Pictureplane, Dope Body, Mykki Blanco + More Bid Farewell to 18 Java St.
By Rebecca Smeyne
Stepping up to the mic to start his set, around 3:30am on Saturday morning, Travis Egedy, aka Pictureplane, said "This is what it's all about." He was referring to the overall scene that night: a diverse but douchebag-free crowd, the still-going-strong dancefloor, and the venue, a residential (people were hanging out on top of the fridge), weird mural-filled loft and illegal party space in Greenpoint. Unfortunately, it was also an eviction party -- "rage against the dying of the Bud Light," read the Facebook invite. These kinds of parties will survive, they'll just move to Bed-Stuy or further out on the L train (or at least we hope). Pictureplane also announced during his set that he just moved to Brooklyn (from Denver), and someone from the audience, right on cue, tapped him on the shoulder, and shouted "I sell weed. You should buy from me!" Priceless.
Genre-wise, the lineup had a lot to offer - from all manner of EDM to sludge-punk to high-energy spoken word to rap. Dope Body is a very heavy band (a "much-needed shot in the arm to current state of dicklessness in rock music" as our friends over at Impose put it. They're gaining a ton of traction right now (this was their fourth show in two days in NYC) and to see them in this environment (vs. the more sterile settings of their Northside Festival and SXSW gigs) was absolutely thrilling. Pictureplane, with his raver style and complex mix of electronic influences, has had band-to-watch status for several years now, and brings out no shortage of fanatics. The antics of DJ Dog Dick are always entertaining (fellow Baltimorean Dan Deacon stopped by to watch), as are Shams and our favorite trans rapper, Mykki Blanco.
Also of note: never at a single party have we seen so many crop tops (and on all genders). Some of the items that were drunkenly tossed around in the crowd during the five hours we were there: a large bag of Fresh Step (the cat litter, seriously), a box of styrofoam peanuts (by Pictureplane, during his set), the "head" of Bad Brilliance's costume (see photos, if you don't understand what that means), the Chinese ceiling lanterns, Mardi Gras beads, beer, water, bodies, and a harmonica. This is what Pictureplane was talking about.
Genre-wise, the lineup had a lot to offer - from all manner of EDM to sludge-punk to high-energy spoken word to rap. Dope Body is a very heavy band (a "much-needed shot in the arm to current state of dicklessness in rock music" as our friends over at Impose put it. They're gaining a ton of traction right now (this was their fourth show in two days in NYC) and to see them in this environment (vs. the more sterile settings of their Northside Festival and SXSW gigs) was absolutely thrilling. Pictureplane, with his raver style and complex mix of electronic influences, has had band-to-watch status for several years now, and brings out no shortage of fanatics. The antics of DJ Dog Dick are always entertaining (fellow Baltimorean Dan Deacon stopped by to watch), as are Shams and our favorite trans rapper, Mykki Blanco.
Also of note: never at a single party have we seen so many crop tops (and on all genders). Some of the items that were drunkenly tossed around in the crowd during the five hours we were there: a large bag of Fresh Step (the cat litter, seriously), a box of styrofoam peanuts (by Pictureplane, during his set), the "head" of Bad Brilliance's costume (see photos, if you don't understand what that means), the Chinese ceiling lanterns, Mardi Gras beads, beer, water, bodies, and a harmonica. This is what Pictureplane was talking about.
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