NYC Scene Report – Gamblers, Beat Radio, & I Love You, I’m Sorry
This week’s NYC Scene Report is taking things to Long Island.
Why, you ask? Well, because L.I. has a plethora of fantastic bands, and those bands contribute heavily to NYC’s indie music scene. A prime example of this happened recently at NYC’s Heaven Can Wait, when they had a lineup of four bands hailing from the Island – Gamblers, Atomic Life, Beat Radio, and I Love You, I’m Sorry.I featured hard rock foursome Atomic Life this past Friday with an in-depth interview (if you missed it, click here). With this week’s NYC Scene Report I’m giving the other three bands some much deserved shine. Let’s get into it!
* Indie pop-rock band Gamblers headlined the night at Heaven Can Wait, as it was the album release show for their sophomore LP, Pulveriser.
The sound of Pulveriser manages to combine the nostalgia of the great pop music of the ‘80s with a heaping dose of present day indie rock cool. The lyrical content, which is written by the band’s founder and vocalist, Michael McManus, is deeply personal, tackling some heavy topics, including our own mortality, but when combined with the music they actually give the listener life.
Take, for example, the standout song, “Running From My Grave.” What could be depressing, instead sounds like it wouldn’t have been out of place on the soundtrack to a John Hughes film, and makes you want to both dance, and sing along.
Songs like “Running From My Grave” make Pulveriser album of the year material, and you should definitely give it a spin.
* Indie pop band Beat Radio is closing in on its twentieth anniversary, which is a heck of a milestone for any band, and an even more impressive a feat in the indie world.
The project of Brian Sendrowitz, who describes the music of Beat Radio as “heartfelt, literate pop songs,” as time has gone by he’s made his lyrics more and more personal.
This all led up to Beat Radio’s 2022 release, Real Love, which he described in a statement, saying, “The songs on this record are way more vulnerable, and more connected to my real life,” adding, “I think I’ve learned how to be more emotionally honest as a person.”
This might be why during Beat Radio’s set at Heaven Can Wait I felt a bit of an emo vibe – which at this point has just become code for “a guy who isn’t afraid to show a full range of human emotion.” You can tell Sendrowitz really puts his heart and soul into his lyrics, and he sings them with a similar passion.
Check out the song “Dissociation Blues,” which is from Real Love, and turn your dial to Beat Radio.
* Kicking things off for the evening at Heaven Can Wait was I Love You, I’m Sorry.
Fronted by Andrew Krolikowski, I Love, I’m Sorry was originally the title of Krolikowski’s 2023 solo album, which combined elements of singer-songwriter fare, and indie rock. After he was joined by drummer Matthew Record, and bassist Mike Pilo for a show right before Christmas, the trio had such a blast playing together they decided to become a band, taking the album’s title as their name.
With the additions of Record, and Pilo, the sound of I Love You, I’m Sorry began to evolve. Imagine if Tom Petty were to have founded a grunge band, and you start to get an idea of what I Love You, I’m Sorry sounds like live. Personally, I love it!
Check out this clip of them performing “Hold Me Down” from their set at Heaven Can Wait, and get to know this very cool band.
For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.
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