We haven’t posted a mix in a while, so two Sundays ago, we decided we’d record ourselves. Lots of tunes that are new to us in there, starting with a Shelter classic, closing out with Mister classic and hitting Outkast, Fania All Stars, Floorplan and Max McFerren in between. Enjoy!
Author: Justin Carter
Planetarium
Since we started Mister Saturday Night, we’ve been trying to create the best environment to connect people to each other through music. That energy has all been focused on the dancefloor.
Recently, though, we’ve been thinking about all the music we love that’s not for dancing, and we’ve been working on a way to experience that music that is as immersive and communal as being with others on a dancefloor. In about two-and-a-half weeks we’re starting something that aims to do that. It’s called Planetarium.
For the first Planetarium, we’ve reserved an amazing private loft space with a beautiful hi-fi system on which we’ll be playing music to get lost in. There will be couches and chairs, and you can bring blankets, sleeping bags, pillows or anything else you’d like to make yourself comfortable. We’ll only do a handful of reservations so that there’s plenty of room to spread out.
The session will go from 7pm to midnight on Friday, June 24th. You can bring your own drinks (there’s no bar), and there will be a space reserved for smoking inside so you never have to leave the bubble we’re creating.
Because we’re doing this at someone’s home, we’ll only send the location info to people who reserve a ticket in advance. So you know how to plan, we can tell you it’s not too far from Nowadays, less than five minutes from the Halsey L.
Tickets are here. Because we’re trying to leave a lot of space to stretch out, there aren’t a ton of them. It’s a good idea to reserve early.
We really can’t wait to share some music with you in this new way.
Looking Back on 2015: Justin Carter
2015. We opened the new home of Mister Sunday on the border of Brooklyn and Queens; we did our last season at Industry City; and Eamon and I DJed a roller rink in LA while Dam Funk rocked the mic and Snoop Dogg rolled around on one of those hoverboard things smoking a giant, brown pixie stick. So, you know, no big deal.
Beyond that stuff, I bought way too many records. Here’s a look at some of my favorite discoveries of the year – not necessarily released in 2015, but all new to me. As a bonus, I’ve made a Youtube playlist with all the songs herein for your listening pleasure. Enjoy. And happy holidays!
Harvey Sutherland “Bermuda” I think I have played this at every party since it came out. Musical, dynamic, groovy, unpredictable. An instant classic of the Mister and I’m sure of many, many other parties. Don’t stop, Harvey!
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The Good Old Days Are Nowadays
For the past few years, Eamon and I have been working with our buddy Mark Connell to create a space of our very own. It’s taken ages, but finally (FINALLY!) we are about to open.
In case you haven’t heard us talk about it, here’s the scoop. It’s called Nowadays, and it’s in Ridgewood, Queens, right on the border of Bushwick. It’s a large outdoor space with trees, grass to lie in, little hills for the kids to run up, picnic tables for hanging and playing games (we’ll have backgammon, chess and checkers sets at the bar), a big concrete ping pong table, and, occasionally, freight trains that that roll by. Pretty cool.
At the bar there are local beers; wines and sangria from Gotham Wines; and sodas from Brooklyn Soda Works. We’ll also have food – classic American backyard barbecue fare like a crazy delicious grass-fed burger, vegan and regular hot dogs, a beet burger, an avocado salad, and a big fat pickle. There’s a nice slight Asian flare because our friends Mel and Steve, who’ve done Asiadog for years, are running the Nowadays kitchen. (For a peek at the food, check this Grub Street piece.)
Nowadays will pretty likely be the eventual home of Mister Sunday, but for now, the space is just a place to hang out – Mister Sunday will stick down at Industry City for the duration of the summer. Of course the music is still important to us, so Eamon and I have dug into our collections and pulled a bunch of albums to soundtrack the space. Every album will get played in its entirety. It’s nice to listen to things as they were meant to be heard! Here’s a few album cuts we pulled for the Times.
Starting tomorrow, Thursday, June 18th, we’ll be open every Thursday through Sunday day through October. Our hours and such are on the Nowadays site. Can’t wait to see you out there!
Nowadays is at 56-06 Cooper Ave near Wyckoff in Ridgewood. Take the L to Halsey or the B26 to Irving and Halsey. Full directions and more info at nowadays.nyc.
A New Tradition, Starting With First Recordings by RL Burnside
If you’ve ever gotten to the party early, you’ve probably heard Eamon or Justin play a full album or two. We’ve got a pretty nice sound system, and it’s a treat to hear a good long player over the PA before the dancefloor fills up. This year we’re making something official of our casual tradition with one of the guys selecting an album in advance and telling a little about why they’re going to play it. Justin’s taking the first turn. The record he’s chosen is RL Burnside’s First Recordings:
Back in October of 2011, I took a trip through the south that landed me in Clarksdale, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. Before then I had the cursory blues knowledge that any music fan might, but the stops in those two towns made me fall deeply in love with the music. (I made a short mix of some of my first blues infatuations back in January in 2012 in case you’re interested.) Since then, I’ve grown my collection, and I’ve become particularly interested in the blues as dance music.
In its heyday, the blues were played in many ways and served many purposes, but my favorite recordings are the ones that put me in a trance, where the guitars drone and the vocals punctuate. Even when there’s no percussive elements in a recording, you can almost hear how dancers would’ve clapped along or stomped their feet to fill in the space.
The first recordings of RL Burnside contain some of the hardest dance tunes I’ve heard in the blues. Absolutely crushing stuff. (I played “Skinny Blues” at peak time at one of the most recent Mister Sundays.) Even the songs that aren’t dancers are full of groove and swagger. I can’t help but nod my head through the whole record.
The story of how this album was recorded is also very cool. George Mitchell, one of the great blues scholars and field recorders, was in Mississippi in 1968, searching for unknown players. He was led to RL by Othar Turner, a legendary blues man himself. When Mitchell arrived at Burnside’s small home, his wife, nine of his ten kids, and a few local friends were squeezed inside. Mitchell took a seat on their couch, and RL started up. After the first song, George Mitchell, mesmerized, hit record on his tape machine and captured the album we’ll listen to Sunday.
If you’re interested in any more of the story, feel free to come to the booth and ask to see the jacket. (I also have the first issue of some of the recordings, which has a little more back story. I’ll bring that, too.) I’m really looking forward to playing it for you – and, selfishly, taking yet another opportunity to listen to it myself!
–Justin Carter