photos by Tim Griffin

Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At The Drive In @ RED 7 on 4/9

As you know from a post with the setlist last night which was followed up this morning with a set of pictures on BV Austin, At The Drive-In played a show! As it says on BV Austin:

After an opening set by Zechs Marquise, At the Drive-In played their first show since 2001 (as it said on the show poster) at Red 7 in Austin last night (4/9). It was also the first in a series of pre-Coachella warm up shows that continue in Dallas (tonight) and then Marfa.

According to show promoter Transmission Entertainment, the surprise gig sold out in 11 minutes after being announced via Twitter the other day. In addition to all those packed inside, there were many listening from the alley outside. Though some complained that Omar Rodriguez Lopez seemed a bit out of it (update: his mother recently passed away), the band was generally high energy with Cedric hanging from the rafters of the newly refurbished club, and the crowd going insane.

Continue reading "more pics of At The Drive-In's Austin reunion show @ Red 7"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Small Factory - Merry Go Round (MP3)

If you didn't get tickets to the opening night (4/10) of the chickfactor 20th anniversary shows at the Bell House but would still like to see Small Factory play in New York, they're playing Cake Shop on Friday, April 13 with Air Waves.

One of the quintessential '90s indiepop bands, Small Factory formed in 1991 in Providence, RI and released two albums before breaking up in 1995. The record to seek out, however, is their 1996 singles comp The Industrial Evolution that culls the trio's many 7" from such labels as Slumberland, Bus Stop, Simple Machines and Pop Narcotic which really exemplifies the band's happy-sad folk pop style. You can download "Merry Go Round" (from one of their Slumberland singles) at the top of this post.

The first two nights of the chickfactor anniversary fest are sold out but you can still get tickets to the Thursday, April 12 night featuring Stevie Jackson, Honey Bunch, the Pines, The Softies and "special guests" not yet announced.

by BBG

Kiss it Goodbye was a hardcore band from Seattle, Washington, USA that existed from 1997 - 1998.
After leaving the New Jersey band Deadguy, vocalist Tim Singer and guitarist Keith Huckins moved on to form Kiss it Goodbye with bassist Thom Rusnack and drummer Andrew Gormley. Huckins, Rusnack and Gormley were already familiar musically as they had all previously performed together in the New Jersey band Rorschach.-[wiki]

Still no word on a Deadguy reunion either, but a girl can dream, can't she?

UPDATE: A former member of the band has stated that both Keith Huckins and Andrew Gormley (both also of Rorschach) are NOT part of the KiG 2012 lineup. Bummer.

Continue reading "Kiss it Goodbye reuniting for a string of West Coast shows (UPDATED)"

by Bill Pearis

And the '90s reunions just keep coming! that dog. will play their first NYC show in 15 years on Thursday, May 24 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Their old pal Fred Armisen will open. Tickets are on sale this Friday (3/9) at noon (though AmEx presale starts today at noon).

The progeny of LA music biz folks, that dog. formed in 1991 and released three albums of poppy punk, distinguished in part by Petra Haden's scratchy violin playing. "He's Kissing Christian" and "Never Say Never" were staples on alt-rock radio and 120 Minutes. that dog. was put to sleep in 1997 after their third album but the original line-up got back together last August for two sold out hometown shows at the Troubador. Catch up via Spotify or watch a few of their classic videos (some directed by pal Spike Jonze) at the bottom of this post.

Continue reading "that dog. playing Music Hall of Williamsburg in May"

by BBG

Dennis of Refused on stage with Invasionen at by:Larm (more by BBG)

Many thought that Refused would never reunite, so it seems appropriate that before hitting Coachella, the band would play their first show since 1998 on leap day (aka Feb 29th, yesterday). Check out videos and the setlist from the surprise gig at Scharinska in Umea, Sweden, below.

Refused are set to play Coachella as well as two sold-out nights at Terminal 5 in NYC. Ceremony, who recently started streaming their new LP, and are playing the BV/Power of The Riff show at SXSW, is on board for the second NYC date (no opener yet on the first).

All Refused tour dates with the setlist and videos below...

