NYC Scene Report – VISTA, Otis Clapp, & Alyssa Kayhill


This week’s NYC Scene Report features VISTA airing out their “Dirty Laundry,” Otis Clapp kindly requesting you put the “Money in the Bag,” and Alyssa Kayhill “Playing With Fire.”

* VISTA have had a busy couple of months. For starters, the electronic alt-rock group has gone from being a duo to a trio, as lead vocalist Hope Vista and guitarist Greg Almeida are now joined by drummer Mikey G. VISTA also just put the finishing touches on a brand new EP, titled The Repair, which will be out this Friday.

The lead single off The Repair is “Dirty Laundry,” which Hope discussed, saying, “‘Dirty Laundry’ felt like the right fit to introduce this record because it opens up about hanging some of VISTA’s internal demons out to dry. Our last EP, The Ruins, delved into what our personal demons are, what it felt like to be fighting them, feeling them. ‘Dirty Laundry’ addresses how we’ve evolved in the few short months since we released our last EP. The song itself is about how jagged our edges were, how we cracked open, but being able to expel everything that was weighing us down.”

Click play on “Dirty Laundry,” and air everything out with VISTA.


* Otis Clapp has one very simple request – put the “Money in the Bag”!

“Money in the Bag” is the latest single off Clapp’s upcoming album, 40’s on the Church Steps, and the video for it has a bit of an ‘80s feel.

“Me and director nyenteenatey2 were trying to capture a ‘80s TV/Miami Vice-esque vibe,” Clapp says of the clip, which was shot in Florida, “Along with that we attached a loosely based storyline where we follow Otis and the ‘bag’ as he delivers his bars. The idea for the song is basically, ‘Put the money in the bag,’ or Pay Me ... without all the excuses.”

Check out the clip, and watch Otis get the bag.


* Pop singer-songwriter Alyssa Kayhill is a lifesaver by day, indie artist by night. This is because when she isn’t hard at work in the studio, she’s hard at work in Brooklyn Hospital’s Cardiology Unit.

Discussing the unique way her careers intertwine, Kayhill said, “I think there is an important connection between my work as a nurse and my music. Nursing has taught me so much about myself and humanity, and music has been the most amazing outlet for me to connect through stories of my struggles, my doubts, and my victories.”

She added, “Hopefully, my songs can help someone realize they are valued, seen, and that we are not as alone as we sometimes think we are.”

Check out the song “Playing With Fire,” which is off Kayhill’s just released album, Love Is What It Is, and get to know this great new voice on the scene.


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

Comments

Popular Posts