A handful of local musicians head to New York City for the seventh edition of the New Colossus Festival, running March 3-8.
New Colossus originated as a kind of “pitstop” for national and international bands on their way to the larger and more well-known SXSW later in March, but has since developed into a destination event in its own right.
The live action takes place on the Lower East Side, scattered among a dozen stages in the old stomping grounds of bands such as The Ramones, Talking Heads and Velvet Underground during the hurly-burly decades of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
Although the neighborhood is slightly more genteel these days (no one’s eaten their own excrement onstage since punker GG Allin “retired”), there are still plenty of rats, roaches and rock if you know where to look.
Local bands making the trip include Spirit Hotel, Lane, Pinklids, Ski Club, Bedroom Eyes, Warmachine, Perennial and babybaby_explores. We asked a few of the acts about making the trip to New Colossus.
What are you looking forward to at New Colossus?
Spirit Hotel: Looking forward to just being in New York City and seeing friends. I lived in New York in a previous life so it always feels like coming home. Stoked to bring the band with me this time.
Pinklids: Seeing some friends, old and new! Play a couple of venues we have never heard of before, that’s always fun.
Lane: We never expected we’d get invited to play this type of show, so it’s sort of validating to know there’s people out there who wanna platform shit cuz they think the music is good. Hard not to get excited at the “Enter the Dragon” aspect, seeing how bands from Oceania throw down. Also the chance to rep Boston is cool – what is the “Boston sound?” It’s an enigma.
Any other bands you’ve got an eye on?
Spirit Hotel: Hoping to catch Dour (Vancouver, British Columbia), Oswald Slain (U.K) and Doused (Philadelphia).
Pinklids: Lane! They’re from Massachusetts as well. We just love those guys. Also, Alix Fernz from Montréal. Been meaning to catch a show of his for quite some time.
Lane: Bands we wanna see: Samwoy, Magda, Marketplace. Also, I haven’t seen Ski Club since they moved away, I’m low-key scared to see how good they’ve gotten.
What can people look forward to at your show?
Spirit Hotel: Lots of guitars, lots of pedals, big drum sounds.
Pinklids: Rock ’n’ roll.
Lane: New material, new band members. We’re faster, less mathy.
Any time for New York touristing? What’ve you got scheduled?
Spirit Hotel: Going to the Met for sure, maybe the Neue Galerie (my favorite), hopefully the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I always visit The Strand and empty my wallet, and eat my way through town – Veselka for the deluxe vegetarian plate, seeking out any new or new-to-me vegan spots.
Pinklids: Nothing planned yet. We are all big foodies, so it’s inevitable that we use our big noses to sniff out the best bites in our vicinity.
Lane: No time! We’re working and in school full time, shouldn’t even be playing this thing.
What are the biggest hurdles or challenges playing a gig on the road?
Spirit Hotel: This is our first. I’ll let you know.
Pinklids: Getting there. Transportation can be complicated if we aren’t all together in a van, which is also expensive. Tricky and costly.
Lane: You never know how whack the backline’s gonna be. Thankfully the venues we’re playing are taking care of us.
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