Continue reading "Refused reunited at a surprise show in Sweden last night (video, setlist)"

by BBG

Porcell of BOLD on stage with Youth of Today (more by Jason House)

NYHC greats BOLD will apparently reform to play Lit Lounge tomorrow night (2/29) as part of a showcase that will also feature "Navegante (Electronic/Funk), Young Gliss (Hip Hop/ Rock), Meridian (New Age Rhythm Blues), ZAKEE (Alternative/Soul/Hip Hop), and The Better Letters (Rockabilly/Pop/Funk)." Interesting. BOLD 2012 is reportedly their original lineup, with "Zulu, Matt, Drew, Tim and Porcell" all on board. Check out the flyer below.

With the NYC show that makes three total Bold dates, with the second and third being the now-sold-out Revelation Anniversary Shows on 6/8 - 6/10 in California (Bold plays the first two).

In related news, Youth of Today will play Black & Blue Bowl at Webster Hall this year and Punk Rock Bowling. Full Punk Rock Bowling lineup, NYC show flyer and some BOLD video, below....

Continue reading "BOLD reunites again, playing Lit Lounge WEDNESDAY"

by BBG

OKAY MOTHERFUCKERS - DIE KREUZEN PLAYING MAY 26 TURNER HALL. BE THERE.

Die Kreuzen (pronounced Dee-Kroytzen) was a rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin which was formed in 1981.... They began as a hardcore punk group and rapidly became a source of inspiration for a wide range of alternative rock musicians, including Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Voivod, Drive Like Jehu, Alice In Chains, and Neurosis. -[Wiki]

Continue reading "Die Kreuzen reuniting for a show in their native Milwaukee"

Speaking of Australian bands....

feedtime was an independent postpunk rock trio from Sydney, Australia, formed in 1979... [who] made four albums in the 1980s... The second album, Shovel, received the greatest critical acclaim. The last of these four albums, Suction, was produced by Butch Vig.
feedtime's sound was loud, primitive, and brutal. The most distinctive musical element is thick, roaring electric guitar, played with a slide, over a thick, chugging rhythm section. Their loud but stripped-down, minimalist approach led them to be compared to the British postpunk band Wire (although feedtime didn't know Wire's music), but feedtime's sound also heavily referenced rural American country and blues. -[Wikipedia]

The dates include a trio of NYC area gigs: Brooklyn gets Death By Audio on 3/29, Manhattan has Cake Shop on 3/31, and NJ gets the look at Maxwells on 4/1. Advance tickets are available for Maxwell's.

The tour is timed to coincide with the release of their new 4xLP/4CD boxset, the Aberrant years, due on March 13th via Sub Pop. Order yours.

"With the Aberrant years, Sub Pop finally realizes our goal of releasing feedtime, a longtime staff favorite and a huge influence on the label's early artistes. From 1978 or 1979 (dates are hazy) until the breakup of their classic lineup in 1989, Sydney, Australia's feedtime--no, that's not a typo, the 'f' is lowercase--shoved their mutant fusion of early American blues, stripped-down hard rock and minimalist punk on an often-hostile music scene. Their raw vision of rock music and disdain for trendy music-biz maneuvering earned them little in the way of mainstream success, but it did get them a rabid underground following (notably Sub Pop's very own Mudhoney) and the support of seminal Aussie indie label Aberrant Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records and Rough Trade US...."

Continue reading "feedtime releasing boxset, announce reunion tour (dates)"

Good things come to those who wait, and in this case its TWO Codeine shows in NYC as part of a short run of North American dates! Tickets go on sale Friday for July 15th at Le Poisson Rouge, and tickets go on sale the same day (2/24) at noon for their June 29th show at Bell House. Support details are still forthcoming.

The band, who announced their reunion and intent to play the US, are also on board for a show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago as well as an ATP I'll Be Your Mirror event in the UK, one in Tokyo, Primavera Sound, and a bunch of other European shows which coincide with a slate of reissues due via The Numero Group.

All dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Codeine announce 2012 Tour Dates, 2 NYC shows"

Things got a little worse for the reunited Black Sabbath who are already struggling with Tony Iommi's ongoing battle with lymphoma. The band, who is reportedly working on new material and are scheduled to begin touring in May, received an open letter from original drummer Bill Ward who is unahppy with the band's insistence that he sign an "unreasonable contract" (again). He swears though that his "position is not greed-driven." and that he's "not holding out for a 'big piece' of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal." Read it in full below...

Continue reading "Bill Ward threatening to back out of Black Sabbath reunion"

Surprised we are not, but we are excited to exclusively announce that Refused have added ANOTHER NYC show at Terminal 5 after the immediate sellout of the previously announced show on 4/23. The newly added date is 4/22 at Terminal 5. Tickets (which will be on Ticketmaster) go on sale Wednesday at noon (don't sleep).

All tour dates and a couple of videos below.

Continue reading "Refused add ANOTHER Terminal 5 show"

Refused announced their reunion earlier this month along with the announcement that they'd be playing Coachella. Then they quickly added an appearance at Sweden's Way Out West festival with the report, "additional dates will be made official." Well one of those additional dates that has just been made official will take place in NYC on April 23 at Terminal 5! Tickets go on sale Wednesday (1/25) at noon. Other dates have been announced too

All currently known dates and the video for "New Noise" off 1998's The Shape of Punk to Come below...

Continue reading "Refused announce more shows, Terminal 5 included (dates)"

In addition to the previously discussed Bamboozle appearance, The Promise Ring will ALSO reunite for an NYC date! The show goes down on Sunday, May 20th at Irving Plaza and tickets go on sale on January 28th at noon.

The Promise Ring split up in 2002 and reunited briefly in 2005. The band confirmed their reunion late last year and NYC is one of a few slecet cities scheduled for the band so far. All known dates are listed below.

Continue reading "The Promise Ring playing NYC after Bamboozle"

by BBG

That's correct, you read right. And in a recent Facebook post they confirm that...

REFUSED ARE NOT FUCKIN' DEAD

Full Coachella lineup HERE.

UPDATED: The band has issued a statement... doesnt sound too promising for more touring.....

UPDATED AGAIN: The band has added a show at Way Out West festival in Sweden and according to a report, "additional dates will be made official".

Continue reading "Refused reunites too! (Coachella date announced) UPDATED"

Pulp @ Way Out West in 2011

The Coachella 2012 lineup was supposed to be announced in full by now (update: ANNOUNCED), so that may explain why Pulp just announced that they will in fact be playing the festival on both of its weekends: April 13 & 20. Now let's hope that also means a North American tour that comes all the way east. The rumored end-of-2011 US shows obviously didn't happen.

I was lucky enough to catch Pulp during their reunion dates in Europe over the summer, at the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, Sweden to be exact. Here are some pictures from that glorious show, the great Jarvis Cocker, special guest Charlie Fink from Noah & the Whale, and many Swedish fans included. They continue below...

Continue reading "Pulp coming to the US! -- playing Coachella(s), played Way Out West during European tour (pics)"

"ATTENTION! To whom it may concern: AT THE DRIVE-IN will be breaking their 11 year silence THIS STATION IS ...NOW...OPERATIONAL"

photos by Stephanie Crumley, words by BBG

American Nightmare in MA

American Nightmare (aka Give Up The Ghost) reunited for two shows: Club Lido in Revere, MA on December 29th and one in Los Angeles on 12/31. The shows, their first in close to eight years, featured the lineup of Wesley Eisold (of Cold Cave), Timothy Cossar, Joshua Holden, Brian Masek, and Alex Garcia-Rivera, and featured notable support with the East Coast getting appearances from All Pigs Must Die, Colin of Arabia, and Salvation while the West Coast got Trash Talk, Touche Amore, and Weekend. Pictures, videos and the partial setlist from the MA show are in this post.

Jacob Bannon recently interviewed Wes & Tim for the Deathwish podcast, discussing the details behind the reunion. Stream that in full on the Deathwish player or download a copy via iTunes. Deathwish recently reissued We're Down Til We're Underground and Background Music on vinyl. Order yours at their eStore.

Pictures/video/setlist, below...

