NYC Scene Report – Ian Mellencamp, ASTR, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features genre-bender Ian Mellencamp becoming “Invisible,” electro indie pop act ASTR getting lost “In Your Eyes,” two fantastic covers from Brooklyn rockers Stringer, and a psych rock gem from Max Pain and the Groovies.

* Genre-bending Brooklynite Ian Mellencamp has released a new single, titled “Invisible,” that tackles the idea of social media connectedness actually leading to more, rather than less, isolation.

Mellencamp explained the song – which features elements of electronic music, indie pop, and indie rock – saying, “With accessibility to the world available at everyone’s finger tips via WiFi/the internet it’s easy to think that we all have a voice that will reach the masses. On the contrary, with so many voices in the mix, and our expectation that our voice can and will be heard, we can become lost in the shuffle and experience what I’m calling invisibility. Only heightened by our increasing dependency and reliance on social media and technology, our feeling of self-worth is semi-dependent upon it. Isn’t it ironic that with the world becoming increasingly accessible and reachable, that we can start to feel more invisible?”

He continued, adding, “(The song) was written at an existential low point for me. A period of struggling with the reality of the day in and day out, the monotony of living. Negotiating between the love of the freedom that comes with anonymity/invisibility and its ability to make life seem meaningless and arbitrary.”

Check out “Invisible,” and let this song be seen … err … heard.


* Originally a duo, but now the solo project of Zoe Silverman, ASTR has been giving listeners fantastic electronic influenced indie pop for years. ASTR’s latest is “In Your Eyes,” a standout track that now has a video to match.

Silverman explained the inspiration for the song, and video, saying, “This is my first video stepping out as a solo artist. After losing myself in the push and pull of a million other opinions, I went to Woodstock to sit in the dirt and write. This project channeled angst and confusion into a tone of riot. The video for ‘In Your Eyes’ goes into my internal journey of identity; breaking down the illusion of reality to find authenticity. As culture evolves to put a higher placement on our external representation of nature the lines between our visual self and internal self get more blurry. The video starts with self-reflection and expands into a surrealist dream. It’s the introduction into the dimensional world built with new creative director Andre Bato. It’s a dream collaboration to have him as my visual partner for the project, and I’m super excited to watch it all come to life!”

Click play to watch “In Your Eyes,” and the now solo ASTR come to life.


* Stringer are one of the most buzzed about bands in NYC this year, and for good reason – they are pure rock n roll, and they have a kick ass live show.

The band recently released their full length debut, My Bad, on vinyl, and at the release show at The Glove, in their hometown of Brooklyn, they performed covers of The Libertines’ “Can’t Stand Me Now,” and Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,”

Mark Fletcher of Stringer explained the song choices, saying, “We chose to cover The Libertines’ ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ because of the inherent similarities between our band and theirs. They have been a huge influence upon us since we were teenagers, plus they also have two ‘lead’ singers/songwriters, and have dealt with – quite a lot more of – the drama that comes with having two personalities up front. ‘Dancing With Myself’ was chosen for no reason other than its strikingly similar key/chord progression, and the fact that it’s an awesome song.”

Check out Stringer’s high energy performance of these classics.


* Max Pain and the Groovies recently released their latest EP, Sounds From The Hole, and it features the psych rock inspired single “Checkin’ Out Late.”

The EP is the band’s first release since relocating from Salt Lake City to Brooklyn, and the video for “Checkin’ Out Late” is all about spending time on the road. The band described the clip in a statement, saying, “‘Checkin' Out Late,’ a song about staying sane on tour. The video speaks to the many things that can go wrong, whether it's getting broken into, breaking down, or getting played. The only thing you can do is just keep on keepin' on.”

After checking out the video you’ll want to Max Pain and the Groovies to keep on releasing great music.


For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.