NYC Scene Report - BS, Ryan-O’Neil, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features a summer finale from hip-hop artist BS, a very cool cover from singer-songwriter Ryan-O’Neil, some new trap-pop from duo baeb rxxth, and a creepy video with an oddly relaxing soundtrack from singer-songwriter duo The Autumn Stone.

* The fall is about to be in full swing, but there's at least one person who is holding on to summer as long as he can, and that's Brooklyn emcee, BS.

Fans hadn’t heard from BS in a while, but he finally dropped a new single, “#summajawn,” the other week, and it's meant to encompass the feeling of the season that just passed.

"It's been a hot second," BS said in a statement, "I hope you've kept cool, and maximized your time in that fleeting summer sun. Summer gets the people hot. I love my hoodie, but I'm not ready to let it drop below 80. Please enjoy my latest offering, '#summerjawn.' Listen, download (it's free), like, and share. Tell a friend to tell a friend. There's more on deck."


Enjoy the last bit of summer, brought to you by BS.


* Another artist who had been missing in action is Brooklyn singer-songwriter Ryan-O'Neil. In a recent email he explained his absence, noting it was not an enjoyable one.

"I spent my last days of summer in the hospital," he explained. "It seemed on one of my upstate excursions I was bitten by a tick. The little bugger left me with Lyme Disease. I'm almost back to 100%, but those two weeks in the hospital, and my fatigue leading up to my hospitalization, has led me to fall behind with music."

That said, O’Neil’s now out of the hospital, and he's celebrating this with the release of a major-to-minor cover of the Disney Jungle Book classic "Bare Necessities." Changing the song's key from major to minor makes it an entirely new piece, but it’s still just as joyous as the original. Check it out.


* I've featured NYC duo baeb rxxth here before, and I'm featuring them again because, to put it succinctly, they make really dope music. The teaming of trap-pop producers Devon Craig Johnson, and Nasimiyu Murumba, has proven to be a dream partnership, and their latest single, "STRP," is another winner.

As Nasimiyu sings "take it off, your apathy, your suit of armor / strip it down til there's nothing left but the snare drum sound / to the bone, to the pit, to the shaking skeleton / I wanna see who lies beneath your fashion sense," it becomes clear this isn't just about nudity, it’s about revealing one's true self.

"STRP" will be on baeb rxxth's debut EP, OMW, which will be released on November 13th, but you can listen to the single, and download it for free, right here.


* The Autumn Stone is the two piece indie singer-songwriter husband and wife duo of James Cassidy (vocals, guitar, drums, bass), and Syd Lane (vocals, organs, pianos, keys). The twosome have a dreamy vibe, and, in the case of the video for their latest single, "Vampires," some really messed up nightmares.

"Vampires" is off of The Autumn Stone's recently released album, Beautiful Freaks, and the video for it features what seems to be an isolated cottage, but you quickly find out you are not alone, as masked musicians emerge from the trees, and play instruments. While all of this is going on the music is so soothing you remain very cool about the entire experience. It's a really wild juxtaposition. Check it out.


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