NYC Scene Report – Homeboy Sandman, Razor Braids, & The Lemon Twigs

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Homeboy Sandman making a cross-country “Journey,” Razor Braids with fond memories of “Nashville, Again,” and The Lemon Twigs staying local by signing with Brooklyn-based label Captured Tracks.

* Over the past 15+ years, longtime column favorite Homeboy Sandman has gone from local indie hip-hop standout, to globally beloved emcee. Along the way, something he’s always been known for is using his position to give other artists opportunities, and that’s exactly what he’s doing with a project titled Royalty Summit.

Royalty Summit is an album that sees the Queens, NY native collaborating with the Oakland, CA nonprofit Oakstop Alliance for 12 songs that feature him sharing the spotlight with numerous indie artists from the Bay Area.

All the proceeds from the album are going to Oakstop Alliance, which works to provide creative outlets, and opportunities for the youth of the Bay Area. The organization was born to answer a host of questions – “What can these musicians create if they have access to incredible recording studios without time constraints? What new audiences can they reach when featured on collaborative works celebrated by national press outlets? What new opportunities to tour globally are unlocked when local creatives establish new friendships with their contemporaries?”

Check out “The Journey,” featuring Homeboy Sandman, Simago, and James Wavey. It’s the first step of the journey of Royalty Summit, and Oakstop Alliance.

* NYC-based indie rock foursome Razor Braids are gearing up to hit the road, with a flurry of dates starting February 23rd in Asbury Park, NJ, and running through March 29th in Pittsburgh, PA, with a stop at SXSW along the way.

If you haven’t seen them live, definitely check them out when they hit your town (3 Reasons You Should See Razor Braids Live), and if you haven’t heard their music – which ranges from beautifully melodic, to face melting rock – give their latest single, “Nashville, Again,” a spin.

“Nashville, Again” is one of their melodic tunes, and was originally the first song they released as a band. In a statement, they said of the new version of the song, “In revisiting the single we got to breathe new life into a song that always feels like coming home when we play it live.”

The foursome added, “We’ve spent so much time in the last year writing new music, and prepping for a new tour, but before moving forward we wanted to take a beat to look back at some old songs with fresh eyes.”

I don’t know what else they have in store for listeners when it comes to reimagining previously released songs, but on the revamped “Nashville, Again” Razor Braids sound as tight as ever.

* The Lemon Twigs have signed with Brooklyn-based label Captured Tracks, and released “Corner Of My Eye,” their first new single in over two years.

“Corner Of My Eye” is a ‘60s soft pop influenced ode to a new love interest, and the NYC-based band discussed the creation of it in a statement, saying, “We recorded this track in winter of 2021 in our old rehearsal studio in Midtown, NYC. Apart from the vibraphone, the instrumental track was recorded live with Andres Valbuena on drums, and Daryl Johns on upright bass. We laid down the vocals late that night once the traffic outside had died down. We’ve had the song for a while now, so we’re excited to share it with fans who may have heard it live over the years!”

When you click play on “Corner Of My Eye” you may think you’ve been transported to a previous era, but it’s an era that will relax your mind, and let you float away … at least for three minutes, or so, but who couldn’t use that kind of break from the present?

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