NYC Scene Report – Sister Thieves, King Falcon, & George Steel

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Sister Thieves realizing someone isn’t “Human,” King Falcon covering a modern pop-punk classic, and George Steel looking to correct a misguided idea about pleasure.

* Certain songs grab you right from the start, and that’s definitely the case with Sister Thieves’ recently released single “Human.” As soon as the guitar hits, you’re ALL IN.

A heavy rock song that encapsulates their self-described vibe of being a “doomy” rock band with heavy grooves, and “eerie” female vocals, “Human” is off Sister Thieves’ upcoming album, CRAWL, which is due out this Friday.

Discussing the song in a statement, Sister Thieves frontwoman Steph said, “‘Human’ is a very emotional, very angry song that was incredibly cathartic to write. I’m really happy with how it has evolved over time both emotionally and musically.”

Click play on “Human,” and dive into this doomy, heavy, eerie gem.

* I’ve seen NYC rockers King Falcon twice this year – once opening for Sublime with Rome, and once on a four band bill at Bowery Electric – and they were incredible each time. One thing both shows had in common was the band performed one cover, putting their own spin on Paramore’s “crushcrushcrush.”

To say they crush it would be an understatement, and the rest of the country is quickly finding out what NYC audiences have known for years – King Falcon is a hell of a live band.

The foursome have been on the road all this month, and will be wrapping things up with a hometown show at Pianos in NYC on October 27th.

Never ones to sit still, King Falcon will head back out at the end of January for a string of dates through February.

If you see they’re coming to a city near you, I highly recommend you grab yourself a ticket, and see them live. In the meantime, check out their cover of “crushcrushcrush,” and for more info on the band give my interview with frontman Michael Rubin a read.

* NYC’s resident avant-garde wild man, George Steel, released his debut album, Desire on the Range, earlier this month, one of the singles off of which is the big glam pop tune “Pleasure is the Place.”

Explaining the inspiration for the song in a statement, George Steel said, “‘Pleasure is the Place’ takes an earnest but misguided belief to its extreme in order to bring joy out of an often painful experience. In other words, it’s a big pop song.”

Producer Ernesto Grey seconds this, saying, “‘Pleasure is the Place’ was the first song I worked on where it made sense to bridge country and glam pop. The chorus felt reminiscent of something you’d hear at a stadium, so I wanted the instrumentation to reflect that. The brass section makes the chorus feel triumphant, and keeps the rhythm of the song feeling fresh.”

There’s something very fresh about the music of George Steel, and it’s that uniqueness that makes him so great. Click play on “Pleasure is the Place,” and dance to the madness.

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