Sounds Like Sycamore: Live Music Arrives in Ditmas Park

Sycamore, the charming flower shop/bourbon bar which opened this past September in Ditmas Park, is now a charming flower shop/bourbon bar/concert venue! After we read about some of their very-cool-sounding past shows, we were curious to know more about the newest member of the Cortelyou Road crew. When we called up last week, we were told by Christine ("the flower lady") that Jessica Dessner was our gal, so we shot her over a few questions.

So what exactly is your role at Sycamore?
I am in charge of booking the "talent." I'm really fortunate in that I've been given free rein to do what I want with this jewel box of a performance space. I'm also the PR-engine, the poster-maker, the meet-and-greet girl.

What'd you do before arriving there?
My credentials for the job involve a fair amount of nepotism. My husband, the architect, Ole Sondresen, designed Sycamore, in addition to the other Cortelyou Road establishments, the Farm on Adderley and Mimi's Hummus. Sycamore and the Farm are both owned and run by family friends. Over the six years that we've been in the neighborhood, our tightly-knit community of artists and entrepreneurs has slowly made a public home for itself on Cortelyou. Secretly, I think the goal is to never have to leave the hood. My curatorial choices are also informed by the fact that I'm a poet and artist and a huge music fan -- my brothers are Aaron and Bryce of The National. We all work and live out here on the same street, Stratford Road --- The National's studio, also designed by Ole, is just down the block. Ditmas is our old world village.

When did they decide to start throwing shows there?
The potential for shows was in mind from the beginning. The owners, Allison and Gary Jonas and Justin Israelson, have real risk-taking spirits, and obviously, a tremendous amount of belief in the neighborhood to open a flower shop/bar in, what was at the time, a relatively "distant" Brooklyn galaxy. It's all evolved organically; after the bar and shop were up and running, the next little buzz of possibility centered around trying out some shows.

Who has played there so far?
The first show I curated was on March 26th, with Hoferlanz, aka Ben Lanz (pictured above), a close friend of mine who happens to be a great trombonist and songwriter. His show turned out to be the perfect model for how I want the space to be used -- it was his for the evening and he invited a number of special guests (Sebastian Kruger of Inlets, Sebastien Schuller). Pedro Soler, a legendary Flamenco guitarist from the south of France, played April 8th. This was when we discovered how perfect the space is for acoustic music.

How do you decide on the bands?
It's a combination of pickiness and practicality; who I want to hear and who will work in the room. I'm excited about the prospect of Sycamore becoming a spot for second, smaller, low key shows for artists passing through NY, who might like a break from bigger rooms and crowds (the room holds about 50 people). While I am cherry-picking artists I really love, I am also open to music I may not know personally -- there happens to be a large number of musicians living in Ditmas who have caught on to the possibility of playing near home; but no worries, it won't be a free-for-all. I'm also interested in fostering lesser-known artists looking for a comfortable place to sink into the performance experience. As an ex-dancer/choreographer, I have a certain reverence for the "energy in the room" after a show. As an audience member, I'm often fritzed-out by having to quickly shift gears on behalf of the next act. That's why I'm offering artists the whole evening, steering clear of the hodge-podge line-up, unless someone is really excited about sharing the evening.

Any upcoming shows that you can tell us about?
Ah, so many! I'm looking forward to this week: Hush Arbors on April 23rd and Katie Stelmanis on April 25th. Hush Arbors' self-titled Ecstatic Peace! release of last year was one of my sleeper favorites. This will be their first and only show in NY since 2005. Katie is just so cool. On May 8th, The Havels, a husband/wife duo (viola de gamba, violincello, voice) from the Czech Republic, are playing. I discovered them in 1993, while I was teaching dance in Copenhagen. They were playing on the street and were total vagabonds at the time. They had one battered LP for sale, which I bought and choreographed to obsessively. I tried for years to track them down and finally gave up, until my brother Bryce stepped in and used his music world savvy to bring them over for his MusicNOW festival, in our hometown, Cincinnati, OH, in 2007. Guy/girl duos seem to be a spring theme: Ben + Vesper on May 2nd, Steve Curtis (from Hem) and Erika Simonia on May 14th, Buke and Gass on June 5th. Another very personal favorite: Diane Cluck on May 30th -- she'll be playing two sets.

Flowers, bourbon and music -- that's quite a combo. How do those three mix together?
How many music venues smell like fresh flowers? I'm relatively new to bourbon, but I'm fairly certain it's nothing revelatory to call it live music's ideal accomplice.

Any outdoor events planned?
I'm a sunshine-monger and would love to riff off Sankt Hans Aften (the Scandinavian ritual for honoring the longest day of the year, usually around June 23rd), with a music festival in the garden. We'll see... a massive bonfire is probably out of the question.

Stay up to date on Sycamore's upcoming concerts here.