Continue reading "American Nightmare aka GUTG reunited (pics, video, setlist)"

The founding members of The Beach Boys, one of the world's most legendary bands in popular music history, will reunite for a global 50th Anniversary CELEBRATION in 2012. Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks will come together for a new studio album and commemorative catalog releases with Capitol/EMI and a 50-date international tour to begin in April with a headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") as well as other exciting events to be announced.

Brian Wilson says, "This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again."

Mike Love says, "We got together at Capitol Records and re-recorded 'Do It Again.' Brian and I wrote that song which went to number 1 in Great Britain, Australia and elsewhere some 44 years ago. Brian paid me a compliment saying, 'How can a guy sound that great so many years later?' Later on, while working out some harmonies on a new song Brian had written, I got a chance to return the compliment. It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements. I am very much looking forward to David Marks joining us and thrilling with his surf guitar licks. Music has been the unifying and harmonizing fact of life in our family since childhood. It has been a huge blessing that we have been able to share with the world. Wouldn't It Be Nice to Do It Again? Absolutely!"

Al Jardine says, "The Beach Boys were recently inducted into the California Hall of Fame. From our humble beginnings as brothers, cousins and friends, we have been honored to sing the praises of California, and I'm really excited for our fans to be able to see us again in concert on the world stage, and to celebrate our 50th anniversary together with a new studio album."

Bruce Johnston says, "I will be looking forward to singing Brian Wilson's melodies and Mike Love's lyrics once again in concert with many of the original band members, but imagine what we all could come up with vocally in a recording studio atmosphere under Brian's musical direction."

David Marks says, "I'm really looking forward to celebrating this important milestone in The Beach Boys' history with the other guys, and with Capitol Records - where it all began 50 years ago. It means a lot to me that we can all reunite and pay tribute to the fans who have kept the music alive."

Continue reading "Brian Wilson officially reuniting with The Beach Boys, planning 2012 tour & new album"

Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

On Sunday 27th May 2012 Alexandra Palace will host the first show in 13 years from Cincinnati's rock legends THE AFGHAN WHIGS. Formed in 1986, the bands career from then until 2001 saw them release six acclaimed albums highlighted by the classic Gentlemen LP in 1993. Fusing classic rock with grunge-era distortion and a heavy soul influence, Afghan Whigs were one of the most renowned live bands of their time and this long awaited reformation will no doubt be a very special event.

ATP are also pleased to confirm their return to Asbury Park, New Jersey USA where they will follow last year's debut in that city with a 2012 I'll Be Your Mirror event, the Saturday night of which will be headlined by The Afghan Whigs and curated by the Whigs' frontman Greg Dulli.

As you can see in the poster, tickets will go on sale in January. More of the lineup will also be announced at that time.

All Tomorrow's Parties' I'll Be Your Mirror UK, which just lost Guided By Voices, will host The Afghan Whigs and has moved further into the "unreal" category with additions of Wolves In The Throne Room, Yob, Dirty Three, Floor, Chavez, Balam Acab, The Oh Sees, Yuck, Archers of Loaf, Demdike Stare, and Siskiyou to appearances from Sleep, Melvins, Mogwai, Codeine and Mudhoney.

Full ATP I'll Be Your Mirror UK lineup is below.

Continue reading "Afghan Whigs reuniting, ATP returning to Asbury Park in 2012"

Screaming Females at MHoW (more by Devan Council)

NJ record label Don Giovanni have scheduled their annual pair of Brooklyn showcases (and a NJ movie screening) for middle February, returning to Music Hall of Williamsburg and Death By Audio too.

Kicking off with a screening of Dirty Work at the Forum Theatre in Metuchen, NJ on 2/9 (yes, the Norm MacDonald/Artie Lange film), the party will move to Death By Audio on 2/10 for a show with Mikey Erg, House Boat, Nuclear Santa Claust, Secret Police and Plastic Cross. The next night Don Giovanni moves eight blocks up to Music Hall of Williamsburg where Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson and The Cans, For Science, Shellshag, and Black Wine will team up to play the venue. Tickets for the bigger show go on sale Friday, 12/9. The flyer for both is below.

Latterman

In somewhat related news, Latterman, who called it quits in 2007, and who share a member with Laura Stevenson & the Cans, is back from the grave, at least for a few shows.

