NYC Scene Report – Gideon King & City Blog, Don’t Believe In Ghosts, & Softee

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Gideon King & City Blog teaming up with Michael Mayo, Don’t Believe In Ghosts reminding us what “Makes No Difference,” and Softee with something to move your booty to.

* Gideon King & City Blog are an 8-piece NYC soul/funk/jazz-fusion band led by guitarist Gideon King (photo: center, sunglasses). He calls the band a “Blog” because, according to King, “It is an open-ended dialogue with different musicians contributing their perspectives. When we create, it is controlled chaos. We sift through competing ideas, chipping away at the song until it has discernible features.”

The latest from King and his “Blog” is a collaboration with column favorite Michael Mayo (who is a heck of a live performer). Titled “Turn Off the Sky,” Mayo’s gorgeous vocals, and the band’s … I’m sorry, the BLOG’s incredible chops are on full display here.

Is it soul, is it folk, is it jazz? There’s no need to force “Tun Off the Sky” into a genre, just click play, and enjoy this stunningly beautiful song.

* Speaking of column favorites, Don’t Believe In Ghosts recently released a new song titled “Makes No Difference.”

When I caught up with the indie alt-pop band earlier this year, frontman Steven Nathan discussed the vibe he likes to present with his music, saying, “For me it’s about inspiring people, and it’s about giving people hope, and making people feel good, and feel like a part of something. That’s something that’s important, to feel like we’re a part of something, and to feel inspired to do things.”

He continued, adding, “I’m not a person who’s gonna sit down and really, even with my closest friends, bog them down with a lot of my problems, because I know we all have problems. I’m mostly trying to look at – how do we fix this now? Instead of complaining, it’s like what’s the solution to this? How do we get back to good? For me it’s an outlet of that.”

Click play on “Makes No Difference” – which features a killer sax solo that will take you back to the ‘80s – and let Don’t Believe In Ghosts get you back to good.

* After checking out “Makes No Difference,” you’re probably up and dancing, so let’s keep that feeling going with the latest from Softee, titled “U + Me (WDYT).” (For those who might not know, WDYT stands for What Do You Think. I’ll admit I had to Google that. Thankfully the result was way better than when I Google the acronyms I find on dating apps)

“U + Me (WDYT)” is off Softee’s just-released album, Natural, and the song is a musical mix of classic disco, and ‘90s R&B, with a little bit of funk thrown in for good measure.

If your booty doesn’t move to this, your booty might be broken.

Side Note – If you’ve ever wanted to propose to someone on the dance floor, this is the perfect song for that! Make it happen!

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