about Spinal Tap a lot?

AF: Who are your favorite Brooklyn bands to play with? Who is your favorite band that you opened for?

MR: Oh my god, Wet Leather, Jelly Kelly, Ash Jesus, Mother Feather, Yella Belly, Power Snap, Lola Pistola, Desert Sharks, Catty, Max Pain and the Groovies…we’re just surrounded by endlessly talented people.

BB: All of the above plus Darkwing, Grim Streaker, Monograms, Stuyedeyed, Sharkmuffin, Slow Caves… My favorite bands that we’ve opened for are Metric, Warpaint, and The Joy Formidable.

RS: My favorites are Jelly Kelly, Wet Leather, Sharkmuffin, and The Muckers! Opening for Metric was wild… I’ve been a huge fan since high school.

AF: What are your favorite gas station snacks? 

MR: Smart Food popcorn, git OUTTA here with anything else.

RS: Peanut M&Ms and the red Doritos.

BB: Cheetos, Cheez-Its, Goldfish all the way. Basically anything with cheese…

AF: I love your cover of “Unbelievable.” Why did you decide on that one and are there any other covers you plan on recording?

RS: Thank you! “Unbelievable” kind of just happened… Brit suggested it when we were in the studio recording something else, and Marina and I were super into it but thinking about making it really sludgy and then we recorded it the next day! There may be some other top secret covers coming soon…. maybe!

MR: It was the one we were all stoked about! Years and years of middle of the night texts of “Wouldn’t it be funny if we covered…” and this was the one we were all, like, yah…yah, that would be sick.

BB: Yeah we were in the process of recording our original songs and I was listening to “Unbelievable” on the way to the recording studio, thought it’d be a cool cover, brought it up to Marina and Rosie, they suggested we slow it down and sludge it up, we worked on it, and then recorded it the next day. We are in the process of recording another cover but that is in the vault for now!

AF: What were your favorite moments of the past decade and what are your plans for 2020 and beyond?

MR: Christ, there’s so many good ones. Our first show ever was of course one of my faves – opening for Lucius at Cameo Gallery. We played a street fair in Worcester YEARS ago which has grown to be one of my favorite moments because we still to this day get support from them and everyone has just been lovely. Watching Metric up close and personal after opening for them at Music Hall of Williamsburg was amazing. There are so many “moments” that I love so much that are so small but so indescribable.

BB: Yeah this decade has been really fun. I love the weird shows; dressing up in towels and face masks and performing as The Go-Go’s for Halloween was super fun. SXSW festival is always a blast to play every time. Going on tour with Cindy Wilson of the B-52s and The Joy Formidable were also times I’ll never forget. We have a lot of new music that’s still unreleased so we are looking forward to putting those out. A new music video and single are currently in the works. We’re playing Treefort Festival in Boise Idaho in March which I’m really looking forward to as well.

RS: The last decade was a doozy! I don’t know if there’s anything specifically planned except to keep doing what we love, making music, and seeing what happens next!

RSVP HERE for New Myths, Looms, Jelly Kelly, and Color Tongue @ Our Wicked Lady Monday 1/6. 21+ / $10

More great shows this week:

1/3 AVSE, Pocket Protector, Holy Tunics, Monster Furniture @ Gutter Bar. 21+ / $8 RSVP HERE

1/3 Colleen Green, Unkle Funkle, Free Weed, Cassie Ramone (DJ) @ Alphaville. 21+ /$15-$17 RSVP HERE

1/3 Deitre, Shadow Monster, Castle Rat, Johnny Dynamite @ The Broadway. 21+ / $12 RSVP HERE

1/4 2nd Annual DIY Band Lottery @ EWEL. $5 RSVP HERE

1/4 Shelter Dogs, The Next Great American Novelist, Wave, The Unders @ The Gutter. 21+ / $5 RSVP HERE

1/4 Duke of Vandals, Darkwing, Shred Flintstone @ Our Wicked Lady. 21+ / $10 RSVP HERE

1/7 Best Baby, Jess of High Waisted (DJ Set), Tenderheart Btches, Jeerleader @ Knitting Factory. 21+ / $10-12 RSVP HERE

1/8 Shop Talk, MPHO, No Ice @ Our Wicked Lady. 21+ / $10 RSVP HERE

1/9 Toth, Mal Devisa, Beau @ Rough Trade. 21+ / $16 RSVP HERE