Latterman was a four-piece punk rock band from Huntington, New York. They played a style of melodic punk rock with shouted dual-vocals by Phil Douglas and Matt Canino, and their songs often contain political and/or socially conscious lyrics. The band has been compared to the likes of Against Me!, The Lawrence Arms, Hot Water Music and Fifth Hour Hero. Members have since gone on to play in bands including Shorebirds, Mutoid Men, Iron Chic, Bridge and Tunnel, RVIVR, Laura Stevenson and The Cans, Daytrader and The Brass.

Although recent Don Giovanni signing Waxahatchee is NOT playing the Don Giovanni showcases, Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) can be found opening one of the Latterman shows. She is playing one of her last shows ever as part of the sunsetting PS Eliot at the Bell House.

Members of Night Birds served in The Ergs with Mikey Erg (who plays the DG show at DBA), and they have a few shows scheduled before year-end too, including a show with Citizens Arrest and another at Tommy's Tavern on 12/9 with Manipulation and Crazy Spirit (who play with Double Negative soon).

During CMJ, Laura Stevenson and Shellshag, like Polica, stopped in to perform songs exclusively for us backstage and on the Williamsburg Waterfront. Check out those videos, part of our slowly-debuting Sony Bloggie CMJ video series ("Green Room Sessions"), along with tour dates, the DG flyer, and some Latterman videos below...

Continue reading "Don Giovanni schedule 2012 showcases, Latterman reunited, Laura Stevenson & Shellshag played us songs (videos & dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

As hinted at in a tweet on their new twitter last week, emo vets The Promise Ring have announced a reunion. Formed in 1995 by Davey von Bohlen while he was playing with Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring are responsible for the seminal '90s emo album Nothing Feels Good, their sophomore LP, which spawned over a decade of copycats and gave Andy Greenwald a title for his book documenting the emo movement. After the release of that album, the band began experimenting with a lighter indie rock feel, which resulted in two more albums before their breakup in 2002. Davey and Promise Ring drummer Dan Didier continued their foray into indie rock territory in the band Maritime, who recently toured in support of their fifth LP Human Hearts which came out this past April.

The band have announced two shows so far, including one in their hometown of Milwaukee, and another in Chicago at The Metro, where they played their first reunion show in 2005 for Flower 15 Festival. According to Alternative Press, these shows will be with the "formative lineup," von Bohlen, Didier, guitarist Jason Gnewikow, and bassist Scott Schoenbeck, who recorded on the band's first two albums. They also note that Dan Didier has mentioned The Promise Ring "will look into potentially doing more shows throughout 2012." They will also be releasing a rarities collection in 2012 on Dangerbird Records, which is also currently home to Maritime.

In the past week, they've posted two teaser videos to their vimeo titled "It's All Coming Back To Me" (parts 1 and 2). Check those out below...

Continue reading "The Promise Ring announce reunion"

videos by SWATEAM91

Moldy Peaches reunion @ Knitting Factory (photo by austinmccutchen)

Kimya Dawson just visited the NYC-area to play shows at Maxwell's (Saturday after the Sonics) and Knitting Factory (Sunday) AND to play a surprise reunion show with the Moldy Peaches! As the audience that included Regina Spektor, at least one member of the Strokes and Macaulay Culkin watched, Adam Green and the rest of the gang joined Kimya on stage after her set Sunday for at least the eight songs which you can watch below...

Continue reading "The Moldy Peaches reunited after Kimya Dawson's Knitting Factory set (videos)"

Tony Iommi at Saint Vitus (more by Samantha Marble)

After a round of leaks and denials early this year, Tony Iommi stepped away from promoting his book for a minute today and confirmed a Black Sabbath reunion of the original lineup (Ward, Osbourne, Iommi, Butler) for an appearance at the Download Festival in the UK on 6/10/12 in addition to a new record produced by Rick Rubin (their first with this lineup in 33 years) AND plans for a world tour to follow. The announcement came at 11:11 PST on 11/11/11 along with scant details and the below video.

