NYC Scene Report - N-A-R-C, Long Beard, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features a wild electro-pop video from N-A-R-C, melodic indie pop-rock from Long Beard, the soulful hip-hop of G.E.D., and folk singer-songwriter Nick Nace stepping out on his own with his first solo EP.

* N-A-R-C is the indie electro-pop project from NYC based singer-songwriter-producer Pepi Ginsberg, and although the first N-A-R-C EP, New Age Real Change, won't be out until February 26th of next year, a video for the EP's lead single, "Venus, TX," was just released, and it's way too amazing not to share.

According to the description Ginsberg posted on YouTube, "The video is in tribute to Korean Muk-bang (‘eating room’) performances in which a ‘Broadcast Jockey’ or ‘BJ’ eats large amounts of food while interacting with their audience for entertainment on live-streams."

The clip is insanely creative, and makes me want to both hear, and see, more from N-A-R-C.


* Just over the border in New Jersey you’ll find indie pop-rock artist Long Beard, who I first wrote about here a few months ago. Her work features melodic vocals that create a borderline ethereal vibe, and if you missed her the first time around, you're going to want to check out her latest single, "Turkeys."

"Turkeys" is off of Long Beard's recently released debut album, Sleepwalker, which is a project that was a four year undertaking, as she refused to settle for anything less than a singular vision for the album. That vision is the transition into adulthood in modern America.

Check out "Turkeys," and transition into being a Long Beard fan.


* If you're in the mood for some soulful hip-hop that will make you feel good, and isn't dumbed down, you might be ready to earn your G.E.D. In this case, G.E.D. is the Brooklyn based hip-hop collective consisting of Ark Medina, Chica, D'zILLA, Eaz Da Engineer, IzReal Medina, Pr Starr, and Last Call Steeve, and their recently released album, We Don't Sleep, gives listeners meaningful lyrics over soulful, jazzy, beats.

IzReal Medina describes the album, saying, "There's a fine line where the underground's substance meets the mainstream's polish, and that's where this project lives." In a statement, Chica added, "Our music is the sensation you feel on your taste buds when fluffy cotton candy becomes liquid in your mouth – substantial, but changing form."

Check out the latest single off of We Don't Sleep, titled "Never Give It Back," and earn a soulful G.E.D.


* Two and a half years ago I interviewed an NYC indie folk rock band named A Brief View of the Hudson. While I wouldn't consider their run "brief" by any stretch of the imagination, it did come to an end when one member got hitched and moved away. A Brief View of the Hudson's Nick Nace, however, is still in the city, and he just released a solo project titled Avenue A & Heartbreak

Nace says of the project, "I wanted to record a break up EP, but I had zero budget, so I decided to record it myself. I was listening to a lot of (Bruce) Springsteen's Nebraska at the time, so that may have had a lot to do with that choice. The quietest place I could find was in the back of the antique store I work in in Brooklyn."

After letting some folks listen to the EP, Nace says, "My friend said it sounds like a thrift store Leonard Cohen, which I find an apt description."

The release show for Avenue A & Heartbreak will take place on December 10th at 6pm at Rockwood Music Hall, and Nace will be following that with a national tour in 2016.

While Nace will soon be all over the country, you can listen to Avenue A & Heartbreak in its entirety right here.


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