Astoria Local Music News: Listen, Drink, and Vote!

It’s an exciting time to be a music fan in Astoria. There’s an abundance of local spots to enjoy live tunes, HiFi Records is an awesome spot to sip coffee and spin vinyl, and many artists are flocking to the neighborhood to take advantage of affordable practice spaces. We wanted to share some noteworthy news about a few of our local favorites, so you can take a listen and show them support!

 

Side Saddle

For Side Saddle, 2016 is already off to a great start. In January, they were the winners of the Silver Sound Showdown Music + Video Festival, a “Battle of the Bands”-esque contest held at Brooklyn Bowl, and they’re currently working on their newest album.

To raise funds for the record, which will include a run on vinyl, they’ll be throwing a party tonight at Singlecut Beersmiths. The event will have no cover charge, and they’ll be hitting the stage from 8pm-10pm. Friends and fans who are interested in donating to their Kickstarter campaign will be able to do so via their band iPad, or can sign up for an e-mail reminder to donate at their convenience. If you won’t be able to make the event tonight, you can throw them some dough on their official campaign page here.

Here’s the official Facebook event. Brews and tunes are always a great way to kick off the weekend!

 

Evening Darling

Evening Darling are very near and dear to our hearts, as they performed at WHA’s LIC Flea event this summer, as well as the HiFi Records Holiday Party. (And, full disclosure, I’m dating one of the members of the band. I may be a bit biased, so check out their video above to decide for yourself!) They’re currently hard at work on their debut album, and they’ve recently been presented with a huge opportunity.

They’re currently finalists for a super-cool contest from Jam In the Van, a California-based music site that films pop-up concerts from up-and-coming bands in (of course) a traveling van. If they win, they’ll be heading to SXSW in Austin, TX to film a session.

All they need is your vote! Head to the official voting page here and vote Evening Darling to represent Astoria on the national level.

 

The Gantry

 

Americana-rockers The Gantry, who performed at our HiFi Records launch party back in July, are heading back to the local haunt next Friday, March 11, to officially release their latest album, Crosses, on vinyl. To celebrate the launch, they’ll be participating in an in-store performance, and welcoming special guests Billy Atkinson and Collin Dempsey of Supersmall to jam along. The FREE event will run from 7:00-11:30pm, with an after-party to be held at The Letlove Inn. Check out the official Facebook event here!

 

How do you feel about the music scene in Astoria? Share with us your favorite bands and venues in the comments below and on Facebook. And get voting, listening, and drinking!