Continue reading "Black Sabbath announces (another) reunion"

Codeine

On the weekend of the 25th-27th May 2012 at Alexandra Palace, London, All Tomorrow's Parties will present the second UK I'll Be Your Mirror event. Tickets are on sale via ATPFestival.com from Friday 11th November at 10am.

ATP are incredibly excited to announce that this year the event starts on Friday 25th May when the incomparable SLAYER will present their undisputed classic Reign In Blood live in it's entirety during their headline set to celebrate it's 25th anniversary! Released in 1986, it is widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time - in 2006 Metal Hammer named it "The best metal album of the last 20 years." Joining Slayer on Friday night are influential doom metal trailblazers SLEEP - this will be their first UK visit since reforming for two amazing ATP festival shows in 2009, and legendary Washington sludge group MELVINS, with more to be confirmed.

On Saturday 26th May, the first ever ATP festival curators MOGWAI will return to headline, and to curate the rest of the day's line-up - this will be their only show in England in 2012 and their first choices to play alongside them are another great Washington band in the form of the fantastic MUDHONEY, and playing their first shows since 1994 with their original line-up in anticipation of also re-issuing their astounding back catalogue, reformed slow-core heroes CODEINE return to the UK. More of Mogwai's choices are to be confirmed very soon.

"These are Codeine's first public performances since 1994. We are performing to celebrate the release of WHEN I SEE THE SUN - the reissues of all our music by the esteemed NUMERO GROUP, of Chicago, Illinois, coming in the spring of 2012. The 3 albums will be released as vinyl double albums, which will include compilation tracks, 4 track demos, peel sessions, and entirely heretofore unreleased songs. The six albums will also be released as a limited edition boxed set, possibly with a bonus 7-inch. Our hope is to make our music and legacy available to all who are interested. To spotlight this release, we will be performing a very limited series of concerts in the US, UK and Europe.

Slayer played Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on Sunday (and they got everything they needed). Pictures from their set are HERE. Their setlist is below...

Continue reading "Codeine reunited, planning US shows, playing ATP in the UK (that Slayer are also playing 'Reign In Blood' at)"

by Bill Pearis

The fifth annual Royal Flush Festival happens at Knitting Factory Brooklyn from October 13 - 17. Hosted by arts/comics/music mag Royal Flush, details are still a little sketchy on the fest's website, but bands include Art Vs Science, Kid Savant and Glitter Freeze. (Not sure about films this year.) Most excitingly, for this writer at least, is that the Royal Flush folks have coerced '90s-era indie rockers Lotion out of retirement for their first show in 12 years on Monday, October 17.

New York City in the 1990s was not the hotbed of local music it is today and apart from Soul Coughing and D Generation and Luna there wasn't a whole lot going on here. What there was of a scene, it mostly happened at Luna Lounge which served as a music industry hangout and place to catch local bands for free. Among them, Lotion were tipped Most Likely to Succeed. They were one of the first "Cute Band Alerts" in Sassy, their debut Full Isaac was named Album of the Year by the Village Voice (though not in the Pazz & Jop poll), appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, perhaps most famously, got reclusive author Thomas Pynchon to write the liner notes for their 1996 album Nobody's Cool.

Lotion toured with Pavement, Mercury Rev and others and got compared to R.E.M. a lot, which I never quite understood, but they did make some amazingly crafty, complex pop over the course of three albums, all of which are worth seeking out. (They're all out of print but used copies are affordably-priced.) Their live shows were legendary, especially at Luna Lounge which could be loose and boozy and filled with covers. After 1998's The Telephone Album (their best if you ask me), interest fizzled and the band ceased operations a year later.

Singer Tony Zajkowski and drummer Rob Youngberg formed Honeycomb in the early '00s. Honeycomb were equally pop-friendly but added a multimedia element to their shows that made them unique. Honeycomb won some big Best Unsigned band contest around that time, and snuck out an album in 2008 but the project ended shortly after. Zajkowski and Youngberg have formed a new band, Spellbender, that are still gearing up for their live debut.

I don't think Lotion's last show back in '99 was intended that way, so here's your chance to see them. A few choice Lotion cuts (via YouTube) are below.

Continue reading "Lotion reuniting for Royal Flush Festival in Brooklyn"